Goodbye 1.8 16V Xantia, hello 1.9TD! And a list of problems!

[Stepto1]

Finally got my hands on a 1.9TD Xantia SX. She's in a dark metallic grey and apart from being VERY dirty she's not bad. The go, turn and stop bits are ok, as are the up and down bits! However, here is a list of issues, any ideas folks?

Rear windows don't work. No lights on any of the switches.
Boot won't open, suspect worn catch.
Bad fuel leak from the back/driver's side of the engine.
Engine feels a big gutless, new air filter and starts ok. Am I just used to the petrol?
Got 36mpg sitting at 80/85mph. Is this ok? Not much cheaper then the petrol!
Climate control is rubbish. Cold all the way till about at the end of the slider when it becomes red hot!

However, she drives great, the lights are fantastic, there's hardly a mark on the bodywork, the LHM oil is like new and she's totally original. Just needs a damn good clean.
Stepto.

[Northern_Mike]

Finally got my hands on a 1.9TD Xantia SX. She's in a dark metallic grey and apart from being VERY dirty she's not bad. The go, turn and stop bits are ok, as are the up and down bits! However, here is a list of issues, any ideas folks?

Rear windows don't work. No lights on any of the switches.
Boot won't open, suspect worn catch.
Bad fuel leak from the back/driver's side of the engine.
Engine feels a big gutless, new air filter and starts ok. Am I just used to the petrol?
Got 36mpg sitting at 80/85mph. Is this ok? Not much cheaper then the petrol!
Climate control is rubbish. Cold all the way till about at the end of the slider when it becomes red hot!

However, she drives great, the lights are fantastic, there's hardly a mark on the bodywork, the LHM oil is like new and she's totally original. Just needs a damn good clean.
Stepto.

Rear windows - on more than one of my Xantias, including an SX TD, the wires in the door had broken where it flexes.

Boot - don't know, probably just stuck and needs oiling. Never had a problem with any of mine. The locks can be weird though.

Gutless engine? Should be a bit dead up until about 18800rpm, then a nice wodge of torque up to about 3000rpm, then it starts to tail off. In my opinion, it should feel more lively at low revs than the 1.8 engine. Could be due to your fuel leak, but I suspect not. Try thrashing it down the bypass at high revs in the lower gears a few times. This has cured more than one sluggish 1.9TD.

Economy? A little low. Try the above, and test it again. I used to get around 40-42 mpg on the motorway at 80 in mine. The XM 2.1 would do 43 at 90 though :S

Climate control? They all do that sir

I'm glad you like it? Do they have a Macedonian car wash where you are? I took an utterly filthy Xantia down to mine a few weeks ago, handed over £12.50, and it came out looking brilliant. Jim can attest to the filthiness of the beast..

[Peter.N.]

The 2.1 td would give you more like the performance you are used to with much better torque low down and better economy. To get the best from the diesel you need a different driving style, max torque and efficiency come up at around 2000 rpm so the nearer you can keep it to that speed the better. Diesels loose efficiency rapidly as the revs increase and as you increase the throttle opening, they can give you good economy if you drive them gently but thrash them and they can be little better than a petrol engine.

The 2.1 in the manual XM will give over 50 mpg on a longish trip and that's a heavier car, but again that's driving it gently.

Peter

[DickieG]

Re the climate it sounds as if the little fan behind the alarm LED is duff, it could be bunged up with crud so give it a good blast of pressurised air or better still remove it for a good clean though you need to remove the radio to gain access, make sure you have the radio code!

Re the boot lock is your car a S1 or S2? If it's a S1 does it unlock with the key?

Windows, is the relay still in place in the fuse box by the drivers right knee? I believe its the one just behind the diagnostic socket which if your car is a S1 will mean it needs to be removed to plug in the diagnostic plug and may not have been replaced afterwards.

Lack of performance goes hand in hand with fuel leak/poor economy.

[Stepto1]

GettIng the fuel leak looked at on Wednesday.
There is a relay just below the Lexia socket. I've already changed the indicator relay so perhaps the other one is duff too. Didn't know it even had a relay!
Didn't know about the fan behind the alarm led. Is this where the sensor is?
It was owned by an old boy before me so sure a good thrash will do it the world of good.
Thanks guys!

[DickieG]

Didn't know about the fan behind the alarm led. Is this where the sensor is?

Yes, turn the ignition on without starting and you should hear the fan motor buzzing.

[CitroJim]

The leak is more than likely a perish in the fuel pipes, most likely the return line where they join the steel pipes up on the bulkhead. Access is horrible.

This leak will not be helping economy and it should be much better than what you're getting...

The heat, yes, check your little fan... Shine a torch down through the louvres and see if you can see any spinny movement.

[Stepto1]

Great advice as ever guys.

Ta very much.

[citronut]

and if fixing the fuel leak dosent sort the performance prob check all you vaccum are not split/perished and the intercooler pipes are secure,

regards malcolm

[Timmo]

moving from a petrol to a deisel is always a bit strange, does take some getting use3d too, especially how the power is delivered, the td is a relatively equal power car in terms of bhp and torque where as the petrrol 1.8 would have been something like 115bhp 100lbft torque, (not too sure on the petrol lump figures, but my bx is 160bhp, 133lbft torque when new!), and the power is delivered in a different manor, the petrol lumps generally give max torque on a 16v lump around the 4k mark (lower for an 8v lump but not too much) and generally feel good through to the red, tailing off close to the rev limiter, to make rapid progress in them you need to keep them on cam and generally over 4k rpm, the td lump will deliver its maximum grunt around the 2 1/2k rpm area and tails off noicably around 4k, much over 4k and it simply seems to get louder and thats about it! lol, but to make progress in the oil burner kepp it between 2 and 3 1/2k rpm and you'll have the power available, if your on an economy run then its quite possible to cruise around under 2 1/2k rpm using a couple of thimbles of fuel!!
we got 40ish out of ours the last long run up to mothers, but we were loaded up with us and 2 girls and a boot full of gear for the week, is no better than the wife's 1.2 16v fiat, 42mpg on the same run, the difference being that we had space around us in the car! the girls were packed in the fiat, legs out straight lol!! is also that 90 brake isnt that much to propel a Big heavy bus around!! (the wifes fiat is an 80bhp/80lbft little lump, but the car weighs about 600kg less and is a lot smaller,) the extra grunt the 2.1 and the hdi's have over the old lump allow the engine to have to work less to achieve the same! brothers 406 v6 is a good example, on a run at 70 his cars sat around 2krpm, and happily returns 45+mpg! a good friend of his had the smae spec model but with the 2l 16v lump and rarely ever saw high 30's! - around town is a completely different mater mind!!
anyways, rambling on now!!
if is feeling lethargic through the revs, i'd be tempted after sorting the fuel leak to whack a new fuel filter in, (and clean out the fuel pot) was quite amazed the difference it made to mine just before the mot!

[jgra1]

I get exactly 36 from my S2 TD steptoe..

that is an average, based on 5 full tanks or so, over Jan/Feb. I run mine on veg oil, (sometimes with a bit of derv..) it doesn't seem to make any difference whether I am 80-90 on the motorway, or driving hard around the lanes..

I never use throttle when it isn't needed, but use it a lot when it is..
Performance seems fine, for what it is.. (90hp and a reasonable-sized car)

She will actually accelerate (slowly) in 5th at 1000 rpm and seems to enjoy it.. on a flat road..
I often short shift when I am not pressing on.. seems right for the 'ol tractor really lol

John

[Peter.N.]

It it also depends on where you drive, I live in a rural area and rarely go to towns, my XMs have always averaged 40-50mpg and my 406 Hdi estate has averaged 54.4 mpg for the last 6000 + miles according to the readout, but as I said before I don't drive fast or hard.

Peter

[Stepto1]

Thanks guys. Sorted the boot latch, just needed three Royal Navy engineers and a vice!

Going into the garage tomorrow to have the leak looked at.

Interior lights now working, not looked at the boot light yet.

It's had a vallet and has scrubbed up well.

[Stepto1]

Right, changed the fuel filter and given her a damn good thrashing! Ahem !

Seems a bit more willing now and I can now hear a bit if turbo whistle.

Fuel leak hopefully getting sorted tomorrow.

[Northern_Mike]

Right, changed the fuel filter and given her a damn good thrashing! Ahem !

Excellent! Now repeat it a few times, and it'll be miles better.