Xantia Oil Change

Karl · Post by **Karl** » 16 Oct 2003, 01:51

I`ve just done the second oil change within a couple of weeks and still can`t get it right. Trouble is that I only get about 2 litres out from the slump, this time I tried jacking up the rear which didn`t make alot of diference. I think the slump holds 4-5 litres so I`m only replacing half the oil, any advice?
Cheers

andycarter · Post by **andycarter** » 16 Oct 2003, 02:08

Hi Karl,
If your xantia is anything like mine, then the drain plug is on the rear of the sump. You should have the front on ramps and do not raise the rear, the drain plug should then be at the lowest point.
I'd hope that there was more than 2 litres of oil in it... [;)]
andy

CITMAN · Post by **CITMAN** » 16 Oct 2003, 02:09

make sure the cars on level ground then drain the oil.

Karl · Post by **Karl** » 16 Oct 2003, 03:14

Andy
My drain plug is on the front, and my slump is a wide sort of V shape.

blueboy2001 · Post by **blueboy2001** » 16 Oct 2003, 04:39

My tips:
Run the engine for a bit before you start to warm the oil up - it'll run out better warm than cold.
Mine takes ages to empty out - first 4 litres gush out and the last one takes forever. Last couple of times I've left it to drain overnight.

BigMac · Post by **BigMac** » 16 Oct 2003, 05:37

Karl, maybe there is something in the sump blocking the drain hole. Only cure for this is to take the sump off - get a new sump gasket before you start, and be prepared for a rush of old oil once its off. Then clean it out well and have a good look round in there before you bolt it back on and fill up with fresh oil. Check the oil strainer inside the sump carefully and replace if knackered. Its possible the engine might need cleaned out with flushing oil too. HTH

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 16 Oct 2003, 06:05

Oh yes -
Depending on prevoius owners/service - the whole sump pan may have a thick layer of oily mud. Have seen this on a CX I breaked - clearly in the past the oil had never been replaced - but simply topped up.
Even the valve gear was covered in a thick paste like oilmud - YUK [:(]

Karl · Post by **Karl** » 16 Oct 2003, 13:52

Big Mac that sounds like the problem or as Anders says there might be some gunk in the slump. Is the strainer near the slump plug?
Before I take off the whole slump, I want to see if I can get a screwdriver onto the bottom of the slump to see if there is any gunk. I did try flushing oil last time, but maybe it wasn`t run in long enough, I might try a stronger engine flush this time any recomendations?

arry_b · Post by **arry_b** » 16 Oct 2003, 15:04

How about doing a few oil changes in quick sucession with cheap (£2.99 a gallon) oil.
i.e. Drain what you can, top it up to full with the cheap oil. Run the car up to temperature and drain the oil. Do this a few times and you should drop some of the crud out of the engine.
Its a bit more gentle to do it this way than engine flush - if it is really full of sticky lumps of oil residue, it'll likely break off and block an oilway if you use an aggressive flushing agent on the engine.
It's also worth having a poke around up the drain hole with a bit of stiff wire to see if there's anything partially blocking it. Just remember the story of the little Dutch boy and the dyke!

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 16 Oct 2003, 15:16

If it were me, and I've seen some pretty filthy engine interiors in my time, I wouldn't muck about with flushing and poking; in the long term, the quickest is going to be the longest and that is simply to drop off the sump and take all the guesswork out of it. Eventually, it's going to come down to this for sure one way or the other, and the bonus is that this way, there's no guesswork involved, otherwise, I reckon it has the potential to all end in tears when some of this treacle jams an oilway or a filter or pump & takes out the entire engine.[:(][:(]
Alan S

Karl · Post by **Karl** » 16 Oct 2003, 23:14

Had another go this afternoon and its not any off the above but a combination of my lack of experiance with french cars and me not looking under the car properly. So just what is the point of having two sump plugs[?][?]I undid the rear one and about 4 litres of the black stuff came out[:)][:)]Panic Over

Richard Gallagher · Post by **Richard Gallagher** » 17 Oct 2003, 00:51

Karl, is your Xantia a VSX with an oil temperature gauge that doesn't work by chance? Or maybe the sump/engine used to be fitted to a VSX. If so you may have been undoing a plug where the oil temp sensor used to be fitted. The position of the plug and quantity of oil running out would match quite well with your description

Karl · Post by **Karl** » 17 Oct 2003, 03:03

Richard
Mine a non-VSX. I`m the third owner so it could have a different slump fitted, but suspect it came out of the factory with it.

BonceChops · Post by **BonceChops** » 17 Oct 2003, 04:48

My TD has a blanking plug in the oil temp sensor hole at the front of the sump
Neil

BigMac · Post by **BigMac** » 17 Oct 2003, 06:53

Karl, glad you got it sorted. Ive never heard of 2 sump plugs on a VSX engine before. If you have the time/inclination it might still be worth your while dropping the sump and giving the whole thing a good clean. The best flushing oil for me has always been W****s but the gentler alternative (repeated changes with cheap oil) might be better, depending on the age/mileage of your engine.