just a few probs with xantia!!!!!!!!!!!

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davidm2
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just a few probs with xantia!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by davidm2 »

hi guys, just bought a xantia 1.9td 1995, have got a few probs, put the car in for a pre mot and they came up with......
abs light on all the time
rear near side brake not working at all!!!!!
also when you apply brakes the pedal pulses under foot and the brake goes on and off
and also front of car doesnt sink at all even over night, and refuses to start from cold for ages but runs really well once it is started, also can feel engine movement thru pedals like engine mounts s****** is this usual anybody got any ideas much appreciated
cheers
dave
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Rear brake n/s not working is an indictor of need for general brakes service (caliper stuck), INCLUDING overhaul of calipers. Likely they have never seen any service but replacing pads/discs. Depending on your DIY skills, it may be best replacing the rear brake calipers either new or recon units. ALLWAYS replace in pairs. New/recon units are generally supplied with new pads, so you only need to add new discs, for a full service set.
Bet the front brakes have seen their best too....
ABS light indicates an ABS system problem, most likely (at least 1) dodgy wheel sensor and/or cabling. Exposed to the harsh road dirt environment, they need periodic attention for longterm durability.
Solving these problems most likely clears the brake pedal pulsing, do NOT start tracing this problem first !
Check your engine mounts have not separated in the rubber, as the engine then will rest directly metal-to-metal, giving annoying vibrations & noise.
davidm2
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Post by davidm2 »

hi anders many thanks for the info, will attack brakes in morning, the front brakes were overhauled 30k ok with new disks etc so im hoping there ok, anyideas re ride height etc also cold starting it had new glowplugs 30k ago, how long do they last, thanks for all your help
dave
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Dave -
Please ! 30K is a LOT to modern car brakes [:I]
As a rule of thumb you can NOT expect the brakes to last more than 10Kkm/6.2Kmiles, - then the pads may well have reached their wear limits. Please do the front brakes too, now you bring out tools anyway. I know this may mean unexpected spares expenses to you, but the brakes is THE most important safety system on any car.
Glow plugs are fairly long lasting, at least 100Kkm/65Kmiles expected.
If you experience cold start problems, you may have a dodgy glow plug timer/relay. Try measure the voltage directly on the glowplugs, while the timer is in it's start cycle. You should have at least 10.8V (on ALL plugs !), if lower then check battery directly on pole contacts while timer cycling. The battery must give at least 12.6V to be in fair condition.
Note how long the timer is cycling - it should cycle the power to the plugs untill you start, no matter the "preheat" lamp in your instrument.
If battery is ok, but plug not, then you need to overhaul the plug's cabling and/or timer/relay.
Check the air filter. Likely these can clogg by sump oil fumes within 10Kkm/6.2Kmiles. If foam filter, these may happily be cleaned in petrol, let dry and re-used.
The diesel rotopump may need adjustment.
Be sure to replace engine oil within 10Kkm/6.2Kmiles intervals. This is also the service interval for brakes & air filter....
Oil filter replaced every second time.
The Xantia suspension height settings :
Image
Above picture (+ other good stuff) found here :
http://citroeny.cz/servis/servis.htm
algieuk
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Post by algieuk »

Cold starting problems first check heater plugs and then cold start cable operation. If neither of those suspect either air leaks or valve celarances.
Rear brakes often seize (they are very lightly loaded if the rear of the car is empty) Take a look and see what is going on. Re-sealing calipers is possible, but like mentioned above it would probably be better to change them.
Brakes going on and off and ABS light may be connected....no idea there, sorry.
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

As Algie says the rear brakes are lightly loaded and generally barely work unless the car is loaded. As you may know they share fluid with the rear suspension and the pipe circuit is from the pressurised side of the rear suspension all the way to the brake valve and back - so giving automatic load compensation - ie the greater the load the hreater the pressure and so the harder the brakes work. So for MOT purposes it helps to load the back of the car to make sure the brakes work under test - full fuel tank helps - as well as a large toolbox etc.
Symptoms of too light a life as it were will be rusted discs etc. Incid3entally I have seen it recommended for some Vauxhalls that the back discs shoulkd be cleaned by driving the car weekly with the handbrake applied.
You can increase the back brake pressure by driving the car very slowly with the suspension raised. maximum pressure is obtained at maximum height but the car is not very stable and very uncomfortable and also likely to damage the spheres due to the lack of bump stops. (another story)
ABS warning light problem is probably the failure of one or more sensors - they can be checked for continuity with a multimeter and should all read about the same. Generally they go open circuit - so easy to work out which one is at fault. Often it is the wiring that fails and if you're competent with a soldering iron you may wish to try and replace the damaged section with some suitable multi-cored co-ax cable. (NOT hard single cored TV cable)
This should keep you busy today!
jeremy
davidm2
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Post by davidm2 »

thanks guys great info have ordered new calipers disks and pads for rear so hopefully all will be well soon, after more investigation of front height problem, have found that the front suspension is very hard very little movement and does not sink over night, is this spheres?
cheers
dave
Jon

Post by Jon »

With the car running, and at normal height, can you get any movement at either side or is it solid? If the latter, then the spheres need replacing. I would not be too worried about the front sinking overnight. I would expevt some sinkage, but if it is solid, and does not sink even after new spheres then I'd think that there is some problem with the front struts.
davidm2
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Post by davidm2 »

thanks Jon the front is hard both sides and appears to be to high so I guess spheres seem to be the answer (hopefully)
cheers
dave
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

It won't be too high if the front spheres have expired. It will just feel rock hard as there is no spring - but that is if the spheres have ruptured internally.
If the front is really too high (measure first using Anders dimensions) then there is probably a problem with the height corrector or its mechanism. As the adjustment isn't that easy to get right its worth making sure the mechanism is working properly and not stuck. If it is faulty adjustment will not help anyway as it will simply stick again in another position.
On a BX its tucked up above the steering rack between it and the engine and not much fun to get at. I would suggest as a first step you soak it in oil and then excercise it with the height control lever to see if you can free it. There are some strange joints with 3 cutouts in a frame and AlanS explained their function recently on here. Its worth searching for his posts as he expalins the whole thing thoroughly.
To measure the ride height safely why not make up a wooden measure out of a long piece of wood about 5ft long (thinish will do) and fasten a piece a little longer than the correct height at the end at right angles (to form an L with one long and one very short leg) To use it push the short leg under the car using the long one as a handle and when it is in the correct position swing the short leg up behind the cross memeber and there is your measure. You should mark the correct height on the short piece before use and you can now check the height with the engine running in complete safety.
As Jon says the front should compress a bit but even sound ones dont compress that easily at the front. In theory it should go down about 3 inches, and if held down with the engine running should pump up to the original position after about 20 secs. If the load is now released it should rise by a siimilar amount and drop again after 20 secs. The explanation for this strange behaviour is quite simple, push down, compress gas in sphere and activate height corrector (which has delay mechanism built in). Corrector does its stuff and suspension compensates and returns to original position. release load - gas in sphere expands and car rises, height corrector is activated again and car drops after delay to original height. This usually works better on the back where its easy to sit on the bumper/boot sill and the suspension travel is greater in any event.
As Jon says the front struts may be sticky whichmakes the ride bad and the front suspension movement jerky. Xantia struts are different (and better?) than BX ones but a dab of grease on a BX piston makes a world of difference in the short term.
jeremy
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