2003 Citroen C5 estate.....the end

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, maxxo said:

i had a headlamp out today

so that means i had to change it

access is very citroen, battery is right in the way and i love how far away the actual bulb is from the place you access it

took me about 40 minutes

dropped the clip several times

but it's done!

they were replaced just before i got the car apparently, so it's one of those that eats them.,.....great

i will only use the cheapest possible bulbs i can find

Mine had the HID things. In the 8 years I had the car I never replaced a single bulb on the car. One of its plus points. 

[Spurious]

Absolutely horrid design for the dipped lights. 

You'll be in for a treat if you've to change the drivers side, there's a bit of movement with the battery but there's none on the other side where there's a hydractive pump in the way. 

So I used to do with some may frown upon. 

The C5 is the only car where I had this arrangement. Dipped is a pair of H7s and they all blow them regularly unless you're lucky.

High beam is the 60w portion of a H4 bulb and the front fogs are the "dipped" position of the H4 bulb. So the fogs and the high beam both use the inner portion of the headlamp housing. 

I'd sometimes use during the day, the front fogs as a daylight running light. Yes, yes, I know it's bad from to use the fogs for this function but they're not exactly proper focused foglights, I think it's only the basic spec ones that have integrated fogs. 

If it were getting dark/dull, I'd switch to dipped to not glare anyone. 

It's also a damn sight easier to change the Headlight/fog lights than the dipped. H4s seem to last forever too. 

[maxxo]

2 hours ago, Spurious said:

Absolutely horrid design for the dipped lights. 

You'll be in for a treat if you've to change the drivers side, there's a bit of movement with the battery but there's none on the other side where there's a hydractive pump in the way. 

So I used to do with some may frown upon. 

The C5 is the only car where I had this arrangement. Dipped is a pair of H7s and they all blow them regularly unless you're lucky.

High beam is the 60w portion of a H4 bulb and the front fogs are the "dipped" position of the H4 bulb. So the fogs and the high beam both use the inner portion of the headlamp housing. 

I'd sometimes use during the day, the front fogs as a daylight running light. Yes, yes, I know it's bad from to use the fogs for this function but they're not exactly proper focused foglights, I think it's only the basic spec ones that have integrated fogs. 

If it were getting dark/dull, I'd switch to dipped to not glare anyone. 

It's also a damn sight easier to change the Headlight/fog lights than the dipped. H4s seem to last forever too. 

 

the reason i believe they blow frequently, apart from being french is that that they turn on when the auto wipers panic (which is a lot!)

tbh with the headlights, i just leave them on auto, they work well

i did use the front fogs today as the spray was insane on the way to buy a bulb and i thought it's better than nothing

but yeah i can imagine it being a nightmare, is the headlight removable just from the bolts on the top....or is it french and has hidden ones?

[maxxo]

Probably going to need to do an italian tune up on it tomorrow

just been driving round 3 different towns for the last 3 hours with my partner and some people from facebook looking for 2 missing people

mostly town driving and i have a feeling it's properly clogged with carbon

still performing great and it's really fast!

[maxxo]

Seen these on ebay, i really like the older sx style wheels so i'm very very tempted

tyres are cheaper and i feel they will look much better

[myglaren]

I always found it easier to drop the bumper to replace the bulbs.

I found Philips Xtreme Vision bulbs to be brighter, better beam pattern and longer lasting that others.

I had the same wheels as those - they are a lot easier to keep clean than the 'spoky' ones.

[beko1987]

Same on the xsara, although less lhm bits the abs pump does really make it a bumper off job... 

Bruised and bleeding and moving the abs pump did it in the end, can you fit led's or similar solid state bulbs without becoming illegal so you don't have to do it again? 

[maxxo]

made a successful journey in the rain using only the auto wipers!!!

[maxxo]

how much of a bastard on these are drop links to replace?

i realise i can't really put it off much longer as it's properly clonking now and being annoying as fuck

[Spurious]

Fifteen minute job provided they're not seized on. It's only two bolts and they're accessible enough. 

Last time I'd to cut them off with a hacksaw as they'd seized on. 

[maxxo]

5 minutes ago, Spurious said:

Fifteen minute job provided they're not seized on. It's only two bolts and they're accessible enough. 

Last time I'd to cut them off with a hacksaw as they'd seized on. 

yeah going  to let the weather warm up a bit first then

will certainly bring the serenity back to the car though!

[dollywobbler]

Get soaking them with penetrating oil now? A few doses may help. If you can actually get at the threads.

[beko1987]

I've always had droplinks spin (I don't own a cutting tool). Mole grips tight over the inside bit under the boot (rip it off) then undoing the bolt usually works. 

I then slather the exposed new thread in copper grease which probably does sod all after a wet fast drive but it feels good at the time! 

If your really lucky the stubs will have a hex hole to hold it, then use a spanner. 

[lexi]

Just slice through the nuts with a thin blade angle grinder. It saves fucking about!

[maxxo]

Well, the clonky one might not be sized as it's still covered in LDS from the leak.....

also contemplating a remap, mind you i refuse to believe it's 110 bhp

it's really quite stupid quick for 110

@dollywobbler you need to have a go and see how it compares to yours

[maxxo]

hmmm interesting feature discovered in decently heavy rain today

so, when you stop and the wipers are on full pelt (or auto and on full pelt) the rear wiper frequency increases

only when stopped, i like little things like that

[High Jetter]

Y tho? I'd have though you wouldn't need it sweeping so fast, or so often, when stationery. I always think it strange seeing cars in a queue for lights, etc, with wipers going constantly, sometimes even on full speed - what's the point?

[Spurious]

It's an estate and the rear window collects rain when you're stationery that otherwise wouldn't due to the cars momentum. But then you get road spray when moving. so swings and roundabouts. 

[maxxo]

11 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Y tho? I'd have though you wouldn't need it sweeping so fast, or so often, when stationery. I always think it strange seeing cars in a queue for lights, etc, with wipers going constantly, sometimes even on full speed - what's the point?

i'd imagine something for manouvering, not complaining it works quite well

[maxxo]

7 minutes ago, Spurious said:

It's an estate and the rear window collects rain when you're stationery that otherwise wouldn't due to the cars momentum. But then you get road spray when moving. so swings and roundabouts. 

i drive with the rear wiper on whenever it's raining as the amount of rain water and spray that gets on the rear screen

 

[maxxo]

just had one of those drives

you know the ones, where it just feels amazing

took the really long way home from dropping my partner off home

i am so happy with my choice in vehicle, so damn comfy too!

[maxxo]

Probably going to go for comfort spheres to be honest

firstly i'll be swapping the 16 inch wheels for 15's and seeing what that does

mind you, i got a lift in a bmw 3 series M something and that was horrible! made the C5 feel a magic carpet

[maxxo]

noticed this today

hmmmmmmmm

perhaps that's why they still hold the door well and don't click?

impressed with how well sealed everything is

[maxxo]

We have a problem

well, more of an irritation

cold starts it feels like there is zero preheat going on, it cranks for a while and fires on some cylinders but not enough to catch if it's been below say 10c overnight

lexia wise the only code is for the usual pre/post heating relay circuit

hmmmm

it just feels as though the glow plugs aren't being used at all, the light comes on as normal however

any advice on what to check?

don't want to remove the plugs unless i really have to

[Fumbler]

On 24/05/2021 at 19:58, maxxo said:

 bmw 3 series M something and that was horrible!

Sporty car suspensions make even the most benign economy cars feel wonderful.

[maxxo]

20 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

Sporty car suspensions make even the most benign economy cars feel wonderful.

yes, i don't like sporty cars much apart from one exception just cos one overtook me and sounded amazing

bmw m4 thingy, it was speedy!

[maxxo]

Did some aesthetic work today

rear bumper work

to give you an idea, this is how it looked before, quite badly damaged and scratched

so, i actually did a bit of prep this time

well i say prep

i badly sanded it smoothish, i didn't have any masking tape either so i just opened the boot

of course, i didn't use primer

as i have had much better results from the paint jobs where i rush and put zero effort into that's what i shall continue to do

anyway

here is the finished result

doesn't it actually look alright!!!

i'm actually really quite pleased with the results, it looks so much tidier!

while i was at it i decided to properly wash the car too

oh, and polish it!

and i jetwashed the wheel arches and caused loads of rainbow water everywhere!

managed to get an awful lot of the old filthy LDS deposits and crap out

next job is the drivers side drop link and hydraulic return pipe

regarding the rear arm bearings, as i've been told C5's don't destroy the arms like xantia's etc i'm going to leave it until i'm a bit more financially comfortable and get both sides replaced

otherwise not that much to do tbh

[maxxo]

i went shopping

well i did go shopping then happened to notice KURUST in b&m for 99p so decided to try it

mmmmmmm almost professional!

so to give you an idea, this is the drivers side strut before

quite crusty!

i'm not expecting this to work, as of right now i am still waiting for it to dry etc as it says approx 3 hours before fully cured

as you can see i did both sides, quite difficult to get round the back and under the sphere but i did the best i could

quite looking forward to seeing what this looks like in a few hours

 

 

[maxxo]

driving along like a normal person

i accelerated quite hard, on a short slip road to get up to speed quickly

* beeeeeeep * and "automatic gear fault" on the display and the little service warning light on

fuck

so i quickly dived into a layby, turning it off and on again

of course this upset trafficmaster and it had to tell me the license had expired

has been absolutely fine since, lovely and smooth as always and certainly not in limp mode

anyway, i plugged lexia in

hmmmmmmmm

-50c and -100nm of torque certainly sound concerning alright

along with zero oil pressure and no output speed, or any volts at all

obviously the car had a french moment, followed by lexia being french

so, this means this fault will never happen again or the car is going to explode in my face tomorrow

it's french who know

[myglaren]

On 27/05/2021 at 12:17, maxxo said:

We have a problem

well, more of an irritation

cold starts it feels like there is zero preheat going on, it cranks for a while and fires on some cylinders but not enough to catch if it's been below say 10c overnight

lexia wise the only code is for the usual pre/post heating relay circuit

hmmmm

it just feels as though the glow plugs aren't being used at all, the light comes on as normal however

any advice on what to check?

don't want to remove the plugs unless i really have to

Your glow plugs shouldn't operate until it gets down to -5℃ and then very briefly.

They do come on for a short time after the engine fires to help reduce emissions.

The engine should start just like a petrol engine at temperatures above freezing.

More likely to be a fault with the GP relay than the plugs themselves.

As for the other weirdness, not too unusual.  Mine were manual but would throw up mystery faults occasionally - like all instruments go to zero, all warning lights flash, CD go doolally then turn off, no heating, no indicators, no wipers.

It would often resolve itself after a few minutes or stopping, turning it off and waiting five minutes.

It can be an indicator of low battery voltage.