Hi all, frustrated new C5 Aircross owner. Bought a second hand 69 plate, 1.2 Petrol last week. It’s done 49k miles, just passed its MOT, test drove with no issues. On the journey home had been driving for about an hour and a half, on the motorway, when I got a “low engine oil pressure” warning and the car was losing power. As luck had it I was passing a set of services. Pulled in, unaware of what it could mean. Switched everything off and gave the car a minute. When I restarted it, everything seemed to clear. I did a few laps of the car park and all seemed ok.
Concerned, but optimistic the car was just having a moment, I resumed my journey. 20 minutes later, still on the motorway the dreaded message returned. As did the loss of power. I wasn’t quite so fortunate in where I was and was on a stretch of motorway with no hard shoulder. I stopped the car, started it again and managed to get to a refuge area where I stopped and got recovered.
The RAC mechanic explained he thought it was a perished timing belt fault with debris from it blocking the oil filter and my own googling and reading these forums while waiting to get recovered supported that. I was a bit surprised given the age and mileage being on the low side and had covered cam belt service timings when researching the car (although didn’t do enough to know about this issue) and with the seller.
When I eventually got home and spoke to a few local and trusted garages near me, the following day I was able to confirm they thought it was that issue and went with a garage who had done a few before, including one last week. Car was dropped off yesterday and hoping it would be straightforward , however, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The garage asked to keep the car for an additional day because of a delay in parts. They did confirm they had changed the belt and were in the process of clearing out the debris, of which there was a lot. However, speaking to them again this evening, having done all of the work (and double/triple checking it) the car is now showing an engine management light and going into limp mode when it hits 4,000 revs. When I spoke to the mechanic he was at a bit of a loss as to why this was happening. It’s not been an issue they had experienced when resolving this timing belt problem before. He asked about the background of the car and was clarifying the circumstances around experiencing the problem but unfortunately there isn’t much more I could tell him.
I was wondering if anyone has knowledge or experience of what the additional issue could be? Is it likely the debris has gone deeper into the engine?
C5 Aircross Post Timing Belt Change Complication- EML limp mode at 4K revs
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Juan Sheet
- Posts: 1151
- Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2021 4:59 pm
My advice would be to get it to Citroen. They are aware of the issues and this is why they have a specific schedule to replace the timing belt earlier than normal on these engines.
The Oil Pressure warning is the first signs of blockage - and at motorway speeds this can lead to a catastrophic engine failure if not dealt with thoroughly. The blockage can also affect braking vacuum, so there are several areas that need to be investigated, not just the oil strainer.
The Oil Pressure warning is the first signs of blockage - and at motorway speeds this can lead to a catastrophic engine failure if not dealt with thoroughly. The blockage can also affect braking vacuum, so there are several areas that need to be investigated, not just the oil strainer.
Thanks for the advice guys.
Through reading the forums, I had picked up how essential the right engine oil is.
I would have also considered Citroen however, the nearest Stellantis and You service centre is about 15 miles away and I would not have been able to get the car there.
So the update is this morning I have had a difficult conversation with the garage owner. The repair is already up 30% on the initial quote. Initially quoted as £640 now it looks like it’s going to be £900. The EML issue still prevails. And the garage owners concern is how far they go looking for the fault. Talk of shards and slithers of the belt getting into bearings and solenoids, of which the engine has pairs of and each are £200-£300 to repacks. With labour they have rightly warned this could spiral out of control.
To say I’m worried is an understatement.
Through reading the forums, I had picked up how essential the right engine oil is.
I would have also considered Citroen however, the nearest Stellantis and You service centre is about 15 miles away and I would not have been able to get the car there.
So the update is this morning I have had a difficult conversation with the garage owner. The repair is already up 30% on the initial quote. Initially quoted as £640 now it looks like it’s going to be £900. The EML issue still prevails. And the garage owners concern is how far they go looking for the fault. Talk of shards and slithers of the belt getting into bearings and solenoids, of which the engine has pairs of and each are £200-£300 to repacks. With labour they have rightly warned this could spiral out of control.
To say I’m worried is an understatement.
Just thought I would add an update/resolution to this thread.
So after a lot of uncertainty and anxiety (and a fair amount of expense I’m pleased to report I have a fully working C5 Aircross.
Some of the delay has been down to a lack of Citroen diagnostic technicians. So was quoted a 3 month wait at Letchworth. Spoke to Hatfield and go a booking with a 3-4 week wait.
Limped the car there during the early hours to avoid causing chaos on the roads. When I booked the car in had a fantastic reception from Beth. Cannot thank her and the way she dealt with me, enough. She was amazing, understanding and very open and honest. I explained the whole situation and everything that happened since buying the car.
After diagnostics was told there was a problem in one of the cylinders. They were considering changing the spark plugs but wanted to do a compression test first as it would mean replacing the new spark plugs again. It was mentioned if the car failed the compression test then it would probably mean I needed a new engine - YIKES!
Thankfully it passed the test, new spark plugs did the business. Subsequently tested and given two 50 mile journeys with no further issues I had the car back. Cost was just under £600 but I felt this was reasonable and relieved as I was fearing it would be a lot more.
Overall, I would definitely recommend going to a Citroen/Stellantis dealer. I wish I had gone to them for the belt change. Speaking to Beth I may have got it done complimentary because of the known issues and age/mileage when the belt fault occurred. I’ve tried not to dwell on this fact too much. But I think the belt change package includes replacing a lot more parts than what the local garage did for me. I’m really pleased with the level of customer service and appreciate the transparency in costs.
Absolutely relieved to have it finally resolved!
So after a lot of uncertainty and anxiety (and a fair amount of expense I’m pleased to report I have a fully working C5 Aircross.
Some of the delay has been down to a lack of Citroen diagnostic technicians. So was quoted a 3 month wait at Letchworth. Spoke to Hatfield and go a booking with a 3-4 week wait.
Limped the car there during the early hours to avoid causing chaos on the roads. When I booked the car in had a fantastic reception from Beth. Cannot thank her and the way she dealt with me, enough. She was amazing, understanding and very open and honest. I explained the whole situation and everything that happened since buying the car.
After diagnostics was told there was a problem in one of the cylinders. They were considering changing the spark plugs but wanted to do a compression test first as it would mean replacing the new spark plugs again. It was mentioned if the car failed the compression test then it would probably mean I needed a new engine - YIKES!
Thankfully it passed the test, new spark plugs did the business. Subsequently tested and given two 50 mile journeys with no further issues I had the car back. Cost was just under £600 but I felt this was reasonable and relieved as I was fearing it would be a lot more.
Overall, I would definitely recommend going to a Citroen/Stellantis dealer. I wish I had gone to them for the belt change. Speaking to Beth I may have got it done complimentary because of the known issues and age/mileage when the belt fault occurred. I’ve tried not to dwell on this fact too much. But I think the belt change package includes replacing a lot more parts than what the local garage did for me. I’m really pleased with the level of customer service and appreciate the transparency in costs.
Absolutely relieved to have it finally resolved!
