C5 battery

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Re: C5 battery

Post by GiveMeABreak »

New Procedure is here and incorporates Keyless Systems:

Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure
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Re: C5 battery

Post by milleplod »

Thanks very much for that Marc, much appreciated! I've printed those instructions out - the battery's being delivered today, so once it's fully charged I'll be very carefully following them. :)

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Re: C5 battery

Post by GiveMeABreak »

No problem Pete. The whole point is to allow the cars electronic systems to go to sleep. Once this is achieved you do the battery change, and wait for the electrical systems to reinitialise. Opening any of the doors, or pressing any of the buttons or operating any electronic equipment on the car, will interrupt this process. You may need to reinitialise the anti-pinch devices for the windows and sunroof if you have one, and if you have an automatic gearbox just make sure all the selections work as normal. You will also need to set the date and check the time, so manual at the ready!
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Re: C5 battery

Post by milleplod »

Cheers Marc. I'll put the battery on my CTEK when it arrives later today, hopefully I can fit it on Saturday morning. I'll report back! :)

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Re: C5 battery

Post by milleplod »

Well, after following the very detailed instructions from Marc, I'm very pleased to say that the new battery is on....and, more importantly, everything is working, no issues, no glitches. The fiddliest bit was resetting the bloody clock! :-D

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Re: C5 battery

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Tres Bon Pete! Really pleased that worked out well for you, :wink:
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Re: C5 battery

Post by boristhespie »

I had a comedy of errors with my 06 136 hdi C5.

I went to fill up a tyre at the rear which the warning said was too low. Decided to check the others and the machine totally deflated the front driver's tyre. It wouod not refill it so moved car out of bay and phoned to get the other half to bring down the foot pump. When I was filling tyre notices wheel on left front was scroching. Sign that brakes are on when driving. So yet another caliper issue, so that will be another few hundred quid. But filled tyre up and let my wife go. Only to turn on engine and nothing happen. Completely dead.

I phoned her and got her to come back with jump leads. Jumped the car. This morning. Car started no bother. Just went and tried it now. Deid.

So I am guessing the battery is done. This is without warning.

Any advice if it is anything else, or to check would be appreciated.

Also not sure what battery to get.

But getting fed up with the cost of these cars. Spent almost 800 quid recently on what was meant to be a Eolys top up but ended up being and electrical fault with the filter cap amongst other things. Could there be a leccy leakage?
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Re: C5 battery

Post by myglaren »

Did you charge the battery though - jumping it then driving home would leave it in a discharged state.

Have you a multimeter? If not the basic ones are available at a very low cost, eBay from around a tenner upwards.
I got one like this for one of my grandsons to mess about with.
When the battery is fully charged you can then measure the charge after a day standing idle and also while the engine is running to check the charging voltage.

Remember the sequence for disconnecting and reconnecting C-series batteries.

Which caliper is it? - I have had mine replaced for around £80 a shot (front) rears a bit less.
It may just need a good coat of looking at - piston sticking in the bore may be freeable without too much fiddling around.

You don't have much luck with your cars do you?
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Re: C5 battery

Post by boristhespie »

Nope. Don't. I do have a multimeter but I will admit, I haven't a clue how to use it. I didn't charge the battery as I don't have a charger. I'm just amazed at how without warning it was gone. I assume it was the batter. Thing is the lights still work but flash off when trying to start.

Any advice on charger to buy?

As for calliper. I assume it's that. Same as numerous times before on all the Citroen's I have had. Now the handbrake is slack to the pull so that may be sticking? Although it hadn't been. Calliper work has never cost me £80.

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Re: C5 battery

Post by myglaren »

The handbrake problem is well covered here.
It is usually water ingress into the handbrake mech in the caliper and/or the cable guide tubes.

Try, with the handbrake released, stamping really hard on the brake pedal a few times, you might get it to release the binding caliper - it will come back when you use the handbrake though. It has worked as a temporary fix for me over Christmas a few years back when I couldn't get the caliper replaced.

You can also clean up and lubricate the handbrake mech in the caliper but again it won't last.

Tips on checking batter with a cheap multimeter here:



- followed by an alternator check if it is of interest.

Couldn't advise on a charger. Bought mine from Tandy in 1979 and as it still does the job I have no need of another. I have seen that a lot of them are 'smart' these days, so smart they won't attempt to charge a completely discharged battery.
Some of our electrical bods will no doubt bring you up to date on that score.
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Re: C5 battery

Post by Stickyfinger »

My "smart" one has three settings....6v 12v and 12v COLD start.....£15 ish from Lidl. It has just saved Jims old dead battery which is now fitted to my donor V6 :).........thanks Jim ;)

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Re: C5 battery

Post by lexi »

£800 on a car repair? Wonder how I could spend that on the Donk. Full new rear suspension units. A new radiator. A new 4part clutch and solid DMF, new in tank pump, and new rear suspension bearing kits. Enough left for a few tyres and a bottle of whiskey. See that is £800 spent on a car. You get nothing for garage labour as an investment into your car really. If you ain't spannering, you are paying silly. If I was not spannering, it would be a recent Honda Jazz.
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Re: C5 battery

Post by boristhespie »

Indeed.

Was an amalgam of problems stemming from an initial warning message of Anti pollution. Not all pollution related but I assure you the figure is correct. Way, way back in the very beginning.........

First thing after buying this car the mass flywheel and gearbox needed replaced equalling Big bill. Then the engine went on fire as the hydrolics control unit went boom in the middle of France in 2015. Nice feeling watching the smoke come out the bonnet in the middle of a busy town. Luckily ADAC didn't charge us for the long back of a lorry journey to our local French garage. That was 1200 euro to replace. This is just a couple of things. Of course there were others, like callipers, which it is in the garage today for again, but this car is by no means alone.

Last car's first thing was fairly insignificant, a blown head gasket. I was quoted 1500 quid, most around 1300 quid but weirdly got another who quoted only 450. It ended at 850 after pressure testing and everything was added.

The calipers on this one crumbled, literally in the mechanics hand, when it was serviced in France. At a dealer! 1500 euro for two new rear calipers and the service. To add to the fun, I then proceeded to crash into a newly repaired car, which the mechanic handily parked right behind me as I was reversing out of the garage and into the turning area. They were handing it back to the female customer (French). I had been left to reverse out of the garage on my own for some reason. She had a nice dent and crumpled door. The mechanics and sales people immediately disappeared.

Previous cars nemisis was road chips with 4 new windscreens and rear trailing arm banging away. Oh and crumbing callipers.

These are just some of the issues faced. Only some of my cash splashout on these cars. And I ain't exaggerating the prices. My history on this here forum is a tale of woe. Of whom Myglaren has been the Tonto to my incompetent Lone Ranger. Thanks Tonto, he was always the cool one.

If you think this all started with my love of C5s, sorry....the previous car, a Laguna, busted it's turbo which cost over a grand to replace, followed quickly by a smashed side window due to chip. When the timing belt snapped, 5 minutes after leaving the garage for this window repair, and knackered the pistons, they had to be sent away for reshaping and that cost me 1500 quid. Then again, if I remember right, the turbo was 1500 too, I think.

I immediately sold the jinxed car at 43,000 mileage and got my first C5 right after that. The rest, as they say, is history.

Cars clearly do not like me.
Last edited by boristhespie on 10 Jan 2017, 13:12, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: C5 battery

Post by boristhespie »

And today I have been told I need a new battery.


Oh and new front calliper (well, obviously, pah! That's a given eh)
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Re: C5 battery

Post by ekjdm14 »

Indeed, as lexi says, you get precisely sod-all for 800 quid when paying garage rates these days. I think the going rate is now something like £50/hour so even a couple of seized bolts could cost you a half-ton in garage time.

Half or more of that £800 was probably down to the time spent re-diagnosing and tracing the faults (plus the obligatory 30 quid or so per go on the computer?) so once you've had, say, £100 of eolys chucked in as well there's probably well shy of £250 of parts been replaced in that job :(

If you can do stuff yourself it can save plenty over the years.
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