Changing in tank lift pump and sender in Xsara HDI How??

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Nuneatonrob
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Changing in tank lift pump and sender in Xsara HDI How??

Post by Nuneatonrob »

Hello folks,

My car Xsara HDI 90BHP broke down last night on the way home from a very long day at work.

It appears the lift pump in the tank has turned it's toes up and died on me.

It cut out while driving as if it had run out of fuel. I gave the tank a bang while turning the ignition on, and it started running again...got about 100 metres down the road and it died again....it was making some very strange groaning sounds from the back.

Point of the post is how easy is it to replace the unit...GSF have one for £65.50...the only issue I can see is it currently has a 3/4 full tank of diesel...will this be a problem??

Do you access the unit from inside the car under the back seat? is there anything I need to be careful of or precautions i need to take?

Is there a certain way of releasing the unit from the tank I need to be mindful of?

Please help ASAP as i am without a car.

Thanks.
'99 Xsara HDI SX 90
rory_perrett
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Post by rory_perrett »

Assuming it is similar to the Xantia, it sits in the top of the tank and is accessed by lifting the back seat. Not removed on but I suspect is quite straight forward and not too messy if you can avoid dripping diesel off it everywhere.

Rory
wheeler
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Post by wheeler »

Get a new O ring seal for it before you start, they can sometimes expand & wont go back on when disturbed, they are only a couple of quid from the dealers. Acsess is from under the rear seat, unplug the connector, unclip the pipes & undo the plastic ring anti clockwise, best method is to use a big blunt screwdriver & mallet to tap it round till you can udo it by hand. There is a notch on the unit so it can only go in in one position, have a bucket ready to catch dripping diesel.
Getting it back in can be a bit more tricky, you need to keep the unit held down (there are springs in it that push it up) while you screw the plastic ring back on otherwise the seal can disloge & you end up with a leak when the tank is full & fuel smells in the car.
nick
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Post by nick »

I second that about replacing the o ring, I changed the lift pump on mine recently, re-used the o ring and although it seemed to seat properly at the time it weeped very slightly causing a smell of diesel inside the car.
I then had the job of removing the pump again to change the seal, but at least the new o ring sealed perfectly first time.

At 3/4 of a tank you may spill a bit of derv when the pump is removed. The Xsara tank is an odd shape and the aperture for the pump isn't at the very top of the tank, so the pump is still fully submerged down to around the 3/4 full point. As wheeler mentions, keep a container under the tank to catch any spillage, and I used a few old towels to mop up any excess.

If you are able drain some out of the tank first, I found that once the level gets to around 2/3 of a tank the pump is no longer totally submerged, and it makes the job a bit less messy.
Nuneatonrob
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Post by Nuneatonrob »

Thanks for the info guys...very much appreciated and helped a lot!!

I managed to sort it today which is good. Unfortunately I misplaced a bowl under the tank and got diesel everywhere. Oh well.
I haven't replaced the 'O' ring as I was desperate to get the car going again. If I have any problems then I'll just have to do it at a later date.

The engine management light stayed illuminated for a while after the engine started again, but I took it for a drive and it went out which is good.

It was very annoying having a virtually full tank of diesel and having to do this job....it made the whole exercise much more messy. It's just unfortunate timing, as I wouldn't have attempted it normally with so much fuel in the tank.

I must say the car feels a bit more responsive now. May have been a lower fuel quantity getting to the engine before perhaps??

I am glad to be driving my car again..I borrowed a late registered Escort with less miles on the clock than my car and it's horrible to drive in comparison to my Xsara. Very sloppy gear change...just awful.

Thanks again for the advice folks.

Rob
'99 Xsara HDI SX 90
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