Newbie - Few Questions C5 Related...

[LEEHUMP1]

I have just bought a 2003 Citroen C5 SX Hdi 2.0 with 129,000 miles. It is the estate version and looks in really good clean condition. The last 5 MOT's have all gone through with no advisories. I am enjoying being back to comfort motoring after having a Xantia estate about 8 years ago. All in the car cost me £621 on ebay from a local seller which seemed too much of a bargain to miss. I have a couple of questions/observations.

1. The car seems underpowered. This may be because I am used to driving a 130bhp Mondeo with a lot more torque (330nm compared to around 180nm in the C5). The Citroen turbo does not seem to kick in until about 2,500 - 3,000 revs (the Mondeo kicks in between 1,500 -2,000) and you seem to have the rev the car more to get it going. I have cleaned the MAF, changed air filter, diesel filter, oil, etc. Is this performance about right for a C5? I have no warning lights on the dash and I can feel the turbo kick in around 3,000 revs so I don't think the car is in limp mode.

2. The rev counter goes up to 7,000 rpm which is a bit unusual for a diesel. Is this just because they use the same speedo as a petrol model or can I really rev it that high?

3. How easy is it to change the steering wheel which is the only thing which lets my C5 down. I would like to find a nice leather second hand one ideally. Did they do leather steering wheels on C5's as I cannot find any on ebay?

Regards, Lee.

[Hell Razor5543]

Hello Lee, and welcome to the forum. I am not going to be able to advise you though.

[Stempy]

Don't know about the performance but there is a thread on here somewhere about refurbing steering wheels.

Try

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 22&t=46980" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=48838" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[jgra1]

Hi lee..

My c5 of similar age miles etc is going through one of its things this week.. meaning it is flat until 3000 and not amazing afterwards.. no warning lights (today)..no limp. and letting off throttle helps it through the revs..
In normal mode though, it pulls cleanly and well in all gears at 1500.. then gets a shift on at 2500 ..
i rarely go beyond about 3500 as i dont think much is after that..

your figs above make the mondeo a fair bit more powerful..

john

[Northern_Mike]

2. The rev counter goes up to 7,000 rpm which is a bit unusual for a diesel. Is this just because they use the same speedo as a petrol model or can I really rev it that high?

3. How easy is it to change the steering wheel which is the only thing which lets my C5 down. I would like to find a nice leather second hand one ideally. Did they do leather steering wheels on C5's as I cannot find any on ebay?

Well, it's 20bhp down, and a fair bit of torque missing compared to a Mondeo. Having driven both myself, the Mondeo is definitely quicker. It's just how it is. They're not a light car, and it's only 110bhp. However - check the throttle cable isn't slack or misadjusted. It's behind the battery under the fusebox, a bit of a sod to get to, but they stretch and go slack. Adjusting it on mine made a heck of a difference.

2... Well, you can try, but you'll fail to get it much past 4800. I think the governor kicks in around that speed. It's futile revving it past 4000rpm anyway as max power and torque is before that, so all you achieve is poor economy and more noise. Keep it between 2200 and 3000rpm for maximum go.

3. The Exclusives had leather wheels. They're quite rare, and the buttons won't be interchangeable with an SX.

[Peter.N.]

Low power at low revs is usually down to the MAF sensor, it should be well on boost by about 1800rpm. I had to change one on my 406 for the same problem, it happened again a bit later but that was just oil contamination, I sprayed some carburettor cleaner on it and its been fine ever since. I got a secondhand one of ebay for not a lot of money.

Peter

[LEEHUMP1]

Thanks for all the prompt replies. I think a lot of it is down to the fact that the C5 is not as quick as the 130bhp Mondeon and I just need to get used to it. However, I did have to adjust the throttle cable on my wifes 307 Hdi which appears to have a very similar engine layout (but her throttle cable adjuster was easy to get to). I will try and adjust the throttle and if it is still the same I will try a new MAF sensor just to see. I will leave the steering wheel for now. Regards, Lee.

[Peter.N.]

Definitely something wrong, you should have more torque at 1800rpm than at 3000rpm, its running out by then.

Peter

[LEEHUMP1]

I checked my throttle cable this morning and lots of slack. The accelerator pedal was only a few inches off the floor. I have now adjusted it so the accelerator is more in line with the brake and the difference is huge. It is still slower than my old car but performs a lot better now. Quicker acceleration and the turbo kicks in when it should. Thanks for all your help. Lee. The only comment is the throttle adjuster is in a pig of a position. Its a good job I have small girly hands

[LEEHUMP1]

I still think the car is holding back a bit (despite the throttle cable being correctly adjusted) so I am off to a scrap dealer today to see if I can find a replacement MAF for a few quid. I know it is a bit hit and miss at a scrap dealer as to whether the replacement part will actually work. Would a MAF from any HDi fit as they all look similar?

[LEEHUMP1]

If I disconnect my MAF to see if the car runs better will it generate a fault code? If so, will this fault code disappear on it's own eventually if I reconnect the MAF as I do not have a code reader/eraser which will work with the Citroen? Lee.

[LEEHUMP1]

Still not happy... I think the drive after the throttle cable adjustment was a placebo effect and me hoping it would fix it. The reality is it still lacks power (at lower revs) and the turbo takes an age to kick in. I was driving up a medium incline today in 3rd gear at 2,500 revs (without any turbo) and it just wouldn't accelerate any more with my foot to the floor. Local scrap yard had no C5's in so I have bitten the bullet and ordered a new MAF which I will put on in a few days when it arrives to see if that solves the issue. By the way I did disconnect the MAF for a short while and drove the car. No error codes/warning lights but drove the same with a lack of power so I reconnected it.

[myglaren]

If disconnecting it didn't make it worse then it's pretty safe to assume it is shot.

[Peter.N.]

I would be very surprised if that doesn't beef it up, made a world of difference to my 406. If the ECU doesn't know that its got a full charge of air it will throttle the fuel back accordingly.

Peter

[jgra1]

Def the same problem .. will grab a maf on sat.. but gutless with a lack of limp or warning lights..
A c5 110 will always go up a hill with minimum throttle once the 1300 (or so) point is reached. .