Xantia door drop

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
MickyA
Posts: 17
Joined: 13 May 2002, 17:43
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Xantia door drop

Post by MickyA »

The driver door on my 1996 Xantia 1.9TD has dropped significantly recently. There are signs of rust along the hinge welding on the door. I've seen the Citroendont website which suggests this is a common problem though I haven't seen it mentioned in this forum before. It certainly isn't due to lack of maintenance. Can it be repaired and if not does anyone know where I might get a replacement door (dark green, no central locking)?
M Anderson
Dave Burns
Posts: 1915
Joined: 14 May 2001, 05:30
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:
x 2

Post by Dave Burns »

I thought this problem was the hinge to car body, not hinge to door.
If it's the latter you are lucky, relatively easey to fix.
If it's to the car body then you need a mig welder and somebody who knows what theyr'e doing with it.
The problem of hinge to body failure comes about by poor quality controll and poor manufacturing methods, the hinge is welded onto a thin part of the body and this weld is supposed to penetrate through this to the structural part underneath.
If the welding current is set too low then insuficient penetration is made to the thicker steel underneath, eventually the small amount of weld that got through breakes and the hinge is left hanging from the thinner outer skin, this easily bends with the weight of the door and it droops down.
Good luck
Dave
Grant Withington
Posts: 13
Joined: 11 Apr 2001, 02:03
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by Grant Withington »

My 1.9TD Estate had the same problem when I bought it. The drivers door would only close when lifted. the car dealer I bought it off fixed it by MIG welding. He did not paint the repair,so I presume he welded it with the door in situ. I covered the entire area with Sealicone sealant to stop the rust. It is out of iste, and has lasted 4 years so far without any problems.The door fit is still very good, the only problem I have is with the windscreen to door seal fit, which I presume is due to a poorly fitted windscreen.
MickyA
Posts: 17
Joined: 13 May 2002, 17:43
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by MickyA »

Thanks for the advice folks but it is the top hinge to door that has failed, rather than the hinge to body, I took the door off at the weekend to make sure. It looks like the door has been opened too far at some point. The bottom hinge has some rust round it but seems solid. I was thinking of replacing the door if I can get one as no adjustment is possible if the hinge is welded out of position. Has anyone experience of repairing a door hinge or thoughts on the best way forward?
Cheers
M Anderson
Post Reply