1998 TD Xantia

[welky]

Hi,

I recently purchased a 1998 xantia TD estate and have done the following work:

Replaced glow plugs

Replaced suspension pump and checked level.

Full service

Brakes cleaned.

I have a couple of problems - the brakes (rear) seem to bind when stationary and then free leading to clutch judder when pulling off. A couple of garages have looked at it and cant work it out. The only feedback I got was that the rear brake operation was 'delayed' compared to the front.

There was a couple of sensors hanging from the rear of the engine with all the vacum feeds disconnected which I think controll the fast idle; I have no idea where to plumb these back into? Even with brand new glow plugs its a bit sluggish to start in the mornings.

There is a recurrent fault code DTC 0021 (ERG Solonoid intermittant fault).

And lastly the rear heated screen doesnt work!

Hope you can help me with these queries! The suspension is a bit firm compared to my mates xantia as well.

James

[Xaccers]

For the rear brakes, get the back up on axle stands, set the suspension on low and the front of the car will drop, raising the back for easy access (aren't these car's just great? )
Whip off the rear wheels (you'll need to slacken the wheel bolts a bit while they're on the ground still) and look over the top of the discs.
Check if your disc is parallel with your brake pads, or if it's angled.
If it's angled then your rear calipers need removing (not a hard job at all) and the surface between them and the car needs to be cleaned on both the car and the caliper.
Corrosion builds up and pushes the rear calipers out of alignment, normally leading to squealing brakes and eventually constant contact.
If your discs/pads have worn at an angle they'll need replacing.

[CitroJim]

There was a couple of sensors hanging from the rear of the engine with all the vacum feeds disconnected which I think controll the fast idle; I have no idea where to plumb these back into? Even with brand new glow plugs its a bit sluggish to start in the mornings.

There is a recurrent fault code DTC 0021 (ERG Solonoid intermittant fault).

And lastly the rear heated screen doesnt work!

Hi James and welcome to the forum

You're right that these two vacuum electrovalves control the EGR function and Fast Idle. The Electrovalves are a source of problems and many people disconnect the EGR vacuum line to defeat EGR in the belief that it'll work wonders for performance. Do this by all means but it's vital to leave the electrical supply intact to the electrovalve to keep the ECU happy. If the ECU is recording a fault it's because the electrovalve itself is duff.

The fast idle is controlled by the other electrovalve and allws vacuum to flow when the engine is warm to slow the idle down.; the default on the pump is fast idle. A good fast idle (1050rpm 'ish) is critical to good starting in the cold. If this system is working properly, cold idle should be at 1050rpm and warm idle about 850rpm. Often when the fast idle fails, the pump idle speed is tweaked down a bit to hide the fact to the detriment of starting.

The heated rear window problem may be your ignition switch. Let me have the RP number of your car and I can post up the relevant wiring diagrams to help you locate the reason why it's not working.

One additional point to make on Xac's brake comments is that to remove the calipers, it is necessary to undo the two 17mm securing bolts. these often seize in the arm and can shear if treated harshly, being made of HT Steel. Always wire-brush the ends of their threads where they poke out of the back of the trailing arm and douse well in Plus-Gas (not WD40 - it's useless for this) before attempting to undo them. It's best to remove the caliper completely so get yourself a couple of new 3.5mm hydraulic seals for when you reconnect the hydraulic line.

To stop the claiper falling apart as you remove it, replace the small pad retaining bolt when you have removed the pads and anti-squeal shims and this will clamp the two halves of the caliper together. The corrosion on the caliper face can be very hard and tough; you may need a cold chisel to remove it! When replacing, grease the faces well. Some use a sheet of thin polythene between the caliper and trailing arm to prevent a reoccurrance.

[RichG]

I had a problem with my rear window not working about a year ago on the same model/year of Xant. The fault was a broken cable in the umbilical between the body and the tailgate. The heated rear window wire is the thickest in the umbilical and therefore the most sensitive to fatigue fracture. I managed to solder a new piece of silicon cable (very flexible) onto the body side loom by pulling back the umbilical. IIRC there is about 2 inches protruding out of the body shell at the point of breakage. I then pushed the insulated join back into the body so that the new wire takes all of the movement.

Richard

[welky]

Thanks for the advice guys, will be trying it out this weekend!