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New member, New owner

Post by ThePriest »

Hello new here and have a few questions. Some have been asked before and I have read quite a bit but haven't yet located an answer that's simple enough for me to follow.

Just bought a Xantia 1.9TD Desire 1998 (Series 1) and it has a few issues.

First the easy one. Rear ride is hard and bouncy. Front spheres have just been replaced and new rears came with the car and thanks to the forum I now know how to fit them.

Second is the car did not come with a handbook so I am stumped to know which fuse/relay controls what. I have searched everywhere but cannot find a diagram so does anyone have a scan of thier handbook with this in they could post for me please or even some pictures with the fuse allocations written on?

Third is the reason I need it. The Air Con does not work. No light on the switch when activated and no change in engine speed/sound Reverse lights are working OK.

Fourth is related to this. The fan stays on full but the rear window demister is working OK. If I have read it right this probably means it is not the ignition problem but is related to the AC not working.

Sixth is potentially a bit more serious. When changing into third gear either up or down there is a crunch. It does engage with no more difficulty than any other gear. The previous owner said it had been OK until a plastic clip on the clutch cable snapped (he replaced it)

And finally. there is some wetness in the passenger footwell. Is there anywhere in particular this may be coming from that I could seal up?

Thanks in advance for your help and sorry to ask so much with my first post.

Roger
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Re: New member, New owner

Post by red_dwarfers »

EDIT: Whoops...double post :lol:
Last edited by red_dwarfers on 15 Jan 2009, 18:10, edited 1 time in total.
Kev

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Re: New member, New owner

Post by red_dwarfers »

First off, welcome to the forum Roger!
ThePriest wrote: Second is the car did not come with a handbook so I am stumped to know which fuse/relay controls what. I have searched everywhere but cannot find a diagram so does anyone have a scan of thier handbook with this in they could post for me please or even some pictures with the fuse allocations written on?
The Haynes manual (BoL) is your friend here, well worth picking up a copy.
ThePriest wrote: Third is the reason I need it. The Air Con does not work. No light on the switch when activated and no change in engine speed/sound Reverse lights are working OK.
Probably needs topping up, theres some kind of safety switch that prevents the AirCon coming on if the gas is low
ThePriest wrote: Fourth is related to this. The fan stays on full but the rear window demister is working OK. If I have read it right this probably means it is not the ignition problem but is related to the AC not working.
This would be due to a problem with some transistors on the back of the blower motor, wait for a forum member called Citrojim to reply as hes a bit of an expert at this, no doubt he will point you in the right direction.
ThePriest wrote: Sixth is potentially a bit more serious. When changing into third gear either up or down there is a crunch. It does engage with no more difficulty than any other gear. The previous owner said it had been OK until a plastic clip on the clutch cable snapped (he replaced it)
This make me think that the previous owner may have run the car without using the clutch and damaged the syncromesh when the clip broke. The fact that the clip has broken says to me that the clutch will be due for replacement in the next couple of years.
ThePriest wrote: And finally. there is some wetness in the passenger footwell. Is there anywhere in particular this may be coming from that I could seal up?
Check the seal between the windscreen glass and scuttle, this sometimes cracks and allows water in through the blower air input. Unfortunatly this may involve stripping part of the interior and drying it out as the sound deadening acts like a massive sponge...


No worries Roger, we're all here to help :wink:
Kev

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Post by ThePriest »

Thanks for the quick reply.
The Haynes manual (BoL) is your friend here, well worth picking up a copy.
I have pne of these and yes it tells you which number fuse does what but not which fuse is which number if you get my meaning hence my need for a diagram or photo.
Probably needs topping up, theres some kind of safety switch that prevents the AirCon coming on if the gas is low
How could I check this?
This would be due to a problem with some transistors on the back of the blower motor, wait for a forum member called Citrojim to reply as hes a bit of an expert at this, no doubt he will point you in the right direction.
I have read several of his excellent posts and seen a couple of photo's. They seem to suggest though that if it is a transistor the demister stops working, or is that the ignition? Where do I get at these transistors. Again a picture or diagram of where to look rather than a description would be very helpful.

I forgot to ask. I do have the code for the keypad but if I remove the battery will it revert to some sort of default number and if so what is it?

Thanks for your welcome. It looks like I will be needing a lot of your kind help.

Roger
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Post by Xaccers »

For the aircon, to the left of the radiator there's the dryer unit (think that's what it is) and it has an inspection window in the top, see if there is anything through there, otherwise take it to an aircon garage and get them to check.

For the blower, the rear heated window stops if the ingition switch burns out too much.
If you're going to be working on the blower, you might as well also fit the relay mod so you don't get stuck with a non-functioning blower because of the ignition switch.
It could also be that a previous garage has bodged the job and connected the fan directly to a 12v ignition feed.
I've had someone do similar on one of my Xantias which at some point I'll get round to fixing.
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Post by ThePriest »

I think I have solved half of the fuse problem. I took a picture of the interior fuses (posted below) and they are all numbered so now I can reference them to the Haynes. The ones under the bonnet are not numbered though and there are also some very BIG fuses there about five of them 40 and 60 amp? No idea what they are. I tested all the small ones and they appear to be OK.

So I still need to find out why the air con is not working. I can see the little round window you mention and if I remember correctly there should be a bubble in it when the AC is on, but of course it won't switch on :-/

Why the fan is on full constantly but will assume for now it is either due to the AC malfunction or the transistors mentioned above.

I do have the ABS light on but I am assuming again this is due to a sensor and will get it checked.

The only other things I need to know is weather over filling the hydraulics is bad as the little orange disc is at the top of the glass bubble with the suspension raised fully? and what is the far right button for (see below) and what is the top right warning lamp on the left of the dash for as this flashes for 20 seconds then goes out when starting?

Not bad for a car that only cost me £350 with 11 months MOT
:D

Thanks again.

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Post by Sl4yer »

ThePriest wrote:The only other things I need to know is weather over filling the hydraulics is bad as the little orange disc is at the top of the glass bubble with the suspension raised fully? and what is the far right button for (see below) and what is the top right warning lamp on the left of the dash for as this flashes for 20 seconds then goes out when starting?
The only problem with overfilling the LHM is that it will spill when you set it to low! Check the float isn't stuck though (mine is!). Check visually inside the tank for the LHM level if it is.

The flashing light is a low oil warning. It may flash when starting after the engine has been stopped a short time, or on uneven ground. Double-check with the dipstick in the normal manner - that's the real guide.

James
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Post by ThePriest »

The only problem with overfilling the LHM is that it will spill when you set it to low! Check the float isn't stuck though (mine is!). Check visually inside the tank for the LHM level if it is.
Can it be un-stuck?
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Post by CitroJim »

Welcome to the fold Roger :D

ThePriest wrote: Why the fan is on full constantly but will assume for now it is either due to the AC malfunction or the transistors mentioned above.

The symptoms of the blower speed regulator transistors going short circuit is that the fan runs uncontrollably fast as soon as the ignitionis switched on and does not respond to the slider clontrol/ This is caused by one or both transistors going emitter-collector short circuit. It's common and often caused by teh windscreen scuttle seal failing and allowing water into the heater box and falling on top of the module.

The two transistors are easy enough to replace if you're handy with a soldering iron. This guide shows how.

The transistors are MJ11015 PNP darlingtons and available from Farnell Electronics

If you are not confident in replacing them, I'll happily do the job for you.

It is worth checking what Xac says about bodges to bypass things first to hide a duff ignition switch.

There's further guidance on blower problems in a "sticky" at the top of the Citroen Forum index page.

A bit of TLC and you'll have a good car there. A bargain.
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Post by admiral51 »

Hi ThePriest :)

The code for the keypad is stored within a ECU so if you disconnect the battery then the same code will be needed to de-activate the immobilisor. There have been issues with the keypad giving grief but i have not had any issues but the keypad can be turned off :wink: :wink:

If you have a look in this post you should see how to clean and hopefully un stick the LHM float :)

As for the A/C not working it could be one of many problems Cloggz is the real expert but for what its worth....

The A/C will(should) only work if the following criterea are met
!.Interior fan must be on
2.On activation of switch both fans should run at slow speed

There is a HP/LP switch on the dryer bottle which should have 4 wires coming to it 2 thick 2 thin. By bridging the 2 contacts for each ie both thick then the following should happen providing the above 2 rules are met :lol: :lol:

Both fans will run at full speed which is the default setting or the A/C clutch will engage on the compressor. Im not sure which way round it is but both thick bridged will do one or the other :oops: :oops:

Only run the compressor for a second just long enough to know it engages as running it with low or high pressure will damage the system as all you are doing is bypassing the HP/LP control switch.

A good way to check if both fans are working as they should is to to remove the bbrown connector on the thermostate housing with the engine running this should set both fans spinning for a few seconds on slow before they both go at full blast.

If you are having problems with the fans have a look at Mike T Fan Troubles

Hope this helps

Colin
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Post by ThePriest »

Wow. Thanks for that it should keep me going for a while working my way through it. I have seen a few self re-gas kits for sale, can one of these be used to re-fill it if it is low?
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Post by admiral51 »

Yes they can be used to refill the system but now ive given it a bit more thought i would suggest that you get the internal blower sorted first as if this is running at its own speed then i would guess that as far as the A/C is concerned it wont recognise the blower is on and therefore will not engage :) :)

As per the picture the far right switch is for turning the alarm off if you open the car with the key and not the fob when the alarm has been set.to deactivate the alarm in this way you need to open the car :lol: turn ignition on and press and hold this switch in :) :)

As a tip to avoid the alarm going off when/if you have disconnected the battery turn the ignition on before you reconnect the battery works every time :D :D

And dont forget to find the code for the radio before you remove the battery :lol: :lol: :lol:

Colin
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Post by admiral51 »

Hey Jim TRYPING at the same time :lol: :lol:

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Post by ThePriest »

Great. so the alarm is not a problem then that's good news. I was going to replace the standard head unit with a R/CD/MP3 one I have but if I don't or I want to put it back later I will need that code. I bet you have to pay big C to get it eh?

Great forum BTW :wink:
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Post by admiral51 »

ThePriest wrote:Great. so the alarm is not a problem then that's good news. I was going to replace the standard head unit with a R/CD/MP3 one I have but if I don't or I want to put it back later I will need that code. I bet you have to pay big C to get it eh?

Great forum BTW :wink:
Its a fantastic forum best on the tinterweb :D :D

As for the cost of the code have a look here :)

And also here =D>

Colin
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