OK, I have exhausted every other possible cause of my minor but troublesome overheating when towing. Improved the situation by flushing out the system and cleaning the rearmost two rads, the engine and intercooler. This has left me with cleaning the third rad which is the air con unit. I can see by looking through the fans that it is fairly obstructed by bugs and debris and needs flushing through from behind.
Any suggestions how I might do this or do I have to remove the engine and intercooler rads? [:(] All thoughts gratefully received R.
Radiator sandwich - Xant TD with A/C
Moderator: RichardW
How hot does it run when towing?Mine runs about 90-100c on the level,but up hill it will go to 105c.Only once has the warning light come on,in France.I have a theory on this...
The rad is at the back,behind the a/c rad,and the i/cooler.When towing uphill,or flooring it,i can really hear the turbo working,and the sucking sound.I think that the i/cooler sucks all the air in,hence there isnt enough to pass through the i/cooler,through the a/c rad to get to the engine rad.Makes no difference if the a/c is on or not.As soon as you take you foot off the gas,or go downhill,the temp goes back down.After speaking to people at campsites,the ones without a/c dont seem to have any probs.
The rad is at the back,behind the a/c rad,and the i/cooler.When towing uphill,or flooring it,i can really hear the turbo working,and the sucking sound.I think that the i/cooler sucks all the air in,hence there isnt enough to pass through the i/cooler,through the a/c rad to get to the engine rad.Makes no difference if the a/c is on or not.As soon as you take you foot off the gas,or go downhill,the temp goes back down.After speaking to people at campsites,the ones without a/c dont seem to have any probs.
Neil, thanks for the reply. I have had my Xant since new and it is only this last 12 months or so that I have seen the temp climb when towing the trailer. It's a heavy mobile workshop really. Historically I have not seen the temp climb very much at all.
The air consumed by the turbo - interesting theory. I have not really looked to see where exactly the air intake is placed but I think it's away from the direct air flow for the rads.
It does seem an obtuse thought to put the aircon rad in front of the intercooler and then stack them up like they have. Let's face it, it's only in the hotter weather that you are likely to have the air con running and the turbo is always hot so the engine gets the raw deal in cooling air!
Mind you Saab do the same too.
The amount of rubbish that had gathered between the rads had to be seen to be believed. R
The air consumed by the turbo - interesting theory. I have not really looked to see where exactly the air intake is placed but I think it's away from the direct air flow for the rads.
It does seem an obtuse thought to put the aircon rad in front of the intercooler and then stack them up like they have. Let's face it, it's only in the hotter weather that you are likely to have the air con running and the turbo is always hot so the engine gets the raw deal in cooling air!
Mind you Saab do the same too.
The amount of rubbish that had gathered between the rads had to be seen to be believed. R
Had mine 2 1/2 yrs now.Our 1st caravan weighed 800kg all in,the 1 we have now is 1300kg all in.Same running temp on both of them.Had a new rad & stat last year,cleaned as much as i could out of the other ones,but still runs the same.Last week the thermo houseing snapped,where the hose pushes onto,while towing.A clean break,brittle by the looks of things.When i had replaced it,i put some rad cooler in it.It was only £3.99.Aparently it raises the boiling temp & makes the car run cooler.I kept an open mind,but the temp never went above 100c on the way down to Woolacombe.A lot of steep hills as well.On our previous runs down on the same hills with the van,it went to 105c.So maybe it worked.Same weather etc...
I`ve had mine boosted to 115bhp,but the temp was the same before & after.Given up now.
When i changed my rad,the middle 1(i/cooler)is quite easy to get out.Though the engine rad can be a pain to get out if it has the original spring clips for the hoses,especally the bottom hose.
I`ve had mine boosted to 115bhp,but the temp was the same before & after.Given up now.
When i changed my rad,the middle 1(i/cooler)is quite easy to get out.Though the engine rad can be a pain to get out if it has the original spring clips for the hoses,especally the bottom hose.
I removed my under tray years ago on my 95 VSX TD and never had temp problems. I had to floor it in 3rd on many occasions when towing. I only changed the car to an HDi estate due to towing weight limitations.
The spec of the pre face lift Xantias was 1200 kg. My caravan was 1215. I'm not talking kerb weight ratios here (which was OK and a very stable outfit) but the structural limitations that Citroen saw fit to place on the mounting points of the Xantia. My HDi 110 estate is good to 1500kg but I don't think the stability is as good as the hatchback due to the larger rear overhang of the estate. However the engine is a belter!
So why bother to change for being 15kg over? Well it was brought to my notice that if (perish the thought) I was involved in an accident - my fault or not - a cute insurance assessor could not only use this to avoid paying out but I could be in deep trouble also.
Derek
The spec of the pre face lift Xantias was 1200 kg. My caravan was 1215. I'm not talking kerb weight ratios here (which was OK and a very stable outfit) but the structural limitations that Citroen saw fit to place on the mounting points of the Xantia. My HDi 110 estate is good to 1500kg but I don't think the stability is as good as the hatchback due to the larger rear overhang of the estate. However the engine is a belter!
So why bother to change for being 15kg over? Well it was brought to my notice that if (perish the thought) I was involved in an accident - my fault or not - a cute insurance assessor could not only use this to avoid paying out but I could be in deep trouble also.
Derek