'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

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mrduke
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'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by mrduke »

I'm picking up a Xantia next weekend, which hasn't seen much use for a couple of years. The MOT lapsed in Dec 14, and since then it's been started and driven around once a month. I should stress that prior to being parked up, it was very well maintained and looked after, and is still apparently roadworthy.
I'll be driving it home (to a pre-booked MOT) from just over 100 miles away - obviously I'll be taking it easy, but is there anything in particular that I should be wary of, engine-wise? I'd be totally confident if it was an XUD, but I'm slightly less confident with an HDi. Is there anything that I should take with me and replace before setting off?
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by wurlycorner »

Someone to watch out for plod! (100 miles won't wash as being the nearest mot garage...)
Congratulations on the purchase though! :D
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by elma »

Yes be very careful, I had a 3 month battle with the DVLA prosecutor for bringing my green Xantia to a pre booked mot lawfully on a trailer. I was prosecuted for failing to tax the car. I dread to think what they would be like if you actually bent the rules. I had the garage, the DVLAs own photograph and the insurance certificate all on my side and she still blackmailed me for 3 months for £1000s. Only when I refused to allow a fourth adjournment and dragged her into the Magistrates did she drop the case, at the courtroom door. That was in your area as well, I was clocked passing Llanfairfechan and prosecuted in Llandudno even though I lived in Bethesda.
Potentially the green car was cursed though, the old owner got fined for me driving it through the Dartford tunnel and not paying the toll, again it was on a trailer. I'm not sure how that panned out in the end.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by Paul-R »

When I trailer or tow a car I always cover up the number plate. Saves on all sorts of potential problems.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by mrduke »

It's not the longest trip I've done on a pre-booked test, so I'm not bothered about that side of things. It's also 100% legal as long as it's insured, the garage location isn't a factor, as long as you go straight there without stopping (except for fuel) ;-)

I'm really more concerned about whether the engine will take kindly to being roused for a 3-hour journey after such a long hibernation!
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by ekjdm14 »

As long as you take the same precautions you would with an XUD, i.e. make sure the oil is up & pumping, coolant circulating with no hoses fit to blow & clean fuel reaching the pump, there's no reason the HDi would be any less fit for a 100 mile run than an equivalent XU lump IMO

I'd probably change the oil to a cheap brand before the journey, then change oil and filter to a decent brand when it's safely home, let the journey flush out any crap into the old filter. I'd also take a new fuel filter, on the basis that if I have it handy, then I won't need it (along with a gallon of water, jump leads & tow rope).

Best of luck for the trip, let us know how you get on
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by van ordinaire »

ekjdm14 wrote:As long as you take the same precautions you would with an XUD, i.e. make sure the oil is up & pumping, coolant circulating with no hoses fit to blow & clean fuel reaching the pump, there's no reason the HDi would be any less fit for a 100 mile run than an equivalent XU lump IMO

I'd probably change the oil to a cheap brand before the journey, then change oil and filter to a decent brand when it's safely home, let the journey flush out any crap into the old filter. I'd also take a new fuel filter, on the basis that if I have it handy, then I won't need it (along with a gallon of water, jump leads & tow rope).

Best of luck for the trip, let us know how you get on
I'd go along with all that but would be happier to have "recovery" - especially as it's usually included with insurance these days.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by ekjdm14 »

That is a good point, I suppose the car could always "break down" round the corner if there's a hidden multiplug one could yank off to cause no communication with the ECU. That though, I think, would be cheating lol
'95 Xantia LX 1.9D-auto, Black, 109k
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'97 306 XS 1.6i 99k sat 12 years, fixed in 7 days, 150mile maiden voyage :rofl2:
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by mrduke »

Thanks for that, feel a bit happier now - I do have 'unlimited' breakdown cover for any car I'm travelling in, prefer not to use it though! I'll take a fuel filter & LHM top-up, plus standard toolkit of WD40 & duck tape, hopefully won't need them... oil change sounds sensible of I have time, although I'm pretty sure it was changed diligently up until it came off the road.

Updates will indeed follow, along with photos of the beast once it arrived home :-)
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by wurlycorner »

Engine-wise, if it's full of oil/coolant and the coolant, the coolant is clear, the oil not contaminated with water or feeling 'gritty' between your fingers, it starts and runs without any noises and the cambelt isn't well over due on miles or massively over due on years, then I really wouldn't give the engine a second thought tbh. I certainly wouldn't bother changing any of the fluids till I got it home for a full service.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by xsaras4ever »

Get fresh diesel in it as soon as possible.

These days, because of the additives, old diesel breaks down into lots of emulsions. Hdi engines do not like it.

Good luck with it though and hope it proves to be a good purchase.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by ekjdm14 »

wurlycorner wrote:.... I certainly wouldn't bother changing any of the fluids till I got it home for a full service.
Personal preference I suppose, but it can't do any harm changing to a cheap oil before the journey & may do a lot of good if there's a lot of crap deposited that the old oil can no longer carry in suspension... No big deal though if time doesn't allow, it's just something that'd be nice to be able to do.

Good point on the LHM too mrduke, I had missed that rather obvious one in my concentration on the engine side of things.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by van ordinaire »

Just a thought about the fuel that's in it: not only might it be stale (although I think that's more of a problem with petrol) but, if it was last used in Spring/Summer/early Autumn it won't be have the winter additives so will be prone to waxing.

Reason I mention breakdown cover is that it just provides that peace of mind that you know if the worst comes to the worst it's not the end of the world (road?).

Interesting that all the advice basically accords with my own thought whereas when I read similar threads on American forum the basic is change ALL fluids (obviously not thinking Citroen here &, presumably, that doesn't include the A/C gas?) & replace all belts, hoses & (possibly) tyres - compare & contrast?. While the layup might well have been longer & the distance (much) greater, still smacks of paranoia.
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by CitroJim »

xsaras4ever wrote:Get fresh diesel in it as soon as possible.
van ordinaire wrote:Just a thought about the fuel that's in it: not only might it be stale (although I think that's more of a problem with petrol) but, if it was last used in Spring/Summer/early Autumn it won't be have the winter additives so will be prone to waxing..
Good thinking on both counts and carry a spare fuel filter with enough tools to change it on the road. Old fuel and a period of disuse may lead to the filter becoming clogged...
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Re: 'Waking up' a 2.0 HDi Xantia

Post by ekjdm14 »

van ordinaire wrote:Interesting that all the advice basically accords with my own thought whereas when I read similar threads on American forum the basic is change ALL fluids (obviously not thinking Citroen here &, presumably, that doesn't include the A/C gas?) & replace all belts, hoses & (possibly) tyres - compare & contrast?. While the layup might well have been longer & the distance (much) greater, still smacks of paranoia.

Not sure if it's paranoia or common sense in a lot of cases, seems like the sun can be much stronger in certain states which results in UV damage to rubber components even under the bonnet (hood?) not to mention that tyres probably last far longer tread-wise with their straight, long & smooth highways.

I will admit to enjoying a Youtube show called Roadkill where the guys basically buy an utter shed, spend a wad on getting it running and attempt to drive home, generally a thousand or more miles from where they bought said munter & with some sort of race or destruction on the agenda. Apart from many and varied cooling problems (kind of a running joke on the show where the bonnet/hood comes off to aid cooling usually not far into the trip.) and the inevitable fuel contamination the main issue they tend to face is dry-rotted tyres shredding themselves.

I do think the American car crowd can be a little bit on the over-cautious side when it comes to recomissioning a vehicle, but I suppose if they're relying on it to get them across the country (and I guess breakdown cover isn't quite as simple over those distances) then they don't want to take too many chances. (plus the lawsuit-happy culture is bound to lead to peoples advice on forums erring on the safe side, if in doubt cover your ass...) :?

EDIT-: oh look, my post count appears to think it's an '80s Peugeot...
'95 Xantia LX 1.9D-auto, Black, 109k
'03 206 GTi180 94k in surgery
'03 206 1.1S XUD9TE/veg project :mrgreen:
'99 306 2.0SE cabriolet 95k summer toy
'97 306 XS 1.6i 99k sat 12 years, fixed in 7 days, 150mile maiden voyage :rofl2:
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