The wonky £1K citron Citroën

[steve_earwig]

Busted engine mount perhaps The thing with an auto is it's not a manual and can't be driven as such, you have to know how to play its game. Although I've never thought an auto box suits a diesel engine, I drove my dad's old Flealander which was a 2 litre diesel (underpowered for a start) coupled to a (notoriously awful) JATCO 'box, pulling out into traffic involved standing on both pedals (diesel 2-step?), watching for a gap and then side stepping the brake pedal at the appropriate moment.

I'm never 100% sure what gear the yoyo is in, 4 speed with underdrive (that's what they call it anyway) and converter lock up, the gears I get when selecting manually don't even seem to be the same gears the 'box has at its disposal. And I'm still annoyed by its lack of a prndl display, the cheapskates

[Doggy]

You do feel the effort of constant clutch operation in stop-start traffic, same with the C5 and the 406 before it. Think I've got a bit of arthritis in my big toe, combination of that and casual shoes saw me doing most gear changes without the clutch while I was on holiday last month.
My experience of slushmatic cars is very limited, still not keen on having one but they are reputedly getting a lot better. My lad loves the 8-speed in his C class Merc.
Finally got the hang of the van's automated manual 'box, keep it in manual - I do the up changes, it'll still change down itself enough not to stall. Heard that the Iveco 6-sp manual has a heavy, notchy gearchange so maybe it's just as well. If only it was capable of hill starts, (just stalls, nothing you can do except go back onto something nearer flat)! Thinking of wiring in a clutch override so I could rev it a bit before engagement, WCPGW?

[rwb]

Busted engine mount perhaps

Good idea. I'll have a look...

Fords have always had difficult manuals. The cars are bad enough (we had a Mk V Fiesta from new that had very noisy synchros) but the tractors are impossible.

[rwb]

New air filter. That took a bit of getting in to.

Oil change using the sucker only got about 3l out. It was bad. Dipstick is useless; it smears all over on the way out but computer says OIL OK so I guess I'll just have to take its word for it.

Turns out the oil filter is 32mm not 27mm so couldn't do that.

Couldn't work out how to get the fuel filter out. Undid all the bolts but it wasn't for shifting and if I force it then I'm bound to bust it.

Cabin filter is in the same place as in the 407 (centre console accessed from passenger footwell) but can't work out how to remove the carpet.

Even the front EGR is bloody impossible to get to so I doubt they're going to get blanked.

RD4 to RT3 looks much harder than I had hoped, and I think I'm still short of some loom.

[Bailes1992]

Auto boxes are getting better, the ZF 8HP my Father had in his 2012 320d and now Alfa Giulia is absolutely amazing. You don't feel any gear changes and it always seems to be in the perfect gear, all the time. What I find even more surprising is how different the 'boxes operate despite being the same unit. For example, the BMW at a 70mph cruise would sit at ~2000rpm constantly slipping the torque converter, the Alfa on a 70mph cruise sits at 1600rpm with the torque converter locked up. When you let go of the accelerator in the BMW during a 70mph cruise the revs would drop down to ~1600rpm and the torque converter would lock up giving you engine braking. In the Alfa the revs drop straight down to idle and the car coasts along, touch the brakes and then the torque converter will lock back up assisting your braking.

When I bought my Volvo the only previous auto I had driven had been my Fathers 320d and I think maybe I expected a bit much from the Aisin 6 speed unit. I don't regret my decision as I spend most of my life on the motorway or in traffic but the gearbox can be a bit notchy and dim witted at times. It also seems to thump annoyingly up gears if you coast downhill picking up speed, I've learned to put it into manual and lock it into an appropriate gear now. I find the gear selection in 'Sport' mode perfect for me but it changes too quickly and too harshly, it also downshifts aggressively when you brake. If I could have the gear selection of 'Sport' with the gear change quality of drive it would be a decent unit.

[rwb]

It's smooth enough -- I lose count of what gear it's in. So I've got the gear displayed on FAP now. (BTW I believe this app works on 406s -- it's PSA specific.)



You can see it changing down as you slow down.

Had a quick blast in sport mode round the ringroad and that's much keener to change down.

The main nuissance is the delay between applying some revs and accelerating. It seems to be impossible to get out of a junction in a hurry. I guess you have to use your left foot to hold it on the brake while putting some revs on ready.

Anyway: on to the next problems... juddering. Both when accelerating and when being pushed, e.g., down hill. Seems to be worse if not in a straight line. Noticed pulsing whir on corner at low speed.
Current hypothesis:
* not an out of balance wheel because it's not at specific resonant speeds and because it's not particularly noticeable through the steering wheel
* not a wheel bearing because it happens in a straight line as well as corners
* not the torque converter lockup clutch because it happens at all speeds and in all gears
* driveshafts

[rwb]

Right then: am I ordering driveshafts?

[frog]

Right then: am I ordering driveshafts?

Or engine mount(s)?

[rwb]

Driveshafts ordered

[Welly]

You guys with all your "ooh my slushmatic gear-changes aren't quite smooth enough downhill, on a Wednesday, if turning slightly left"....

NO-ONE

I repeat NO-ONE is qualified to complain about ANY auto gearbox until they've endured the Citroen Frankenstein gearbox called the EGS.

Fin.

[steve_earwig]

That's not an automatic, that's an abomination PSA ditched ZF in order to save money and designed something that kind of worked just long enough for the warranty to expire.

[rwb]

My neighbour has one of those on his Pickarsehole. 1.6 HDi, just to add insult to injury. I've been round to have Diagbox on it. Which was pretty pointless since by the sounds of it our local independent former Citroen tech (who is BRILLIANT) has already condemned it as f*cked -- as they say in the trade. Something to do with clutch packs?

[Welly]

Something to do with clutch packs?

'Packs'

Please don't speak in plural's when it comes to Citroen gearboxes, the cost will be higher

I'm pretty sure the EGS has a standard clutch controlled* by electric actuators and the gear 'lever' is yet more actuators.

[steve_earwig]

I'm pretty sure the EGS has a standard clutch controlled* by a windscreen wiper motor and the gear 'lever' is yet more windscreen wiper motors.

FTFY

I think it's just a manual gearbox with all the work done by said motors. My dad still has his, despite it leaping about hitting other cars while he's trying to park it, he also has a new garage door for similar reasons.

I keep telling him to get rid of it before it does something even worse but he says he's waiting for his (well OTT for a lab) dog Rex to go, then he'll change it for something saner. Ffs.

[Welly]

I'm amazed ours still functions, if you remember the clutch action became almost perfect when you switch the a/c on because French so we drive it with a/c enabled the whole time.

I changed the piss, sorry oil last Saturday and had a peak up at the gearbox department.....various leaks apparent so looked away

We've covered 44,000 miles in it now