C4 GP - How mad will these jobs make me?

[Michel]

Hi All,

Due to having a new job, 5 days a week, 9-5, I thought I'd get a quote for getting the GP sorted out by a garage instead of doing it myself.

Well, cheap it is not.. £195 for a replacement rear caliper, £290 for the injector seals, £450 for a new DPF and £140 to top the EOLSYS up if it needs it. Oh, and an engine mount, lower left front it seems.



Is my response to those prices. I have access to a friend's Xsara Picasso for a while yet, so I can stick that on my insurance so the missus can drive it, and repair the GP myself. I'll have to do it at weekends only. I can get the parts for around £280 to do it myself.

Can I do it myself without going mad? What pitfalls am I likely to encounter? I know the rad has to come out to get the DPF out..

thanks
Mike

[EDC5]

If the calipers are anything like the X7 then they come off with two bolts. Easy enough provided they’re not seized or anything. Bleeding the brakes afterwards could possibly be tricky if you were doing it by yourself.

Not sure about the other jibs as I've never done them.

[Delvey]

DPF is easy access at the front of the car on the 1.6 HDI. Depending on if the nuts are rusty etc should not be difficult

[Simple76]

All depends on how easy everthing comes undone. Calliper nothing like c5 fairly easy job. Injector seals can be a problem. If they are leaking they leave a hard deposit (looks like plastic) that needs to be cleaned before you attempt to remove injector easier if you have a puller. Dpf have can be done without taking rad out sometimes worth spending a bit off time taking it out the way makes it much easier.

[RichardW]

I've done (or had done) all those jobs...

Rear caliper - easy. The worst bit is that that pipe is on the bottom so the fluid runs everywhere. On the up side, this means the brakes will bleed themselves! ISTR getting the HB cable free was a mare, and I resorted to cutting part of the clip off.

DPF etc - covered elsewhere. I couldn't get the heat shield off ours with the rad in place. You may well find the pressure sensing pipes are seized in the DPF, but you can remove them at the SS / rubber joint, and deal with them on the bench. Remove the turbo oil feed filter whilst you are there! Get a pair of exhaust clamp pliers....

Eolys - easy - it's in a bag, so you just change the whole thing, then tell the ECU you've done it with Diagbox - in theory you can refill the bag, but ours was split, and it's a PITA. Ours did about 90k, so yours must have been done, and should be good for a while yet.

Injector seals - I didn't fancy this so farmed it out. One injector (not leaking) refused to come out; another which came out refused to work when it went back in so had to be replaced. The replacement was never right - it wouldn't talk to the ECU so the calibration was wrong, and the engine had a diesel rattle. The hardest bit is getting them out. Lighty reckoned the trick was to get the engine proper hot, then remove the cam cover, and twist them from the bottom. If they really won't come, then you will need to get someone with a hydraulic puller to do it. You need the tool to re-cut the seat, but don't overdo it. Consider replacing the hold down studs as they are angle tightened, and prone to snapping if you're even a little bit heavy handed!