Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by imperial21 »

Hi
I helped my brother buy a 1.9 Berlingo van, Unfortunatly i missed that there is a lot of black oil in the water :oops: ! The engine runs and drives well, doesnt use water or over heat. I remmeber that its not unknown on the hdi engine the oil cooler leaks, could it be doing it in the berlingo its a 1.9 ( like xud) engine
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
Bick
Posts: 482
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 17:35
Location:
My Cars:
x 44

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by Bick »

Yes it stands a very good chance as its a common problem
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by imperial21 »

I have just checked with my brother,The oil is the normal colour in the engine and about half down on the dip stick.
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
ekjdm14
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 1810
Joined: 19 Jan 2015, 17:42
Location: Congleton
Lexia Available: Yes
My Cars: '95 Xantia 1.9D automatic - 109k one of two remaining
'03 206 GTi180 - 97k in pieces being brought back up to snuff
'03 206 1.9TD - home-built veg-fuelled B-road bruiser
'99 306 SE 2.0i cabriolet - 92k awaiting service work ready for next summer
'97 306 XS 1.6i 3 door, Bianca White, from dead 12 years & seized solid to road legal in 7 days
x 212

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by ekjdm14 »

Sounds likely to be just the oil cooler although HG failure is not unknown, I'd definitely check the oil cooler option first though. Quite simple to bypass the cooler by joining the 2 coolant pipes together and you'll want to give the cooling system a good flush through with detergent (Ive used strong washing up liquid solution and washing machine capsules before now to good effect) to stop oil rotting the hoses.

Once the coolant bypass is complete and the system clean, you'll be able to tell if it's the cooler over time if oil does/does not start to accumulate in the header tank again (a small amount is possible from residual crap). More telling will be if/when the coolant stubs on the cooler start dripping oil.

Good luck & I hope it does only turn out to be the cooler. quite likely as mentioned :)
'95 Xantia LX 1.9D-auto, Black, 109k
'03 206 GTi180 94k in surgery
'03 206 1.1S XUD9TE/veg project :mrgreen:
'99 306 2.0SE cabriolet 95k summer toy
'97 306 XS 1.6i 99k sat 12 years, fixed in 7 days, 150mile maiden voyage :rofl2:
Peter.N.
Moderating Team
Posts: 11563
Joined: 02 Apr 2005, 16:11
Location: Charmouth,Dorset
My Cars: Currently:

C5 X7 VTR + Satnav Hdi estate Silver
C5 X7 VTR + Hdi Estate 2008 Red

In the past: 3, CX td Safaris and about 7, XM td estates. Lovely cars.
x 1199

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by Peter.N. »

Head gaskets usually last about 150k miles on the XUD engine so if you are nowhere near that it should be OK.

Peter
User avatar
white exec
Moderating Team
Posts: 7445
Joined: 21 Dec 2015, 12:46
Location: Sayalonga, Malaga, Spain
My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
x 1752

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by white exec »

Don't muck about with washing up liquid or detergent, even the bio variety.
Get hold of a couple of cans of this:
Liqui-Moly Radiator Cleaner, 300ml, art.no./part.no. 2506.
Available anywhere that stocks Liqui-Moly products, like a good motor factor.

Cleans oil etc from the complete cooling system, and does not damage hoses, seals, etc.
Extremely effective. Just follow the instructions.
Have used it on our 2.5 XM when the oil cooler ruptured, and twice! Now fitted with a non-OE item.
Chris
ekjdm14
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 1810
Joined: 19 Jan 2015, 17:42
Location: Congleton
Lexia Available: Yes
My Cars: '95 Xantia 1.9D automatic - 109k one of two remaining
'03 206 GTi180 - 97k in pieces being brought back up to snuff
'03 206 1.9TD - home-built veg-fuelled B-road bruiser
'99 306 SE 2.0i cabriolet - 92k awaiting service work ready for next summer
'97 306 XS 1.6i 3 door, Bianca White, from dead 12 years & seized solid to road legal in 7 days
x 212

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by ekjdm14 »

white exec wrote:Don't muck about with washing up liquid or detergent, even the bio variety.
Get hold of a couple of cans of this:
Liqui-Moly Radiator Cleaner, 300ml, art.no./part.no. 2506.
Available anywhere that stocks Liqui-Moly products, like a good motor factor.
Can I ask why this is please, because of potential damage or just personal preference? I've never had any issue using that method previously, and indeed it's also suggested in Car Mechanics magazine occasionally. Is there something in these detergents that damages cooling system components over the course of a couple of hours? Obviously I've always flushed the whole system again with pure water after using them, before refilling with coolant. The longest it's ever stayed in was washing up liquid for about 3/4 of an hour (I ran the engine up to temperature with the mixture before draining, allowing to fully cool and water flushing).

Interested to know your thoughts on this.
'95 Xantia LX 1.9D-auto, Black, 109k
'03 206 GTi180 94k in surgery
'03 206 1.1S XUD9TE/veg project :mrgreen:
'99 306 2.0SE cabriolet 95k summer toy
'97 306 XS 1.6i 99k sat 12 years, fixed in 7 days, 150mile maiden voyage :rofl2:
User avatar
white exec
Moderating Team
Posts: 7445
Joined: 21 Dec 2015, 12:46
Location: Sayalonga, Malaga, Spain
My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
x 1752

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by white exec »

No, I'm sure that detergent won't actually do the cooling system any harm, it's just that I've never found it particularly effective, compared to the L-M solution. There's also the issue of washing-up liquid etc foaming, which isn't helpful.
Automatic clothes-washing liquid (biological) would be preferable to WUL, as it is non-foaming, and doesn't contain salt, which could damage some components.
You're right to finish off with a couple of water flushes. The final one should be done with deionised/distilled water, to prevent sedimentation/calcification.
Chris
ekjdm14
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 1810
Joined: 19 Jan 2015, 17:42
Location: Congleton
Lexia Available: Yes
My Cars: '95 Xantia 1.9D automatic - 109k one of two remaining
'03 206 GTi180 - 97k in pieces being brought back up to snuff
'03 206 1.9TD - home-built veg-fuelled B-road bruiser
'99 306 SE 2.0i cabriolet - 92k awaiting service work ready for next summer
'97 306 XS 1.6i 3 door, Bianca White, from dead 12 years & seized solid to road legal in 7 days
x 212

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by ekjdm14 »

That's food for thought if we ever find ourselves dealing with oil in a cooling system again, not quite as cheap as a couple of washer capsules but if it's more effective then that's got to be good for the longevity of the cooling system components after oil contamination.

I wouldn't have expected too much of an issue with sediment/limescale provided the actual coolant that goes in is mixed using distilled water. Then again, we do have fairly soft water here anyway so we're lucky in that respect (it's utterly crap for quenching thirst with though!)
'95 Xantia LX 1.9D-auto, Black, 109k
'03 206 GTi180 94k in surgery
'03 206 1.1S XUD9TE/veg project :mrgreen:
'99 306 2.0SE cabriolet 95k summer toy
'97 306 XS 1.6i 99k sat 12 years, fixed in 7 days, 150mile maiden voyage :rofl2:
User avatar
Paul-R
Donor 2023
Posts: 6916
Joined: 07 May 2009, 16:24
Location: Wirral, NW England; Vaucluse 84, France
Lexia Available: Yes
My Cars: 2015 1.6 Blue HDi 120 Peugeot 308 Active SW
2013 2.0 HDi 163 C5 Exclusive Tourer
2003 2.0 HDi 110 C5 Exclusive Estate (Gone)
2001 2.0 HDi 90 Xsara Estate (Gone)
x 1369

Re: Citroen Berlingo Headgasket or oil cooler fault ?

Post by Paul-R »

It used to be the case (and may still be) that cheaper washing up liquids used common salt as a thickener. This would certainly have a very bad effect on any aluminium or its alloys.
As I get older I think a lot about the hereafter - I go into a room and then wonder what I'm here after.

Inside every old person is a young person wondering what the hell happened.

"Trying is the first step towards failure" ~ Homer J Simpson​
Post Reply