My "love" of all things xantia...and Xm...and Cx..

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 26 Nov 2009, 20:59

Cheers vince, if i could run the two i would, but there is just no space to park them both, anyway hopefully ill turn a croner after saturday, when it looks good you feel good about it.

If i can get it looking half as good as yours ill be chuffed, photos will follow once the leather seats and new stainless steel trims are on!

The hissing is coming from the regulator i think, or that kind of area.
I find a good way is to write lists of whats been done and whats to do, when i look at the list i realise ive done a fair bit on it already!

I had planned to swap back to the xantia at christmas but donet think i will! perhaps january or feb lol.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 26 Nov 2009, 21:33

Hi Dave, good to hear Vince's words have put you in a more positive frame of mind

You'll get there. I went theough the same with my V6. One problem after another and another and another but eventually, it all comes good..

That hissing will be the FDV (Flow Distribution Valve) above the regulator. It's perfectly normal and all Citroens with this device hiss to a greater or lesser extent. My old sinker Xantia hissed like an angry snake and it gave it some character

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 28 Nov 2009, 07:42

Its a pity you guys dont live round here...In the same way that you all seem to like nothing more than fixing bits on these....i like nothing more than cleaning and restoring components to look like new...

Id happily help you get your XM spick and span...Norwich is a stretch from here

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 29 Nov 2009, 07:42

Wish you did live round here vince, my car is cosmetically neglected atm. there again it only has one seat...

I went to chav central (essex) to pick up some leather seats yesterday, all went well, i didnt feel so bad decomisioning another xm as it the previous owner had takin bits off, imagine my surprise when taking the door cards off i found that 3 out of four window had wood screwed into the door frame to keep the windows up!

On the plus side i did get a cheap drivers regulator (possibly a replacemtn one as it had been removed at some point), the only difference is mine is 9 pin and this is two pin, so just need to find out how to convert from 9 to two, should not be difficult.

The leather is in fairly good nick, needs a clean.

The doorcards however need a bit of work, think i may need to try and make one good set out of the two.

The good thing is the brakes were great for the whole journey after i removed that damn ABS fuse, so there you go, bad brakes? disable the ABS lol.

Got lots of other spares too, got a replacement heater/blower motor, so will have to see if that fits, i now have a spare xantia and spare xm blower!

I got the pieces i need to fix my sunroof as well! The only problem is i have no time to put it all together as im working to much! Roll on christmas.

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 29 Nov 2009, 08:45

Those are the kinds of trips you love....sounds like a good haul that Dave

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 01 Dec 2009, 15:35

Well i spent wayyy to much time on the car today, really should have been studying!

I got the rear seats all in, they are looking rather good!

I changed over the pretensioners from my seats to the older leather ones and altered the wiring, got the passenger seat in and bolted down tested it and thought ahhh this is nice, then the car decided i had fixed too much and something must break.

Drive is provided to the motors to move the seat forwards and backwards by a motor made of metal good so far... the drive then goes through a metal bar.. still good, which is joined to another metal bar via a plastic clip-NOT GOOD. This clip snapped

meaning the car only moved one side. Good old citroen

Another thing to fix grrr

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 02 Dec 2009, 22:34

This blog makes a cool soap opera....hang in their Dave....man made the machine, perhaps your car doesnt realise that and needs to have it explained

Have you started to "speak" to it yet ? I must admit ive had a few conversations with mine....along the lines of "one more leak i swear and your going...."

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 03 Dec 2009, 06:04

Yes it does have its ups and downs! I have been talking to it, most of it cursing or threatening it that if one more thing goes wrong ill put it in storage. Sadly it usually responds by something else breaking.

Hopefully ill tip the ballance over christmas so that more stuff works than doesnt, on the list of working items at the moment, i think the engine is the only thing i can include! (Hope i havnt spoken too soon).

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 29 Dec 2009, 11:22

Well for a brief period the balance was tipped, and 3 windows worked!! I managed to get the fourth one (the drivers one) working this morning and found that now the rear two dont work.
Have no idea why, fuses seem fine!

Have to get some pictures up soon as the leather interior looks rather good! I now have HID lights too which make a massive difference, i no longer need to strap a torch to the top of the car!

Its been so cold i have had to resort to using diesel

hopefully it will warm up soon.

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 30 Dec 2009, 19:15

Good idea on the pictures Dave....get some up

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 30 Dec 2009, 21:52

Well seems your Xm has been giving you a bit of a hard time Dave, thats a shame but im sure you will get there in the end. The windows can be a right pain on Xms, ive done a couple which were not easy. I had to do one time after time as it wouldnt stay working. Though they both work now, i just try not to use them as much

Often though the switches do fail and thats sometimes the reason for them not working, and nothing to do with snapped window motor wires or a seized motor.

The stainless side trims make a big difference to the outside of the cars too, big improvment.

I forget ho wpoor Xm headligths rear are as i dont often drive them at night. They are shocking, at their worst on an awful rainy night on motorways, it almost forces me to slow down! Might look into fitting a HID kit.

Looking forward to the pictures

Chris

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 31 Dec 2009, 15:09

Can the switches be split and rewired inside?

Back in the day you could buy retro fit electric window kits. Would it be easier to re wire the windows completely and be able to cross the problem off the list?

davetherave · Unread post by **davetherave** » 31 Dec 2009, 15:38

I have certainly thought about it vince!
I hope this curent problem will be a simple one!

Heres a few pics
You wouldnt believe it was cleaned and waxed just a couple of days ago.

Brigsygtt · Unread post by **Brigsygtt** » 31 Dec 2009, 15:54

Looks good dave. The shape of the xm has grown on me, quite like the look of them.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 31 Dec 2009, 16:12

Wow, you have it looking very smart, not a scruffed bumper or mirror in sight. Looks really nice Dave, like the interior, does it have the second rear window? I dont usually think colour coded bumpers suti Xms, but it really works nicely in silver.
Are you going to get some pure white sidelight bulbs?