C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

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C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by GiveMeABreak »

I thought I would post up a 'How To' on replacing the C5 X7 Pollen Filter and Cleaning the Air Con / Air System, specifically for the Right Hand Drive model, as the very few You Tube videos on this are for Left Had Drive vehicles and are are generally not in English. Citroen Service docs don't really help much either as they show the process for a Left Hand Drive model with pedals and different trim, as of course the heater components remain in the same place.

What You Will Need:
A Torx 20 Screwdriver
A Small Flat Blade Screwdriver
A Pollen Filter (Part 6479 45)
An Air Con Bomb or Similar (only if you are cleaning the A/C system)
A Bright Torch
A Hoover

A Hot Bath Afterwards :-D

Click to zoom the pictures up

First of all there are 2 plastic screws under the passenger side glove box at the front that need to be turned 90°.
A - Trim Screws Close Up
A - Trim Screws Close Up
B - Unfastening the Passenger Trim
B - Unfastening the Passenger Trim
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C - Trim Clip shown to the Right
C - Trim Clip shown to the Right
E - Lever Out the Footwell Light
E - Lever Out the Footwell Light
On the right edge of the trim, you will see a snap connector - push this in and the trim will loosen. Be careful as the footwell passenger light (if fitted) will be attached.Using the Flat Head screwdriver, gently push in the small plastic lug of the Footwell Light and lever it out so that you can access the plug.
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F - Unclip the Plug
F - Unclip the Plug
G My LED Replacement!
G My LED Replacement!
Disconnect the plug by pushing in the lug and pulling.A good time to check / upgrade your bulbs
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D - Underside of the removed Trim
D - Underside of the removed Trim
H - Pollen Filter Clip
H - Pollen Filter Clip
Carefully remove to one sideWith the top trim removed, you can now see the Pollen Filter cover through the exposed recess.
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H2 - Use Torx 20 to Remove Side Trim
H2 - Use Torx 20 to Remove Side Trim
I - Remove Screw and  Slide Forward
I - Remove Screw and Slide Forward
We will need to remove the right hand side trim to get further access. Undo the Torx screw.With the screw removed, gently slide the side trim forwards. There are 3 locating pins.
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I2 - Locating Pins Exposed
I2 - Locating Pins Exposed
I3 - I Kid You Not!
I3 - I Kid You Not!
Locating Pins:Now Assume the Position!
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J1 - Pollen Cover Off
J1 - Pollen Cover Off
J2 - Crud Alert!
J2 - Crud Alert!
VERY GENTLY pinch together the bottom 2 lugs to release the Pollen filter Cover. Once disengaged the cover will easily pull away. Note: There are 2 holes on the cover that are to allow the cover to be screwed back into place if you inadvertently break the lugs off :roll: Now, get your torch in place and gently pull the filter out - be warned there will be a load of crud and bugs flying out as the old filter springs out.
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J3 - More Crud
J3 - More Crud
J4 -  Ease Out Filter
J4 - Ease Out Filter
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J6 - Wrap and Pull
J6 - Wrap and Pull
J7 - Heater Matrix
J7 - Heater Matrix
As You pull out the filter, try and roll it, whilst pulling gently as there isn't a lot of room to pull it out directly.Whilst we are here - this is the Heater Matrix Location!
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J8 - Heating Resistance
J8 - Heating Resistance
J10 - HMCU Seen Via Pollen Filt Recess
J10 - HMCU Seen Via Pollen Filt Recess
... and the Heating Resistance unit - hmm, 2 Hours, 8 Minutes and 56 seconds on the label ??? - G7192002 is definitely the Heater resistance. perhaps that is the date and time is was made - how precise!And while we are still here, this is the Heater Motor Control Unit that you can just see up through the Pollen Filter housing.
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J9 - Heater Motor Control Unit
J9 - Heater Motor Control Unit
K1 - Old Filter Yuk
K1 - Old Filter Yuk
A better close up:Back to the job at hand - here's the grotty filter in all it's glory:
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K2 - Gross Filter Crud
K2 - Gross Filter Crud
K3 - No Way this Was Changed Last Service
K3 - No Way this Was Changed Last Service
This is what you're breathing inDo I believe Citroen changed this last service... I don't think so [-X
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K4 - Time For The Cavalry
K4 - Time For The Cavalry
K5 - Dyson With Car Kit
K5 - Dyson With Car Kit
Out with the big guns - time to hoover out all the rubbish.'Bugs be Gone' - This flexible crevice tool is great for getting in at angles.
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K6 - Dyson Bendy Pipe
K6 - Dyson Bendy Pipe
L - Air Con Bomb Time
L - Air Con Bomb Time
We bought the car kit with our Dyson Animal - it has a bendy crevice tool - great for getting into the recess at an angle.Now for the Air System Clean (whilst the filter is out)
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Read the instructions carefully, as you don't want to be in the car when this goes off. These all work similarly, but basically, move all seats forward and tilted towards the front of the cabin.
L1 - Move Seats Forward
L1 - Move Seats Forward
  • Close all windows and doors. Start the engine and use the following settings:
  • All Air vents Open
  • Ensure Air Distribution is Generalised throughout the car
  • Fan Speed Full
  • Set Temperature to coolest Level
  • Air Con On
  • Switch to RECYCLED AIR Mode
  • Place the Air Con Bomb in the Rear compartment on the floor in the middle. DO NOT activate it with your face looking down at it - Activate it from the side, then leg it and close the door.
L2 - Nuking the Cabin
L2 - Nuking the Cabin
L3 - 5 Minutes Later
L3 - 5 Minutes Later
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M - The New Filter
M - The New Filter
M1 - Read Notes
M1 - Read Notes
Wait until the Bomb has fully discharged itself, then wait another 5-10 minutes before opening the doors.
Enter the car and switch off the engine. Put the seats back and the passenger seat down to help with the acrobatics necessary to get the new filter in.
Look at the notes or instruction either printed on the filter or on the instructions - the filter is designed to operate only one way and should be positioned so that the air flows correctly from the front of the car to the back of the car in the direction of the air flow as per the arrows:
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M4 - New Filter In
M4 - New Filter In
Get your torch again, and with the filter in the correct position, you will need to flex it gently, angle it in through the top, then at the bottom, wiggling it up and down as you gently push it in. Just keep using your fingers to push at the top and bottom equally until it goes in. Once in, pull it out slightly and give it a wiggle to help ensure that the concertina has expanded and that the filter is fully in position.
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M3 - Direction Important
M3 - Direction Important
Arrows indicate Air Flow and Driving Direction on some filters.
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M5-  Cover Back On
M5- Cover Back On
M6 - Slide Pins in First
M6 - Slide Pins in First
Place your cover back on, and gently squeeze the clips, position the cover and release the clips. If you have broken these - you will need to use a couple of small screws to secure it back on.Slide your trim back on front to rear, ensuring the 3 pins locate properly, then screw back up once in position.
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M7 - Re-attach Light and Trim
M7 - Re-attach Light and Trim
Next thread the wiring plug back through the top trim, re-attach the Footwell Light and snap into place, position trim, click the snap connector into position and do up the trim screws.
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Job Done
Bath!

I can't really put a time on the job as I was taking pictures and had to wait for the chemicals to dissipate, but if I was doing the filter only, I would say about 30 minutes at least. Most of that is getting the old filter out, cleaning up and putting the new one back in.
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Marc
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by elma »

Good work Marc and a lovely write up too.
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Thanks James, just waiting for neck to straighten up!
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by DHallworth »

Excellent guide. I was thinking about doing ours for weeks, however, I've just done it tonight.

Thanks to your pictures I managed it without sitting upside down in the seat! :lol:

I did the 407 too which was exactly the same procedure. The 407 had been changed recently, presumably as part of it's major service in May, the C5 however looks like it hadn't been done for a long time. It wasn't genuine though so it must have been changed at some point.

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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Excellent David, glad it helped - it's always a bit Carlos Fandango when you have the camera in one hand and the screwdriver in the other!
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by DHallworth »

Certainly is! I used genuine filters that I bought today and they had a black base top and bottom, unlike yours.

There was only one arrow on it and no mention of driving direction so I used the arrow as an indication of airflow and refitted it. Fingers crossed I got it right :lol:

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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Sounds about right to me David. The manky filter I pulled out was a different brand again - so who knows - but I do know there are clones out there on the market that probably don't have any carbon in them - too cheap is a dead giveaway! I guess Citroen change suppliers too - but it does make you wonder when the one that came out was not a branded Citroen one!
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by jbbu »

Thanks for the photos Marc, just replaced the filter on mine. The filter that came out a) had a date code from 2011 and b) was fitted the wrong way around. This is a car with full Citroen service history as well -- would have expected better!

I've replaced it with a Mann 'Frecious' (polyphenol) filter for £15 from ECP. I guess we'll see if there's any noticeable difference to air quality from the supposed anti-microbial properties.
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Re: C5 X7 Pollen Filter Replacement & Air System Clean How To

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Excellent, pleased they helped. I think it’s the satisfaction of knowing you now have a clean filter in there!
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Marc
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