The following schedule was taken from some very useful sheets compiled by Chris Durham in 1994. Chris’s sheets are ideal for ticking items and recording comments to keep a useful service record of the vehicle, with each service having all the items individually listed, and each service being on a separate sheet. However, this wouldn’t work in the handbook as you would need to remove the pages for use, and they could only be used once! So we have compromised by listing each service, with a few notes. It would be useful if you could photocopy these pages for your personal use to make them handy when servicing your car.

There are four separate services within the schedule, referred to as A, B, C, and D, which cover a 12,000 mile / 12 month period on a rotational basis. They range from the simple monthly checks to the full no-holds-barred twelve month mega-service!

Where reference to miles / months is made, bear in mind that the checks / servicing need to be carried out when either the time or mileage is reached, whichever happens first. If you are covering 24,000 miles in a year, for example, then you would go through the schedule twice in twelve months. However, if you are covering 6,000 miles in a year, you would still go through the schedule once.

Service A - 1000 mile / monthly checks. Additionally, keep your car topped up, legal and safe between services.

Service B - 3000 mile / 3 monthly service. Basic oil and filter change with some minor lubrication and level / wear checks.

Service C - 6000 mile / 6 monthly service. A more comprehensive service.

Service D - 12000 mile / 12 monthly service. This is the mega service and includes items often overlooked.

It should be noted that, whilst every care has been taken to be accurate, and the schedule has been read and checked by DIY and professionals, there will still be small areas where opinions differ as to what should be done and when. In these cases we have gone for the more comprehensive option.

A full 12000 mile / 12 months servicing cycle looks like this:

Miles / Month Service

1000 miles / Month 1

A

2000 miles / Month 2

A

3000 miles / Month 3

B

4000 miles / Month 4

A

5000 miles / Month 5

A

6000 miles / Month 6

C

7000 miles / Month 7

A

8000 miles / Month 8

A

9000 miles / Month 9

B

10000 miles / Month 10

A

11000 miles / Month 11

A

12000 miles / Month 12

D
If you intend to service your car regularly and thoroughly, we suggest you initially treat your car to a full service using Service D, and then 1000 miles / 1 month later continue from Service A, and so on.

Service A - every 1000 miles / 1 month

Fluid levels:

  • Engine oil (see below for specification)

  • Brake fluid (see below for specification)

  • Battery fluid (distilled water only)

  • Windscreen washer reservoir (more additive in winter, not washing-up liquid)

Check, adjust, clean or replace:

  • Tyre pressures (20psi / 1.4 bar front, 26psi / 1.8 bar rear, 29psi / 2 bar spare) & condition

  • Grille Muff (on at 10°C, off at 15°C)

  • Engine oil filler cap securely closed

  • Dipstick pushed right home

  • Horn

  • Headlamps

  • Side lights (front & rear)

  • Stop lights

  • Indicators

  • Hazard flashers (where fitted)

  • Rear fog lamp (where fitted)

  • Brake fluid level warning lamp

  • Windscreen wipers

  • Windscreen washers

  • Security of door mirror/s

  • Windscreen & glass (chips / cracks)

  • Certain items, such as doorlocks, seat belts, seat runners, etc., you will know about if you are the regular user of the car, otherwise a check is necessary.

Lubricate:

Service B - every 3000 miles / 3 months

Repeat Service A, plus the following

Fluid levels:

  • Gearbox oil level (see below for specification)

Replace:

Lubricate:

  • Parking brake linkages (engine oil)

  • Heater cables (WD40 or equivalent)

  • Carburettor linkages (WD40 or equivalent)

  • Clutch pedal linkages (engine oil)

Check, adjust, clean or replace:

  • Spark plugs (set gap to 0.65mm - 0.75mm & replace in opposite cylinder)

  • Battery terminals (vaseline)

  • Disc brake pad wear (3mm minimum)

  • Parking brake (inc. pad wear - 3mm min)

  • Driveshaft gaiters (check for splits & holes)

  • Wheel nuts (25 ft/lb)

Swapping the ignition coil LT wires has the same effect as changing plugs from side to side.

Service C - every 6000 miles / 6 months

Repeat Service B, plus the following

Replace:

Lubricate:

  • Door hinges (engine oil)

  • Dyane bonnet pins (remove & copper grease)

  • 2CV bonnet & bootlid sliding hinges (Waxoyl type product)

Check, adjust, clean or replace:

  • Clutch pedal free play (20mm at pedal tip on pendant pedal models)

  • Carburettor fuel filter (at petrol inlet point)

  • Air filter element (wash in petrol, relubricate by dipping in 1:1 petrol-oil mix and drain for 10 mins)

  • Oil cooler fins (clean & oil free - aerosol carburettor cleaner is useful here)

  • Alternator drive belt (no cracks and 10mm play)

  • Brake pipes (secure and leak free)

  • Exhaust system (secure, solid and leak free)

  • Adjust front brakes (drum brake models)

  • Rotate wheels (spare to OSR, OSR to NSF, NSF to NSR, NSR to OSF, OSF to spare)

Service D - every 12000 miles / 12 months

Repeat Service C, plus the following

Replace:

  • Contact set (where still fitted; set gap to 0.35mm - 0.45mm)

  • Condenser (where still fitted & at same time as contact set)

Lubricate:

  • Knife edges (for this service remove, clean, examine for wear and regrease, then reset suspension heights)

  • Track rod ends (dismantle, clean, examine for wear and reassemble with grease; check wheel alignment)

Check, adjust, clean or replace:

  • Adjust rear brakes (desirable to have a fair degree of pedal free play in order to keep the wheel cylinders active)

  • Wing studs / nuts (2CV) or screws (Dyane) (lubricate with copper grease)

  • Carburettor (float heights = 18mm +/- 1 mm; clean out carb' if necessary)

  • Ignition timing (would need to be done if replacing contact set)

  • Engine idle (it may be necessary to adjust the air volume control screw, remembering the MoT test requirements)

  • Wheel bearings (smooth rotation of wheels with no free play)

  • Steering play (very little - check components individually)

  • Gear lever slide (clean with spirit based fluid - do NOT grease or oil; replace grommets if necessary)

  • Headlamp beam alignment (no dazzle)

Additional Service Items

  • It is recommended that the valve rocker clearances are checked / reset every 24000 miles / 24 months, and 0.25mm is preferable for both inlet and exhaust valve.

  • Replace brake fluid every 24,000 miles / 24 months (see below for specification).

  • Replace gearbox oil every 10,000 miles / 24 months (see below for specification).

  • If a radio aerial is fitted, remove and check for corrosion around mounting. This will also ensure a good earth contact.

  • Rear brake shoes need checking, but they wear very slowly. Also check rear wheel cylinders for seizing pistons.

Oils & Fluid Specifications

  • Engine Oil: Citroën’s manuals recommended a range of oil weights depending on typical local temperatures, ranging from 10w30 to 20w50. While some in the UK prefer 20w50, 15w40 is generally recommended as a good all-round oil, especially for vehicles used in winter when 20w50 may not be sufficiently viscous, and is more readily available. A-Series engines have the following oil capacities (add 0.3 litres if rocker covers removed &/or 0.2 litres if filter replaced):

    • A53: 2.0 litres

    • A79/0 & A79/1: 2.3 litres

    • M28 & M28/1 (all modern vehicles, incl. Dolly, Charleston, etc): 2.4 litres

    • M4: 2.5 litres

  • Gearbox Oil: Citroën recommended GL4 oil with a weight of 80. Some use 90 or, given multigrade oils dominate today’s market, 80w90 or 75w80. GL5 must not be used because its additives damage the "yellow metals" used in A-Series gearboxes. A-Series gearboxes take 0.9 litres of oil.

  • Brake Fuid: LHM for disc brakes and DOT 4 for drum brakes. Use of the incorrect fluid will damage rubber seals, etc, and must be avoided.

What does 10w30, 80 and 80w90, etc, mean for oil? It’s the oil’s weight and that represents various properties, e.g. lighter oils are more viscous than heavier oils. For multigrade oils, e.g. 15w40, the numbers represent the equivalent weight of oil at cold (winter, i.e. "w") and hot (engine operating = 100°c) temperatures. Mutigrade oil contains additives such that it is more viscous when cold than normal for the oil’s weight. For example, a 15w40 oil has the viscosity of a cold 15 weight oil when cold and a hot 40 weight oil when hot. It is sometimes mistakenly thought the numbers state the oil’s viscosity and that leads to confusion as to how an oil could be more viscous when cold than hot, given the number before the "w" is smaller than the number for hot oil. But that’s not the case, the oil is still less viscous when cold, but it has the cold viscosity of a lighter oil.
This schedule provides fairly comprehensive guidelines, but please exercise common sense or seek advice from experienced people if in doubt.