New Xantia

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davewithington
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New Xantia

Post by davewithington »

Well I have my new Xantia

1977 2.0I Auto VSX in Emerald Green with Beige leather, aircon and cruise control. Very, very nice condition, needs a couple of bits of paint and of course there are a couple of small jobs to do, but it rides extremely well, and looks new inside. I'm well impressed.

One question

It has Michelins all round, in 185/65-15. I thought that all VSX cars had 195/55-15, with a 185/65 spare. Was this changed for the later Mk 1?
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Re: New Xantia

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I didn't think they made the Xantia that early. Only goes to show it was WAY ahead of its' time!

I think that the best way to check what would be to use something like Kwik Fits' website, and use the car reg. However, I have just looked in the Citroen manual, and a 2.0i 16v saloon Xantia does show up with 185/65 R15 Michelin tyres.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 25 Nov 2012, 18:16, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Xantia

Post by andmcit »

I've seen a couple of s1 VSX's running 185's - my father's 2.0i auto too where there's a real
opportunity to give even more ride comfort on the tyres with more depth on the sidewall:

Image

watch you don't get camera'd in a average speed limit etc although it will depend on the
tolerance the camera uses... :shock:
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Re: New Xantia

Post by bxzx16v »

Sounds a nice car , in my favourite colour and with the beige leather too , we need some pics :cry:

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Re: New Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

Lovely car Dave and the 4HP14 autobox... Actually smoother than the auto adaptives... Cruise is a nice bonus. Is it working OK?

Give the 'box plenty of oil changes if there is no record and change it regularly and it'll last for ever...
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Re: New Xantia

Post by andmcit »

Does sound like a nice buy and a familiar model/spec for me.

Mind, whilst I don't want to detract from the feeglood of your new purchase I would personally
reluctantly say beige leather "sounds" a lot nicer than it actually turns out to be when living with it
on a daily basis - I own two Xantiae with cream and it's a PITA to keep it from feeling grubby where
the black alternative always feels smart/classy. On days like the past week, where it's been really
brass monkeys, unless you have working seat heaters, the velour is better still - cherry on the top
is heaters in the velour too whch I have in one of the Activae!!

Just don't get anything grubby (for example youngsters! :lol:) near the cream carpets and door trims!

My father's 2.0i VSX on an M plate needed a replacement 4HP14 and a 1.8 brand new 'box on a pallet
was found on ebay at a Citroen dealer for little money so it went it in; whilst I realise the final ratio
is different it's a superb drive and the changes are seamless - when I first fitted it I panicked as I drove
the car and couldn't detect any changes and thought it was stuck in 1st as it drove rather well and
very briskly!! :lol: This is the car running 185's BTW.
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Re: New Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

Andrew, I echo your comment on cream leather. I have it in my V6 and because of that it's a car specifically for special trips when well dressed only...

Needless to say it didn't go anywhere today...
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Re: New Xantia

Post by Mandrake »

davewithington wrote:Well I have my new Xantia

It has Michelins all round, in 185/65-15. I thought that all VSX cars had 195/55-15, with a 185/65 spare. Was this changed for the later Mk 1?
My 1997 2.0i Auto VSX also came with 185/65/15 tyres - thats the original spec on many Xantias, check the tyre guide on the door card and you should see it posted there.

IMHO the 185 tyres are a bit undersized for a Hydractive 2 VSX model (even an auto) and they do benefit from bigger tyres if you like to push the car around corners a bit, which is where the Hydractive 2 really comes into its own. I changed mine to 205/60/15 Michelin XM1 on the original alloy rims and the cornering and handling limits were much better that the original size tyres with very little if any penalty in ride quality. (205/60/15 is actually a slightly taller sidewall than 185/65/15 not shorter)

I echo Jims comments on the gearbox, its a great gearbox and very reliable however one thing can kill it, which is people incorrectly putting Dexron III compatible oil in it instead of Dexron II. Fortunately oil changes on the 4HP14 are very easy and the oil is cheap.

Check the colour of the oil from the dipstick and if its anything other than rosy translucent red plan for at least 3 rapid (a week or two between each) oil changes to flush out the dirty or incorrect oil. If its dark brown its probably just very dirty, if its completely black it may have a mix of Dexron II and III which can burn and go black, in which case you want to get it out of there ASAP.

Mine was more or less black when I got it at 86,000 miles and 8 years old, I think I did 3, possibly 4 changes over the space of a couple of months to get it back to a nice rosy translucent red. (Each change is only partial as you can't drain the torque converter, so you are diluting the dirty oil, not completely replacing it) By the time I sold the car 4 years later at 12 years old and a bit over 100,000 miles the oil was still nice and red and the gearbox was still flawless and smooth.

Once the oil is nice and clean and red a single change every 20,000 or so (Jim?) should see it through the useful life of the car. Any Dexron II (not III) compatible oil should be fine, I used Castrol Transmax M.

Enjoy. :)
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Re: New Xantia

Post by Citroenmad »

As has already been said, you have the correct size tyres for your Xantias year and spec. however later cars did wear 205-60-15, which is what I would upgrade to if you need a full set.

Your new Xantia sounds great! Looking forward to the pictires. 8-)
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Re: New Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

Mandrake wrote: Once the oil is nice and clean and red a single change every 20,000 or so (Jim?) should see it through the useful life of the car. Any Dexron II (not III) compatible oil should be fine, I used Castrol Transmax M.

Enjoy. :)
Agreed Simon and given the cost of Dexron II I'd be temped, once clean, to give it a swap every other engine change or if you're keen, every one and don't forget the filter - washable and reusable...

I'm running Comma AQM in the XM and that reminds me I need to do a third successive in that one soon. The first lot came out black and horrible, the second lot a bit better and after both changes the gearchange has improved so a third should just about see it perfect.

In my humble, changing the gearbox oil is easier then the engine oil...

And yes, steer well clear of Dexron III and it's many aliases...
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Re: New Xantia

Post by Citroenmad »

CitroJim wrote:
In my humble, changing the gearbox oil is easier then the engine oil...
It certainly is! :-D

If only the engine oil filter was as easy to get at as the gearbox oil filter
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Re: New Xantia

Post by Mandrake »

CitroJim wrote: Agreed Simon and given the cost of Dexron II I'd be temped, once clean, to give it a swap every other engine change or if you're keen, every one and don't forget the filter - washable and reusable...
Wait, what ? The gearbox oil filter can be removed and cleaned in situ on the 4HP14 ? Why did no one tell me this 7 years ago... :lol:

Pity it can't be on the 4HP20. :evil:
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Re: New Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

Mandrake wrote: Wait, what ? The gearbox oil filter can be removed and cleaned in situ on the 4HP14 ? Why did no one tell me this 7 years ago... :lol:
Ahh, now you say about it, I'm making a big assumption here. It's really easy and accessible on the 4HP18 so I assume it's just as easy on the 4HP14...

I will go and consult some documentation....
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Re: New Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

Documentation consulted. The HP14 does have a cleanable gauze filter but it's not quite so easily go at as on the HP18. It's attached to the valve block so you need to pop off the sump/valve block cover to get to it...
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davewithington
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Re: New Xantia

Post by davewithington »

This car has had a load of work done in the not too distant past.

Complete set of spheres, LHM change, gearbox oil change, E-Crofting diode fix, cam belt, new front discs and pads, new rear height corrector, new Michelins all round (though two seem to have gone missing in the interim), part exhaust system and other stuff I can't remember just at the mo. It rides really, really well

I will change the tyres for 195/55 - I've got two nearly new on Belfast rims on my old car (two wheels and tyres were totalled in the crash), it needs one tyre anyway, so might as well make up the set.

I haven't taken any photos yet, have a look at these, and yes it does still look like that..

https://plus.google.com/photos/10757233 ... vayN2s7_YQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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