Mk1 C5 Screen issues

[mickthemaverick]

I went out today to friends 30 miles away and on the way there all was good. In fact since repairing the aircon in the summer, everything on the car has worked perfectly untill a couple of weeks ago I noticed that the radio was no longer picking up the weaker AM stations that I used to have on. The FM seems fine.

I collected my friend and we went out for lunch so I switched to CD which was on the last track of disk 3. The track finished and the player changed to disk 4 and began playing. During track 5 it stopped and tried to change disk but failed. I noticed the screen flickering at this point so I went to turn on the map to check it but maps were greyed out. I switched to trip computer screen and that seemed ok. I switched the radio off and continued to lunch.

After lunch on turning on the ignition the screen came to life in the info mode and the CD began playing as normal. I switched to maps which were available again and they came on with us in the right place. Then a warning message "Satnav may be inaccurate due to excessive temperature" came on briefly. After a couple of miles the CD stopped, the screen went blank and would not respond at all. The radio was still working and I could select AM and FM and channel buttons from the central control but the steering column controls had failed. When I got home I switched off the ignition but the radio stayed on and I had to turn it off from its control knob. So to sum up at the moment the screen is blank, the CD does not work, the column controls do not work, the radio does work but not with the ignition. Any suggestions where to start?

[mickthemaverick]

Just an update, I went out to the car today, switched on and everything working correctly. Drove to Tesco, 6 miles, shopped and drove home. No issues whatsoever so yesterday's behaviour remains a mystery!!

[GiveMeABreak]

Sometimes these can overheat, then they’ll go blank or restart after a while. Volume can be reduced byhe system to reduce power / heat in these circumstances. Did you have the car heater going full blast when it happened?

[mickthemaverick]

I had the heater fan on 2 with the temp set at 23 on driver side and 20 on passenger side. The oil and water temps were both slightly under normal, due to cold weather. There was a jacket on the floor behind my seat which may have restricted airflow around the cd changer but then its usually there anyway. Nevertheless I did get the temp error regarding the satnav so heat may have been a factor I guess. Just pleased that all seems ok today. I'll habe to see how it behaves on a longer run of about 100 miles tomorrow! Cheers Marc.

[GiveMeABreak]

These units are very heat sensitive as there is very little ventilation to cool the units. Not to say you need to have icicles on the chin, but it helps with the cooling

[mickthemaverick]

Thanks Marc, my trip today has been cancelled so I'll have to see how it goes over the weekend but I'll bear that in mind, Cheers.

[mickthemaverick]

Well, today I completed the trip which was cancelled on Friday and sadly I have to report that the problems reoccurred after travelling 28 miles from home. I completed the outward part of the journey with the CD playing as I was unable to use any radio or remote controls. The screen blanked and remained that way for the remainder of the outward journey. After a 2 hour break I got back in the car and everything was working correctly when I switched on. 4 miles later it had all gone haywire with the radio station changing itself followed by no remote controls and culminating in loss of screen and music when CD reached the end. Adding all these symptoms together I concluded that the head unit is the most likely cause so when I got home I had a quick search on line and found a comparrable unit on ebay from Lithuania for £25 + P&P. I already have a spare aerial so when the head unit turns up I will swap that out first and then the aerial. I realise I may have to code the radio but last time I did it, it worked straight off without coding so I'll see how it goes!! Any thoughts on this are welcome.

[GiveMeABreak]

Just make certain you have a compatible one Mick. Do you have the link?

[mickthemaverick]

The listing gave this ID: 96476992ZE 98kW TRA3318 Item number: 303244587243
You may remember I thought I'd given away my lexia but I found it in the workshop this morning while looking for my dehumidifier, which I didn't find, so I am not worried now about the coding as I should be able to do it if necessary!! To be honest at that price I'll be happy just to get the screen and sat nav usable, especially with my March Meander in mind!!

[mickthemaverick]

Just an update, I got the new aerial and the new head unit, both from ebay. I put them both in the boot ready to fit when we get a warm spell and believe it or not the installed equipment hasn't played up once since, including my return trip to Devon at the weekend!! So I think I've finally cracked the Citroen quirk syndrome, you simply pay out for replacement parts, put them in the boot as a threat and the car takes revenge on you by working properly!!

[mickthemaverick]

Further to my new magic cure method I am pleased to say all is still good with the screen issues!! However a new odd quirk appeared yesterday with the locking system. The car centrally locks correctly from the remote or the button but when you unlock, the front passenger door remains locked and cannot be opened from inside or outside unless you insert the key and give it a quick unlock flick which frees the door. So, with my new found technique in mind, my question is which part should I order to put in the boot?

[GiveMeABreak]

Initial things to check:

There was a locking option that can be configured to unlock the driver door only or all doors (locking locks all of course). This parameter could of been changed
(inadvertently or otherwise).

Next, the shunt fuse could be in the Park position and not customer position Mick.

See my illustrated post for Johnny's C5 MK I with this problem:

viewtopic.php?p=633701#p633701

[mickthemaverick]

Thanks for the rapid response Marc. I have already seen John's thread and the fuse 19 info while I was looking for other posts on my issue before I posted. I should have said that everything was working correctly, ie all doors locking and all doors unlocking with remote or button before the issue occurred. All doors still work on locking but on unlocking the drivers and rear doors unlock but the front passenger does not. I have not been anywhere near the fusebox or the OBD socket as so far I have not connected lexia. It seems that the unlock signal simply has no effect on that door. Do they have seperate lock and unlock relays/solenoids?

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi Mick - That rules that one out - so it's either a dodgy wire or the alignment may be a little out causing the rebound. First option is to check the wiring bundle in the rubber protection sleeve at the front passenger door hinge. If one of the control wires has split or is weakened due to opening and closing of the door over time, that may be the culprit. Have a good look as there may be a break in the wire internally.

If you have to use the key to unlock it - which is essentially unpowered and purely mechanical action, then it may be a faulty locking module or just that the unlocking part of the signal isn't getting through.

I think this is for your 2.2 MK I if not mistaken, if so, I have the VIN and will do some digging for you.

[mickthemaverick]

Yes it is the C5 thanks Marc. Too dark to do anything tonight so Ill have the door card off and have a good look in the morning and let you know what I find. Thanks a lot as always.