My First Activa

[Willman]

Hello all

I have just bought my first Activa

Having owned numerous Xantias i have taken the plunge and bought an ebay jobbie

So what did i get for £450 and a day out in Lincolnshire

She is silver S reg Mk2 with 92 thou on the clock extremely clean and tidy from end to end with two working keys

Leather heated seats, light washers, leather steering wheel its had a full respray

First thing it did was burst the front ram high pressure pipe bleeding LHM over the road outside the house cost to repair £25 for both pipes at Circuit Hydraulics Southport...

The spare tyre is a brand new Michelin so ive ordered another "as new" one off ebay and we should have two matching front tyres

The whole car has obviously had money spent on it

Cant make up my mind about the engine I could put a remapped HDi in of which I have 2 lying around ( one still in a xantia ) a V6 is very tempting but getting hold of a V6 xantia is not going to be easy

MOT is next

Thanks for all the posts lots to learn

[Sl4yer]

Congratulations on your purchase!

An MOT in summer is a definite advantage - rear rams have a tendency to weep once the cold weather sets in, risking a fail from a pernickity tester.

If you must change the engine (and, let's face it, the economy is appalling) I'd go for the remapped HDi, although it would change the character of the car. If petrol money was no object, I'd have a V6 and keep the autobox for a more relaxing experience! I believe all the other UK conversions have swapped to a manual box.

James

[Citroenmad]

Excellent, they get addictive though so you might never be without one now

As for the engine, the fuel economy of a diesel would be the only reason to change the TCT in my opinion. I think the TCT in my Activa is brilliant, its got bags of low down torque (the real reason I like diesels) and pulls like a train. Its a very fit engine but also has a manual boost controller, which I believe makes a huge difference. I would not swap the engine in mine, not even for a V6. Yes its not that economical, which might be a problem if its going to be a daily driver doing a few miles. My Activas engine is a very different drive to the TCT in my XM, despite being both identical, the XM is auto though. Give the TCT a change and try a few performance mods, you wont be dissapointed!

Good luck with the MOT

[Willman]

Hi Guys

Thanks for the replies

I think getting the chassis right is the first thing to do
James mentioned the rear ram weaping in winter, well the guy who i bought it off ( the owners mechanic ) said it was leaking and it has now stopped, so it looks like you know your stuff
I will take it off anyhow and replace the pipes for peace of mind he says the rear bush has been replaced and all 4 spheres done
Im not short of xantias i have an exclusive estate HDi and an SX hatch HDi with exclusive interior fitted not forgetting the small mountain of spares engines and boxes included
Trying to find a defined proven path for tuning the 2ct is not easy no one seems have written out what they have done bought where from and what worked and what didnt...
Its the same as tuning the HDI Remap or black/silver box which is best?
which product on ebay lives up to its claims ?
Apart from playing with the electronics is there anyway of extracting more power out of the HDi
Was thing of an C5 HDi 16 valve transplant as my mate has a remapped one tons of torque and 62 to the gallon
Well as soon as the tyres are sorted its MOT time Im fairly sure it will pass being in the trade and the guys knowing you aren't selling it...things tend go well
Thanks for the replies looking forward to getting out and see what they are all about on the twisty bits

[CitroJim]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Activas Willman

I've had the wonderful honour of driving a V6 Activa and that's the way to go As you can see from my sig I'm no stranger to the V6 but only in automatic guise. Put a manual 'box behind it and away you go

Sadly, the conversion is not an easy one (it looks it but there's a devil of a lot of devil in the detail) but very good to do! The best donor is a manual V6 406 Coupé as the V6 Xantia does not contain either the manual 'box or the right engine ECU. Of course if you wanted an automatic Activa then it's a different ball-game... Personally I'd love an automatic Activa but that's me...

Rams. have a look at this for ways to repair them: Activa Ram Repairs

And yes, a third confirmation that the rear weeps in the cold!!!

[Chris570]

Jim, you're as wrong as you can be TCT is the engine to keep in there, re-mapped ECU and up the boost and if you want economy sling LPG on it....

HDi engine... I love my HDi but for the activa chassis it's totally wrong.

My rear ram leaks in the cold as well, so here's your 4th confirmation

(Never thought i'd be voting for the TCT) see if you can have a go in a 'Hot' Activa and you'll see what myself and Citroenmad mean

[davoxx]

The HDi Activa is great for long distances, crap for town.
The TCT Activa is great for town, but crap for cruising.

But then again cruise control in a TCT Activa would remove the need for the HDi, imho.

[CitroJim]

The TCT Activa is great for town, but crap for cruising.

I respectfully disagree.

The TCT is in its element when cruising and is then quite frugal.

If there is one thing the TCT Activa is very good at, it is being a true grand tourer.

[davoxx]

The TCT Activa is great for town, but crap for cruising.

I respectfully disagree.

The TCT is in its element when cruising and is then quite frugal.

If there is one thing the TCT Activa is very good at, it is being a true grand tourer.

I'm not talking about mpg, I just mean it is soooo easy to speed in it without noticing, I'd love one with cruise control (which I will start once I can get the parts from a Pug).
I personally find long distance in a HDi more relaxing, while the TCT is way more exciting.

[CitroJim]

I personally find long distance in a HDi more relaxing, while the TCT is way more exciting.

That's better, I'll agree to that statement

For me, substitute HDi with V6 but having done many long trips in my erstwhile HDi I can attest your statement is quite correct...

[Willman]

So far this has to be one of the best forums Ive joined...ideas coming thick and fast

so if I remap the ECU on the 2.0ct stick a variable boost controller on it and a boost gauge and a free flow air filter coupled with a less restrictive exhaust with cat removed I should get some decent performance but crap MPG

Or

Stick in a remapped HDI 110

Or

The v6 route... now buying a s/h 406 v6 with a manual box isn.t a problem where I do get a bit lost is lack of seeing one
I went the the ICCC rally in Harrogate saw a lovely green one with a shut bonnet so couldn't really see it, nor see the owner and have a chat how it was done
So
Questions arise like
1 Tacho what happens here as the xantia will be set for a four cylinder
2 Hydraulic pump i seem to of read the v6 one is different and it will need a mounting bracket
3 I asume the hydraulics for the clutch will be the same ???
$ radiator hoses airfilter etc etc

I get to the point in realising to do this i will need a v6 xantia of which where are very few left and a 406 coupe

Option 2 is the one i like

buy another Activa convert one to HDi and one to V6 manual...best of both worlds

[Deanxm]

so if I remap the ECU on the 2.0ct stick a variable boost controller on it and a boost gauge and a free flow air filter coupled with a less restrictive exhaust with cat removed I should get some decent performance but crap MPG

I have to say, HDI in an Activa? its all kinds of wrong imo

Dont mess with the exhaust, the system isnt the restriction its the manifold, same with the air box, keep the standard one as plentifull cold air will help you a great deal whereas a cone filter will drop power and increase noise, there just isnt a sensible way to get cold air to it under that bonnet its too cramped and not worth bothering with for what your going to get out of it, i removed mine.

Upping the boost to 12psi from 8psi will see big increases without any hassle, risk or noise, you should see about 20hp maybe a bit more and easily as much torque as a V6.
A re chip or the ecu will remove the 1 bar boost ceiling and ad a bit more go aswell if you fancy it and the TCT will run up to around 15psi whilst keeping egt at a sensible level, anything above that and i think your going to have to start thinking about the love collector and other expensive improvements.

Economy wise tweaking it hasnt made any difference to my mpg, i get about 25mpg round town as an average and about 33-35 on the motorways doing normal lane 3 speeds.

Obviously a V6 wouold be the daddy but a TCT would be easier to extract more power from for less money, no V noise though .

My MOT falls in late spring too (just by pure chance you understand ) less risk of being pulled up on a damp ram.

Sounds like a nice buy anyway, hope you enjoy it and look forward to reading your exploits.

D

[CitroJim]

Questions arise like
1 Tacho what happens here as the xantia will be set for a four cylinder
2 Hydraulic pump i seem to of read the v6 one is different and it will need a mounting bracket
3 I asume the hydraulics for the clutch will be the same ???
$ radiator hoses airfilter etc etc

1. Not a problem. same across the board. It'll be fine as it is driven from the ECU.
2. Use the V6 pump with the V6-specific steering pressure regulator. The V6 pump is also different in that it has a detatchable pulley and this is essential on a V6 installation in a Xantia bay.
3. Yes. Exactly
4. You need the complete cooling system from a donor V6 Xantia. Ideally, to do the fully conversion you need a donor 406 and Xantia

The V6 engine and 'box will drop straight in either a Series1 or 2 Activa as all the mounts are the same. You'll need a V6 exhaust and cat which again will fit seamlessly.

I believe the V6 engine loom will plug straight into the Activa body electrics and work. All you need do is swap the engine ECUs over.

If converting Series 2 cars you'll also need the CPH and immobiliser transponder from the donor to go with the donor engine ECU (They're matched).

A nice project

Much the same applies to doing a TCT to HDi Swap.

Chris, I missed your post Sorry. Yes, having driven yours I can safely say the words 'scalded' and 'cat' readily enter my vocabulary It really does outdo a V6...

Just replacing the standard boot controller with a manual job gives a very worthwhile performance boost and makes the engine a lot perkier...

The owner of the green V6 Activa is most likely hattershaun and he does occasionally post on here. He's often at rallies and if you are keen to see his Activa I'm sure he'll be delighted to show you all around it. Else go and see B and L Autos in Welwyn Garden City. They do V6 Activa conversions amongst much else Citroen and have very extensive knowledge.

[Citroening]

The only trouble with sticking with a TCT is that you won't have that oh so gorgeous V6 sound...

[Citroenmad]

I notice your planning on usuing your new but old Michelin spare and another to match it up. I would worry about this, they will be some seriously old tyres. Having seen an Activa on the proper Michelin HXs last week, they were tready but cracking up and no doubt pretty plastic-like. I would not like these on an Activa, they cornering speeds will put far too much strain on the tyres for my liking and wet grip will suffer due to their age. I know this as I fitted some new but old stock Michelins to mine last year, they were fine at first but after a few months driven like an Activa should be, the sidewalls were cracking up, the tread was depeloping cracks and the wet grip was hardly existant. I swapped them very quickly for some new Pirellis.

The TCT makes for a very good cruiser, perhaps the top gear could be slightly longer, however it doesnt feel too revy. I tend to sit at 80-90 on most motorway journeys and its where the Activa is in its motorway stride. I find it gets better with speed, the suspension becomes slightly floaty, the engine has bags of pull and its quiet too.

I would not put a diesel in an Activa, yes it would be nice to have the economy but it just would not suit the nature of the car in my opinion. Not to mention you would never get the performance that a slightly tuned TCT will develop.

V6 would be nice, sure, you get the noise and perhaps a little more performance - though a TCT can get there, just search the net .... However, putting in a V6 requires a decent amount of work, money and time. Then the insurance will take a greater liking to you as your paying them more money. For a noise! That said, im not hooked on V6s, as the only one I have driven was a V6 12v automatic, which was not that impressive.

The way I see it, you have a TCT which is a very decent engine, its very robust and can be made to perform well. I love the low down torque in mine, the fact you dont need to work it to drive it reasonably quickly. When you do what to drive it quickly there is still power in reserve and it revs with power right up to the red line. I was slightly shocked at the difference between mine and a standard one.

Economy is not great, I get similar to Dean. About 20-25 around town (depending on if sole town use and with or without aircon), about 30-33 MPG on a long run (sitting at 70+) and about 28-30 on average commuting. I would consider putting LPG on if your after economy, my TCT XM does similar to 45MPG running on LPG - it does about 22-24mpg on LPG (always a bit less), which is really almost doubled going on LPG prices.

I did a motorway run in mine the other day, mostly motorway but also some twisty country roads too. My passengers commented on how refined it is, how comfortable the seats are (especially the passenger one which for some reasons tilts, unlike the drivers, Id like the drivers seat to tilt!) and how it handles corners. No doubt they were thinking about how good the interior grab handles are too Its not difficult to fall for the nature of an Activa. Its crusing ability is very good and then the composure on twisty roads is staggering. For me, its suspension almost without comprimise, something you will never find in another car! So you might find a car which handles, it might even have passable ride quality, though I doubt it! You wont find a car which wafts down motorways but can outshine hothatches on the twisties. Nor will you find all of this coupled to self leveling suspension, which has many benefits which I dont need to list. Its a very impressive combination and people who miss that either understand the concept or just drive too slowly!

Interestingly I was talking to someone last week who said they only ever got the 2.0 16v engined Activas in their country. I think they were from Norway, I spoke to so many people! They also said that they are very popular cars to be stolen and that they really wished they got the TCT engine. I did see a foreign Activa at the ICCCR, well two actually, one was a S1 with the 2.0 16v engine. This is easy to tell as the front is not the usual Activa front, with the deeper front bumper, wider front track and flaired front wheel arches, the 16v is just like a Xantia TD front.

I was also talking to a French guy who had an Activa, TCT (which he thought was the best combination actually), who said they have an Activa club over there. They organise events, stock rare parts, list repair videos of the most common failings and so on. He was very shocked when I said Activas here are almost worthless.