510,000-mile Picasso! Exhaust battle, gearbox oil missing!

[@jamesnbd57]

Cambrian Classics deserve a medal

[@LightBranches]

Or a nice pint, whichever comes first.

[@CensorshipGenesis]

Tip: Hold the gearbox oil bottle high up on the bonnet. Extend a tube to the inlet port of the gearbox. Let it drain (it's slow) meanwhile you can go and do something else. Without further intervention... ;-)

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Aha the Welsh Citroen specialist returns, good to see Tim again on the channel, great little tinkering video as always.

[@frimleyfrodo]

Back in 2004, my wife bought her mother’s 1996 Citroen ZX off her. Though it was 8 years old and only covered 12,400 miles, she had worn through the clutch and had a new one fitted by some dodgy arches garage. They had managed to lose most of the gearbox oil which wasn’t noticed until my wife started doing the odd motorway journey. Despite filling it back up, the box got noisy and would sometimes pop out of fifth. I drained it and refilled it with slightly thicker gearbox oil and Molyslip. This reduced the noise and the popping out of gear, but made for stiff changes when cold.

[@jm-ze3sf]

to stop wipers chattering, if you run the wipers and turn off the ignition when they are half way through their travel, look closely at the blades and you will see they are not at 90 degrees to the glass and will chatter when going the direction where the rubber blade is pushing rather than wiping along the glass . If you take the blades off the screen and put them in the parked out position, then twist the wiper arm by using the leverage of the blade until it sits at 90 deg to the glass when put back on the windscreen, the blades will be quiet.

[@Simon-ui6db]

Did this on my vectra and works a treat. Used an adjustable spanner to twist the arm to get the blade perfectly perpendicular to the windscreen.

[@HubNut]

Cheers. I did twist them by hand a little which did seem to improve things. I suspect a deep clean of the glass will also help.

[@inspirality]

@@HubNut Deep clean and an application of Rain-x works a treat on mine 👍

[@ianmontgomery7534]

@@HubNut coat the screen with Rain-X.

[@jm-ze3sf]

Rain-X lol, not rain

[@WhitelandRestorations]

Monica’s new parts are incoming! Everyone keep everything crossed….. The exhaust on the Picasso was held together with wishes! Good job guys

[@PaulLemars01]

It's videos like this that led me to a career in computers. It may not be as glamorous but at least I stay dry and (mostly) clean.

[@hectorshouse7348]

Tim is definitely the Citroen special now, a new string to his bow🎯

[@1.6Kilometres]

Flexible hybrid exhaust connector materials designed for dynamic gap filling.

[@stefencooke]

Was half expecting to see a can holding that exhaust together as well lol

[@att61y]

I remember many moons ago "sleeving" a rusted through Primera exhaust pipe with a section of triumph 2000 exhaust, lasted for the rest of the cars life (3 years / 20,000 miles). When cash is scarce ingenuity is king....

[@ashleywinston]

Awesome, vid!!!!! Please just keep it going a little longer for us!

[@HubNut]

Will do!

[@2BugsandaBack]

Wipers judder because the arm is twisted. The blade should drag across the glass, but a twisted arm will try to push it instead which make the blade jump and judder.

[@Peterpanic-c3h]

100% this

[@stefand1752]

I too had a Picasso with no oil in the gearbox. 4000 to 5000 miles after it went into a workshop to have a new front spring fitted, the car started making a noise that reminded me of the plastic engine tray dragging on the motorway. After realising the noise changed depending on which gear you were in I attempted to drain the oil and removed a single drip, and filled it using 2 litres. Empty then. I had owned the car for several years with no sign of leaks. I can only imagine that the driveshaft popped out during the spring change and nobody replaced the oil. No damage appeared to be done and kept the car for several more years. Great cars. Juddering wipers? Check the spindle for fit in the blade. I had some that were too loose, the diameter was wrong. I shimmed them by wrapping a piece of drinks cam cut to fit around each. Problem solved.

[@grahamwishart4832]

Tough gearbox the BE5..

[@alansmith1770]

That exhaust looked rather tired. Well Done to Tim he is a lifesaver.

[@mattw8332]

Are Citroen UK aware of this car? Might be a good PR exercise for them to do some sort of feature on it.

[@skodakatie7341]

Great work, by Cambrian Classics that was a very tricky repair❤.

[@jennyd255]

Strewth! You both have some impressive patience and dedication. If someone loaned me a car that then required me to fill it's gearbox using a tiny oil can like that, and then also expected me to repair all that other stuff as well I'd almost certainly tell them where to shove it - an impressive 500,000 miles old or not... It's done!

[@davidp7414]

Ahh, but you do not pay your bills by producing videos of car repairs!

[@thatcheapguy525]

tyres, a length of exhaust pipe and a drop of gearbox oil is very minor. plenty of life left in that old motor 😃

[@wirdy1]

This is exactly why I don't lend my car to anyone, unless it's a return-cleaner-and-with-more-fuel-than-when-given-to-you-and-if-you-break-it-you-fix-it kinda deal.

[@jennyd255]

@@davidp7414 you have a point... but I'm still impressed by the sheer tenacity.

[@stuartmcdonald5772]

Watched this with the wife.....she kept saying "yep been there, been there" old cars, wives and girlfriends all have to chip in and nelp out. As for the gear box, it'll probably explode now as it cant cope with the oil 😀 great, great vid

[@mikestinyshedofdreams]

To sort windscreen wiper chatter, use 2 adjustable spammers to twist wiper arms so the blades are perpendicular to the screen, if they are not perpendicular then the wipers are bound to chatter

[@mikestinyshedofdreams]

oops spanners not spammers lol

[@robertbills4290]

My son who is a mechanic was phoned up by a guy who said he'd fitted new wipers to his car and they wasn't cleaning the water from the screen. My son looked at the wipers and said to the guy. You haven't taken the protective sleeves off the blades. Easiest job ever lol

[@2760ade]

I've actually done that, to my shame. Though to be fair, the slide on plastic protectors did look like part of the blades. And I hadn't got my glasses on!🤣🤣

[@robertbills4290]

@@2760ade lol your as bad as me. I'm just glad that any problems I have with my 23 year old car my son sorts it out. I don't think that there is many cars that he hasn't worked on including super cars

[@johnnorth9355]

Angle grinders are insanely useful if somewhat hazardous tools ! A squirt of isopropyl alcohol on the windscreen and a rub with a cloth makes for super smooth wiper action if the blades are newish and clean. Hope there is a magnetic drain plug on that gearbox ?

[@-sargntclashroyaleandmore-491]

Just imagine the gearbox whine as a straight cut box yo!

[@In_memory_of_Dad]

Hi Ian, I know your struggling for a daily runner at the moment what with Bella off the road, I've got a Fiat Doblo 1.6 multijet diesel eleganza on a 06 plate and with 82k miles on the clock and mot until January next year and to be fair it's very tidy, and it has a new unused tow kit! I'm the second owner. If your interested mate it's yours!!!

[@volt8684]

Fab truck and not 200k like the Berlingo. My friend and his wife. Go on hols in theirs with a suzuki 650 in the passenger side with wife sat behind him. European rural people love these type of vehicles. That fiat diesel is a good un too

[@In_memory_of_Dad]

@Volt it's a really tidy people mover and it's alright for nothing!!!

[@waynetetley584]

Great to see how many miles that Picasso has achieved 👏

[@dangerotterisrea]

Blimey, you are running a car sanctuary at this point. Amazing tenacity good sir!

[@neilrose8618]

Exellent and fun fix Ian

[@tony-yp6qk]

another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍

[@Richard-Bullock]

Oh, bodging the bodge that's already been bodged! The one and only way to maintain an old high miler.

[@davidflamee]

Glad to see the TLC going into this vehicle, nice work.

[@jeremytaylor4458]

That reminds me how easy it was to change the exhaust on my 2CV - running down the n/s means no need to get it up on a lift!

[@HubNut]

Just don't mention the five clamps in the engine bay...

[@jeremytaylor4458]

@@HubNut lol!

[@mpersad]

Tim has, as do you Ian, the patience of a saint!

[@anthonystevens8683]

Why is it that routine maintenance jobs like an exhaust replacement and gear box oil 'change' (read fill up) can be such a pain to do? Answer because they always do, small jobs always reveal other smaller jobs that need doing like getting a bolt out that you cannot see or have space to remove when it's undone You've swapped out a 2CV engine with less bother Ian. That rattle from the engine 'might' be from the idler gear at a guess? I've mo experience with this engine / gearbox setup. Anyway it's great to see another car staying in the road for another chapter in her future history. I wonder what fun will be revealed in the cars memoirs when she finally retires to smaller journeys. Many thanks Ian and Tim.

[@robotmad]

I had three of these, great workhorses always started on the key, but rotting at the front door sills was a common issue.

[@heartland96a]

For your wiper chattering , try Rain -X . It will quiet the blades and help shed water that you hardly need the wipers , works a treat on any windscreen

[@anthonyharrison3343]

Nice to see underneath the Picasso! I haven't got the luxury of a ramp for mine so some notes were made! I've had the chattering of the wiper blades very bad at times. I've only changed to a brand sold by the Wilko store. Very quiet but will monitor and try the wiper arm twisting if the noise returns. Anyway Mr MOT man put his screwdriver (or what ever he uses) through the nearside sill last week so off the road for a little while. Can't let the old girl die so will do a new sill!

[@itsmephil2255]

Poor guy, all that water and having to swop an exhaust, still makes a great video 👌🏻

[@stevieboyt53]

Easiest place I find to fill the box is through the reverse light switch hole. Funnel and length of clear tube makes it even easier.

[@davidpatterson9107]

Amazing 500,000 +MLS.Had a 2ltr hdi as a Taxi and did all work for PSV tests From welding to new this that & the dreaded Clutch .Could be crank pulley rattle noise under the bonnet.Know all the pos +negs of the Picasso loved it nevertheless.Good luck.....PS why not call it Barny after Barny rubbles car.Tis what mine was labeled lol😀

[@douglasfur3808]

My best side of the road exhaust repair involved an empty beer can and some bailing wire I found on the margin. The tool employed was an Opinel pocket knife 😁

[@twocvbloke]

Held on with luck and tape apparently, kind of scary the bodges some folk do to pass the MOT... :S

[@standbanger2]

The wiper chattering will be the arms having a twist in them, get a pair of grip pliers & twist the arms so the blade edge is standing up off the windscreen evenly, what is happening is the blade edge will be slightly pointing up or down so when it wipes it will be wiping up with the blade pointing down & on the down wipe the blade will be trying to flip over because it wants to point up on the down wipe hence the chatting,,,,i hope you understand what I'm trying to say, it's a bit difficult to put in to words,,,there are videos on KZbin about wiper chatter that will explain it better,,,i had the same issue but after twisted the arms to the correct position they so quiet now!

[@wanderinggentile]

"We don't need speed holes in the exhaust." -Hub Nut, 2023 -My dad, 1983

[@daniellee9015]

Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤️ 👍 what a remarkable car brilliant

[@johnlladron735]

Thanks for the video, Ian. Cambrian Classics must be so pleased when you give them a ring! The bewildering array of worthless mildly vintage ruin that goes in there must really lower the tone. Keep 'em coming! P.S. The juddering wipers are down to wonky wiper arm which is putting too uneven stress on one part of the blade. Have a play with bending them a bit to level things out.

[@cornishhh]

I had a £60 auction Renault 9 which had a leaking gearbox seal. I spent an inordinate amount of time filling it's gearbox through a tiny hole. The gearbox eventually got so noisy I could hardly bear it, but that roughly coincided with the MOT expiring. Another bangernomics car bit the dust.

[@richardhaywoodh]

The rear exhaust silencer..... label lasted very well. Our 2004 1.6 hdi Desire had a stainless steel tailpipe and after 14 years the the rear hanger broke, the dealer said hangers were not available separately and wanted me to buy a new silencer, nope, I added new metal bolt on hanger, as good as new, zero cost..

[@jameswalker7874]

Try checking the crank pulley. We had a 2.0 Xantia HDI that made a similar knock.

[@lucythemoggy1970]

ian, u can adjust the wiper arms, with an adjustable spanner to stop the juddering, videos on you tube.

[@jonholding3880]

Windscreen wiper arms may need bending/twisting a little or windscreen might need degreasing.

[@edgarbeat2851]

Nice work.

[@dglcomputers1498]

Today it was a case of wondering what that loud noise was when my sister came to,pick me up from work, she turns the radio up and will get it looked at tomorrow and still comes to pick me up (probably scraping on every speed hump coming through work), I, instead, actually look for the fault and looking underneath I see one of the heat shield(s) is hanging down. Not great. Luckily Nissan give you a free year of RAC European cover with a service so about an hour later a woman comes from the RAC and cable ties it up for how and we just have to get it fixed. Didn't plan for getting home an hour later.

[@jmurray01]

Good to hear! I'm glad as well re the financial arrangement. Although it's none of our business, I was a bit concerned it would turn into another Rover 800 situation...

[@meirionevans5137]

There you go, good for the next half mill now.

[@farken7467]

Nice work Tim. Great commentary Ian. I've tried many brands of replacement wiper blades and found Bosch and Michelin the best. Yes, Michelin from Costco on sale are sensational. No chattering and a clean wipe. Ian, you've brought out the inner wiper OCD in me and I now have a stock on hand for my cars and I replace on the first sign of wear. I wonder if wiper OCD is a legitimate condition along with tyre pressure OCD which I also have. I also can't bare putting plain water in my screen wash. I usually use a good commercial brand but recently got a vanilla scented screen wash and it smells like ice cream, very pleasant.

[@whitemoor66]

Who'd have thought oil in the gearbox would help 😂. Have to say when you were playing tunes on it previously, my first thought was has it got any oil in it.

[@kevinlillywhite9549]

I always have 2 stainless steel cable ties for emergency exhaust repairs

[@worldofrandometry6912]

I always wipe the glass and the blades with vinegar. That seems to do the trick.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

Top Tim Time. Get that lad a beer! PSA group had a think for moulded plastic supports on release bearings which if a bit worn can heat up a bit if stood in traffic with the clutch depressed and melt the plastic which then allows things to rattle about a bit or worse. Has a dual mass flywheel which can chatter when worn which would be my primary suspect. Overall, I’m not seeing anything I wouldn’t expect for such a high miles motor.

[@volt8684]

Not dual mass flywheel on that car surely

[@timokallio-kokko7175]

I am surprised how that gearbox survived driven without oil..

[@Ljosi]

The oil is there mostly for the actual shifts and if you are doing long trips where the car is mostly in one gear on the highway it won't do much harm

[@mikerobinson1788]

A few years ago I had a brand new VW Polo, the gearbox on that made the exact same noise. 3400 miles later it needed a new one under warranty thank goodness 4.5.k When they cracked the original one open it was void of oil, they had the cheek to ask me didn't i notice it leaking, I replied it's not the sort of thing to look out for a new car

[@thedeadstig123]

ZeeTex tyres are a leading brand in ditch finder tyres - they are as common and popular as brands such as Wanda tyres, permament tyres, LingLong tyres, Double happiness tyres and Goodride tyres Yes all those are real tyre brands!

[@jamesbellis4949]

Looks like the previous owner has moved onto a 2016 C3 Picasso

[@dritson5255]

I never thought this kind of car could come anywhere close to half a million miles.

[@Phiyedough]

I hope the new gearbox oil stays there!

[@volt8684]

Yeah what I was thinking???? No evidence of colossal leak?or drive shafts replaced hence loss oil and never topped up. Wouldnt be first time garage or diyer overlooked to re fill g box up

[@1Welshguy]

Hmmmm ring on wedding band finger 😮🤔 did we miss something or have I just not noticed it before 🤔🤷‍♂️

[@leeh6953]

‘There are some things I don’t like about it’ … Everything, There shit, I wouldn’t even be a passenger in one 😂

[@stevenaimson8286]

What a legend this £11k new ?? Is! My lad is after a Peugeot 208 gti, or corsa vxr , ( young lad 19), Quite rare, Looking over land and sea / autotrader for one, counteracted this , with the legendary piccasso, got all the footage of you tube , true legend along with (miles skoda 440k car throttle, sorry hub nut) My family are sick to death of me mentioning this car time after time, so carry on with more vids, Love to see how cars stand up after mega miles, may be I am just sad, What a legend, going to irritate them a bit more now. Regards stexx

[@andrewp4172]

I've never seen so many jubilee clips holding an exhaust 'together'.

[@CoreyDeWalt]

If you have access to it, rainx really helps stop chatter.

[@grayfool]

So, to be clear, a gearbox should have oil in it? Well I'll be blowed.

[@DashCamSerbia]

3:47 That tyre looks deformed. 4:05 Landsail tyres. Buy cheap, buy again. 9:11 It is because the arms are bent (tortionally) a bit. They need to be bent in opposite direction a bit to fix them.

[@HubNut]

Thankfully that tyre is in the bin now.

[@waynecrowder5578]

Did the gear box give any sign it was empty of gear box oil, i have a 06 1.6hdi Picasso, and im getting a wearing sound from the passenger side wheel, i suspected a wheel bearing, but had that changed and still i have the noise.

[@HubNut]

Yes, there was a whining noise. Worth checking

[@waynecrowder5578]

@@HubNut thanks, was your noise constant, and was not changed by putting the clutch in, or coasting in neutral, no mater what I do the sound stays the same,

[@streetkaaccord344]

Any idea where the gearbox oil went?

[@grahamwishart4832]

Get a metre of rubber tubing, small funnel in end, heat gearbox oil containers in hot water first. Wheel off, bend liner back( remove 2 clips) and proceed to fill gearbox. Takes 10 mins max...Done this many times in 30 years of Citroen/Peugeot ownership

[@williamgreer4087]

I was hoping you'd start it up with the silencer disconnected, for scientific purposes of course.

[@harrylee833]

i’m replacing the exhaust on mine soon so i will upload a video with the silencer off/cat hollowed

[@vs6300]

Axle trailer arm bearings with drivetrain grease please while you are at it.

[@delukxy]

The question is, where did the gearbox oil go? Big leak? Pleased that the owner is picking up the bill for doing the work he should have done ages ago.

[@HubNut]

It looks like a minor leak over a long period of time. Will keep an eye on it.

[@ShedTV]

A U-bolt (or two if there's room) might be a longer lasting solution than that Jubilee clip.

[@HubNut]

There isn't really. It's very tight because of the torsion bars.

[@nigelrudd670]

Nice bodgery very hubnut nice video 🤓👍

[@paulillingworth1242]

Wonder if the clutch has DMF they can make a slapping/rattling sound when they’re starting to wear out , wonder how many clutch’s it’s had in its lunar 🌚 mileage? Imagine if it’s original 🤔

[@HubNut]

No DMF.

[@paulillingworth1242]

@@HubNut phew 😮‍💨 that’s good news

[@wrathofbod]

Are you attending Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show this month ?

[@HubNut]

Yes but only on the Saturday. No stand.

[@martinshepherd6756]

You have my utmost respect. Picasso's are a pig to work on especially in the engine bay.

[@Mach_One_Photos]

Zeetex tyres all the goodness 😂😂

[@SMZFeverguy-ml6mr]

what year of this xsara picasso is? tell me also about petrol or diesel too.

[@HubNut]

2002 turbo diesel.

[@SMZFeverguy-ml6mr]

@HubNut oh really? that's good to hear from you. I'm happy about that. I'm a big fan of the na or turbo diesel.

[@CasperthefriendlyG10T]

Use a quality glass cleaner and clean all the atmospheric protein off the glass. Clean the blades (even new ones). Chatter will go away

[@DashCamSerbia]

It will not. They arms are bent torsionally, that is why the blades are skipping.

[@micheltebraake7915]

Have you found a leak in the gearbox yet?

[@HubNut]

There is a slight leak from one of the driveshaft seals. Not losing much, but over time...

[@johnathankain8033]

Aww, sad to not see the gearbox fill fiasco

[@EdsPlasticCars]

That definitely sounds like the dual mass flywheel failing in the clutch department. I'm assuming it has one since it's "modern" lol

[@keithwelton]

No dual mass flywheel on these, the clutch though is expensive to replace as it is a long job due to lack of room and bell housing bolts that are difficult to access.

[@EdsPlasticCars]

@@keithwelton that's surprising. Not at all surprising that it's a horrendous job to change though. Vive la France!

[@Mr8erg]

That personal plate is now on a newer Citroën that covered 25k miles last year between tests so the old owner shows no signs of retirement it seems!

[@Banglish123]

Re wipers take a look at How to Fix Annoying Wiper Chatter on Windshield - EASY! it worked for me

[@bentullett6068]

Yes that exhaust looked rather exhausted. Definitely needed scraping.

[@2tone209]

AY UP MR HUBNUT

[@siriax1691]

How many loaves of garlic bread can you fit into the glovebox?

[@mikes747]

I bet he is overjoyed everytime he sees you swing into his yard!

[@2760ade]

My betting is he hides - but HubNut bangs on the window until he answers!🤣

[@curtisj2165]

Question is, where did all the gearbox oil go?

[@HubNut]

It looks like one driveshaft seal has been gently leaking for a long time.

[@davidlloydjones752]

Only you could buy something with half a million miles on the clock, and think it was a good idea🤣

[@robertpeach7956]

I just have a total hatred of the Citroen Picasso, hopefully its not too long in this world and all of them are destining for the scrap yard.

[@tonygarlingewarren7456]

Has that Citroen really done 510k miles or has it had 5 new engines and 12 new chassis/ body shells?

[@HubNut]

Believe it's largely original. Motorway miles I suspect.

[@michailokeefeMooMoo]

Thought this was a loan car or have you bought it now ?