Warm Xantia won't go

Philjw · Post by **Philjw** » 05 Jun 2003, 18:58

I have a couple of questions for you all relating to my 97 Xantia TD, 101K miles.
Poor starting when warm:
The cars starts well when cold and when hot but if I stop the engine for about ten minutes, especially if the weather is warm, I have to crank away for some minutes before the thing will fire – why do you reckon this is?
Mis-firing at high revs:
I don’t do it often – honest- but when the revs start to red line at around 4.5K, the engine mis-fires & loses power.
I would have expected it to reach a peak above which the revs would not rise & stay there. It has always done this.
Any thoughts?

Post by **RichardW** » 05 Jun 2003, 20:46

Phil,
I can't answer your question, other than "Mine does that too"! I find it will not start without heaters if it has been stopped more than a minute or two, and even then it takes 3 -5 seconds of cranking before it starts. I wondered if it might be the battery, but as it starts haven't bothered to do antything about it. I know that the cold start device on mine is stuck 'on' which might have something to do with it. I intend to change this in the next couple of months as I have to change the rad anyway (leaking).
As to your high speed mis-fire - the power on these engines falls off a cliff at about 4500 rpm, so you may just be experiencing the natural fall off of the power.
Has the timing belt been changed - this can improve the running if it hasn't been done in a while (did on mine which I suspect was fitted with the original 85k / 8 year old belt - borrowed time or what??)
Richard
PS just re-read and see yours is 97 - is it fitted with the vacuum system, or the mechanical one? All bets off if it's vacuum as I know nothing about those!

algieuk · Post by **algieuk** » 05 Jun 2003, 23:11

Check your fuel filter and look for air leaks in the fuel system.

sandancer · Post by **sandancer** » 06 Jun 2003, 13:22

I had the same problem last year. Works fine when cold, but when the engine's hot and the weather is warm, it's a pain to fire up, although it turns over OK. Eventually tracked it down to the battery. A new one was the instant cure.
Mark.

Post by **RichardW** » 06 Jun 2003, 13:27

I had wondered about that, but have not yet changed it (as it starts OK, and cash is limited!). I also see there is some 'condensation' on the top of the battery which makes me suspect that a coupe of cells have gone down a bit and are gassing up when the battery's being charged. Perhaps I'll try a new one next month...
Richard

algieuk · Post by **algieuk** » 06 Jun 2003, 14:26

A hot diesel will start a lot more quickly than a cold one. If the engine cranking speed is the same when hot as when cold then your battery isn't the problem. For a good cold starting diesel not to start when hot it must fuel, air or compression. It may pay to get your valve clearances checked. They valves may be held slightly open when the engine is hot, although it normally works the other way around.

sandancer · Post by **sandancer** » 06 Jun 2003, 18:21

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by algieuk</i>

A hot diesel will start a lot more quickly than a cold one. If the engine cranking speed is the same when hot as when cold then your battery isn't the problem...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
That's what I originally thought. I only discovered the cause on a really hot day after a long motorway run. After parking the car and switching off, I realised I had to move it again. That's when the battery problem came to light - the engine struggled turning over when the battery should have been fully charged. A quick swap from our other car and it fired up straight away. One new battery later and I've never had the problem since.
Mark.

algieuk · Post by **algieuk** » 07 Jun 2003, 04:14

That makes sense. The compression is a lot higher on a hot engine, and the poor battery would not be able to attain sufficient cranking speed to start the engine. The cause (low cranking speed) would be pretty obvious though. Another common Citroen problem is the battery terminals. They for resistance joints internally, and prevent good current flow. A few bashes with a hammer can give a temporary solution.