French Car Forum

In case anyone else rebuilds their ZX TD engine and needs to buy new valve shims you may like to know that when specifying the shim thickness you should calculate to the nearest 0.025 mm. If you know this before hand it saves have to work out in the shop (like I had to) which is the nearest thickness to the one you require.

I seem to remember that they can trace key number by chassis number, they will require sight of the vehicle registration document to do this for security reasons.
Jon Wood
IT Supervisor
GSF t/as Andyspares

This problem is usually caused by a faulty or dirty flywheel sensor. The sensor pushes into the bellhousing, theres usually 2 sensors, a speed sensor and a TDC sensor.You could try cleaning the face of the sensor next to the flywheel, and also pull apart the block connectors to the sensors from the loom to check that the connection is good.
If...

I think a trip to your local Citroen dealer is on the cards. They will have to burn the chip in a new key, as this is what de-activates the immobilizor.

Does anybody know how hot a 1.9TD unit is supposed to run? On short runs and when waiting in traffic the warning light indicates even though the temperature gauge reads 80C. However, the light does not come on when hill climbing and the gauge reads 90C. Have I got a cooling system flow problem?

In the end I went to a Citroen dealer and indeed there is an O-ring required between the cooler and the block. When ordering you need to know whether you have the Valeo or Bodine part.

I have seen petrol engines being tested on static rigs in engine manufacturing plants, and their manifolds glow cherry red after a while. I was told it was lack of cooling to the engine and manifold as they are designed to be in a moving vehicle and not static, and sometimes these engines are on test for days like this with no adverse affects. I'd...

Hi Chris.
It might be a good idea to check the the linkage at the rear height corrector. My old '93BX a similar problem. The cause was a small brass bush which the rod controlling the height corrector pivots in had seized. I could only raise the back manually. I removed the rods, cleaned them up, refitted and end of problem. I don't know if the...

Hi John.
Can you not lock the fly-wheel with a bar through a hole in the clutch housing? On a BX you can see the fly-wheel teeth, is your Xantia the same? Might be easier than taking off the starter.....Or do'es someone know differant?

On april 7th the dutch BX club held a technical meeting at Citroen dealer Molenaar.
Over 35 BX-es turned up. I Took dozens of pictures at the parking lot. Check them out
at and click on EVENTS.
Greetings
Ron W Veltkamp
Veeringstraat 6
NL-1502 NL Zaandam
HOLLAND
BX19 TZi Break 91
ICQ: 82153464
Tel: +31 (0) 75 6318667
Fax: +31 (0) 75 7719059
E-mail:...

quote:
XM 2.1 SED. Starts, after turning over a few times. Runs for a few minutes and then stalls. Manual pumping reveals air in Fuel filter, lots of it. Clear it. It starts and then repeats the cycle. Checked fuel lines, changed filter and housing but problem remains. Any ideas?? Depressed Kensington

i had the same problem with my BX turned...

I need to replace the top and bottom engine mounts on my XM, these are the top and bottom ones that prevent the engine from rocking backwards and forwards.
These engine mounts consist of large lumps of aluminium with a round rubber insert which as a complete assembly are very expensive.
I vaguely remember in the old forum a post regarding...

Hi Darren. Better to leave it to the experts I think. I've tried to remove windscreens from other vehicles, with very little succuss. By the time you've messed about getting a screen out, paying for it, getting it home, removing yours, putting the new one in, then it leaks.....No, get out the credit card!!

As no reply was forthcoming I wasn't prepared to take the chance so I replaced the lot. I would still be interested to know whether it was necessary, the Haynes manual says yes, they just don't seem to be torqued up very high for their size.
If you are interested they are about £3.60 each from Citroen, you would have thought that they sold them in...

Oh Dear, not very encouraging is it? Have not had this problem on our DW8 Berlingo as yet, despite the fact that it has been driven around with the fuel light on quite a bit. I think that if you remove the engine plastic cover, theres a hand diesel primer under there. I am also amazed that the fuel filter element just clips in with platic toggles,...

Normal running temp on ZX D/TD seems to be just under 90 degrees, i.e. half way up the guage. The fans should be in by 92 degrees. They will only ever kick in when you're sitting stationary for some time in a trafic jam.If in any doubt, and for the cost involved, replace the rad fan thermo switch in the rad with a new one, and refill/bleed the...

The rear spheres have to follow a set procedure to change.
Firstly; Set the suspension right to the highest setting (the one used for wheel changing)
VERY IMPORTANT: If the vehicle is not being worked on over a pit, you MUST - repeat MUST put axle stands in a position so that they will stop the car from falling on you if you accidentally lose...

quote:
For some time I have experienced an irritating knock each time I travel over a bump whilst making a right turn. The knock is definitely on the front nearside. It has been suggested it may be the rubber mounting at the top of the strut, or possible play in swivel hub.(I have had new arm and all bushes fitted plus drop links)The hub joint is...

For some time I have experienced an irritating knock each time I travel over a bump whilst making a right turn. The knock is definitely on the front nearside. It has been suggested it may be the rubber mounting at the top of the strut, or possible play in swivel hub.(I have had new arm and all bushes fitted plus drop links)The hub joint is also...

Anybody with an XM, who is interested in finding answers to a miriad of subjects relating to problems and fixes will find in pdf format a wealth of info at ... www.geocities.com/MotorCity/5553/
The info can be downloaded and printed out into a handy folder for reference, I've found it to be very enlightening and a good read.
Edited by - tonydean...

well I replaced the cable along with the plastic clip and its snapped again,
Looks like it needs a new clutch again, only had the last one fitted last December. Has anyone else had any probs with this bloody plastic clip.
Andy

Check out for any info you require on performance parts for your Citroen.

quote:
I am after a set of front and rear contoured mud flaps for my '99 2.0 litre 16v exclusive. Any idea where i might try, other than main dealers

Hi Barry, 30 odd quid IS a bit steep for mud-flaps, as I found out for my Berlingo. Try Halfords, if I remember correctly they have contoured one's.

Suggest you have a look at the common problems & solutions on this forum & look at an article on cambelt change on a BX. There is a link to a web page which shows a photographic detailed description of what was done & how to do it & is pretty self explanatory. I would imagine a ZX would be fairly similar. It is worth noting, that it is recommended...

If it's any help, my 2.1 Xantia is 28mph and my old BX TZD is 25mph at 1000 in top gear

Bernie,
Suggest you go to Common problems & fixes on this forum where I posted an article on LHM Comparison and follow the links. That should just about answer all of you questions.
Alan S

It sounds like the thermostat is sticking, this is located under the o/s engine mount, it is worthwhile getting an original quality part as cheaper ones do not have the wiggle pin, or it could be the switch to the cooling fans, remove the connections and clean up and this should do the trick.
Be very careful with the cooling on this engine as the...

Hi.
I had the exact same problem with my XM -90.
In my case it was the ignition module that was faulty, the car would run for about 10minutes then just die, I had to wait for at least 4 hours before I could start it again.
My suggestion is try to exchange the ignition module and see if that solve the problem
Cheers
Daniel

No, its not too difficult.In fact if you look at the end of the bar you will find a hole for an allen key.To be on the safeside keep the suspension pressured (I even put a jack under the wishbone to stop the balljionts spinning).Be warned , I find when you do 1 you can hear the other rattling

It depends on how mechanically minded you are and if you got the tools for the job. If you got the time and the equipment then go for it but otherwise phone around various clutch replacement people for a better quote.

Pedro,
Assuming you have good spark plugs & leads and that you have checked for air leaks either on the intake manifold or the hoses running to it, changed your fuel filter if it is about that mileage, then I suggest you go to the link I have shown below which has a Trouble shooting Guide for EFI motors.
It is very simple to follow & the guys who...

This problem is usually caused by a lazy idle speed correction valve,located on the inlt manifold. Replacement is the only option!!

Just today I traced a front end rattle to a defective ball joint on the anti-roll bar drop link. I could only get movement with the suspension in the normal position. It's temting to put the suspension all the way up when you're looking underneath! Jamie Allmond

The instrument bulbs aren't too difficult to get to. The cluster comes forward towards the steering wheel. You do need to unclip the speedo cable, which is fiddly.
The real pain though are the heater control bulbs. You'll probably decide not to bother after reading this... Remove all the trim around the gearstick. Remove your stereo. The heater...

Andy,
Take a real close look at your engine mounts. It sounds as though one is loose or more likely gone soft or split. You sometimes need to exert a fair amount of pressure on them to test them as you basically are trying to lift & move the entire mechanicals in the process. On the early CX's the bottom mount used to go soft & cause similar...

any one in IRELAND on here with a '93/94/95
xantia dsl shell with doors wings and all glass. with log papers also.....
thanks
james

ahem, ahem, i think you are doing well getting a 11 year old bx up to 5500rpm. it is not a new car you know. ytou will only kill it by this. it is like a 70 year old guy trying to do the 100 meters in 10 seconds. 5500 sounds good to me....

I would be having a look at possibly three things as regards the idling.
Firstly the easy option; air leak on the intake side either where the plenum is fitted to the head or check out around (& under) same for split or leaking hoses etc. A piece of plastic hose held to the ear acts like a doctors stethoscope & if that is not conclusive, shaving...

Hi,
Yes Hanyes (the muppets) have got it wrong. I did this a few weeks ago and almost destroyed the back of the panels trying to do what the Haynes manual said!
What you should do is get a couple of flat screwdrivers and carefully insert them in to the front of the panel between the edges. Then carefully use the screwdrivers to release to prise...

I too have a V6 SEi and the display is forever reading zero. The last few times I have cured it was by cleaning all the earthpoints for the main wiring looms and cleaning the connectors between the computer and the temp sensor in the wing mirror, and the computer and the rotation counter attached to the speedo cable next to the bulkhead in the...

Yeah, bought one just b4 Xmas, lots of good things to say about it really, only a few bad. On the bad side,I think that the fuel economy on fast motorway journeys is poor, because it has to be driven quite hard, especially up long inclines. I also find it quite gutless when laden. By the way, I have the DW8 diesel engined version. My only other...

If your idle is eratic then the idle stabiliser may be faulty. If stable then suggest idle speed too low or possibly your power steering pump or something else driven off the engine is putting a higher than normal load on at low revs causing it to cut out.

I think you will need a press for that job. How on earth did you manage to remove the old one without one?

quote:
can someone please describe to me the best
and quickest way of changing the front
wheel-side CV boot/gaiter
on the 2cv

If all this work was done very recently, then they probably just need time to bed in. You could try driving a mile or so with the brakes on to speed this process up, although don't tell anyone I said so as this is not recommended. Other than that, the fluid may need changing.

I don't know who makes Citroen shock absorbers, but would be happy with Sachs - they have a long association with rallying. Depends what you're looking for.
Are you looking for adjustable or uprated shocks, or standard replacements? A motor factor/specialist can still probably offer these at a price competitive to original citroen parts.
Sachs,...

My BX TD has failed 12K early. I read that cambelt failures in XU engines are terminal. IS this true?
Is there a (quick) easy inspection I can do rather than fit a new belt to try it out?
I understand that oilleaks at tehy cambelt end of the ngine may have contaminated & weakened the belt. Be warned!

Interesting. Probably the best bet is to get the car on a 2 poster ramp with all wheels off the ground to allow you to check properly for wear in subframe mounts, whether in fact the exhaust is loose etc. I wonder whether you may have wear in the rear arm bearings on the offside, has the ZX done alot of miles?
If so, this would explain why the...

Anybody know a non main dealer source for door aperture seals for a BX 16V? Mine are leaking on the front doors and the main dealer wants £57 each for them!!
Thanks
Adrian

I would like to buy a second hand Sphere Recharger. If you have one or can help please contact me.
Many Thanks
Andy B