Xantia engine bay fuse box question.

[Deacon]

So I was today at some random car repair shop, as it was close to me and I decided to top off my a/c system. Long story short, the guy was a phoney and tried to sell me the idea that there's a whole in the system (false), and also while having the "machine testing the a/c system", he opened the engine fuse box (And I'm like, what? why?). I wasn't always by the car, but I don't think he touched anything, later I was by my trusty Citroen service guy, by watching the system, it all appeared to work fine to him.

Anyway, I want to be sure and check things by myself, but I couldn't find in Owner's manual, what the big green fuse is about. Could you assist and tell me its purpose ? That's the thing the phoney technician touched.

[Hell Razor5543]

That big green fuse looks much like a relay to me. I cannot say what it controls though.

[elma]

It is indeed a relay, what for I cannot remember.

[Deacon]

Yes, my bad. It is a relay the big green thing. So I went through the entire user manual, Haynes manual, ETAI manual on Xantia. The first and last only provide information on the fuses and nothing about relays. Haynes only provides general idea of what a "relay" is in a car, but nothing about specific Xantia applications. So far I get the following suggestions: A) It is the relay for glow plugs; B) it is the wiper sensor relay. But not sure on any of these...

Hopefully it's all in there, working.

[Hell Razor5543]

The problem here is that Citroen do not really follow any logic when they fit the relays. It is not unheard of for one car to have the relays up in one wing, and six months later an identical model has the same relays in the fuse area!

[Deacon]

Ah, the French and their sense of being original. :/ As per the ORGA number, the car was built on 15 June 1998. Sold 22 October 1999 by Service Citroen.

If anyone has a 1.9TD (non hydractive, non electric seats) Xantia that began its life around that year, I would be greatly thankful if he uploads here a quick picture of his engine bay fuse box for inventory compare. That's the only thing that comes to my head now.

[elma]

It's not the glow plug relay. That's a black one on the inner front wing.
Try getting someone to turn things on in the car one at a time. If you have your fingers on top of the relay you'll feel it click when they hit the right button.
Alternately remove it and see what stops working.
I doubt there's anything wrong though, something in the car would stop working if that were the case.

[Hell Razor5543]

Are relays colour coded for the amperage they can handle? If they are, I wonder what amperage green relays can manage?

[Deacon]

So, I looked around at Service Citroen, at least they kept the specific colour to represent a specific amperage. Nothing else.

I found a picture of '96 1.9TD's engine fuse box.

Right ones say:

Glow plug and immobilizer relay
High / low RPM diesel pump
Fog lights

Considering the 1.9 TD that I got has the "smart injectors" and thus uses that NFP special vacuum solenoid, that relay in mine should be option 1 or 2. Still, if anyone wants to share his '98's engine fuse box for me to compare, be my guest.

EDIT: Now looking at it, looks like indeed everything is in order. The car starts, a/c starts, all the little fuses are there. It might be just me being paranoid after I met that rip off service guy.

EDIT 2 @ Hell Razor5543: Black ones are 35 AMP (there's apparently different 30/10 black for glow plugs), all the rest are pretty much 25 AMP.

[elma]

I would guess that yours is for the electronic pump advance then.
I really don't think it's for the glow plugs but I suppose it could potentially be the post heat (I doubt it as mine have all been totally different units but earlier cars).
If you have no obvious changes to the car then personally I'd just leave it. Theres not a lot of damage to be done by poking a relay.

Probably a man with a similar car will be along with an exact answer in the morning anyway.