Xanita SX 1.9 TDi 1998 (S) Starting Problems

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Sturm
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Xanita SX 1.9 TDi 1998 (S) Starting Problems

Post by Sturm »

This is my first ever Citroen
The car appears to have been looked after well and has 87k
I recently purchased the above car and am impressed,[:D] of all the cars I have owned only the Nissan Primera and Peugot 405 compare.
Having replaced the timing bet, oil, air and oil filters, got the rev counter to work (thanks to a thread on this forum [:)]). Replaced the horn and a side repeater I love this car[:X]
Since I have had her however, she has been a little fussy with warm/hot starting and I'm currently playing "hunt the air leak"
Having spent the last couple of hours looking through over 100 pages of threads I have been unable to find answers/solutions to a number of problems.
<b>Problem 1</b>
Cold starting:
This has been really bad now for about a week, battery is fine as she cranks fast and well but feels the strain after about 1 minute when it eventually fires up just at the point where I feel the battery has been almost drained. (possible Heat plugs issue)
<b>Problem 2</b>
White smoke:
When starting (even before the cold start problem) there is always a large amount of whiteish smoke, more so than my friends (dare I say it) mondeo.
Should I be concerned about this smoke [?]
<b>Problem 3</b>
Speedo problem:
If driven over 70/80 mph the needle drops to about 20mph then just jerks between the real speed and 20mph, sometimes dropping to 0. Once this happens, the only way to get the speedo working correctly again is to stop and turn off the engine.
Any advice/help or tips appreciated whilst I anxiously wait for my Haines manual to arrive.
oilyspanner
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Post by oilyspanner »

Try pumping the fuel bulb until it gets firmer before starting.
Stewart
rotodiesel
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Post by rotodiesel »

White smoke and poor starting is symptomatic of failed glowplugs. Test in situ after disconnecting the car wiring by connecting each plug in turn to battery +, via an ammeter (old car type will do nicely). A good plug will draw about 25A dropping to about 10A when hot. Replace any faulty ones with Beru - other makes are not worth considering, and use coppaslip on the threads (but not the taper).
The speedo problem is probably a poor connection at the transducer, which is on the gearbox adjacent to the driveshaft. Remove the connector, coat the pins with vaseline, and refit and remove a few times, finishing with more vaseline.
Welcome to the French system of poor connections.
rotodiesel.
Sturm
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Post by Sturm »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by oilyspanner</i>

Try pumping the fuel bulb until it gets firmer before starting.
Stewart
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Tried that and still the same [:(]
heath robinson
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Post by heath robinson »

On my zx non turbo cold starting seemed to be helped by waiting 5-10 seconds after the orange heating light had gone out; my guess is the plugs continued to warm as I think the heating cycle goes on after the light has gone out. If this works, I’m not though aware of what conclusions you can draw from it.
I believe the turbo engine has a lower compression ratio; this would suggest efficient glow plug support is even more crucial on cold starting.
regards
Robin
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Post by Robin »

Car is of the right mileage for failed heater plugs. These are important for clean and easy starts. Take the time and trouble to replace all four. I know the one behind the pump is a strain on the patience but worth it.
Cranking speed and battery, generally modern cars start so quickly that batteries never really gets any hard work to do. Batteries need exercise and it is good practice to run them down and charge them up again but impractical in todays environment. So yours is possibly finding it's near the end. This winter may just prove too much.
Good hunting and welcome to one of the best cars around. R.
johntaylor
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Post by johntaylor »

I agree with rotodiesel. This sounds as though the heater plugs require replacing. Even a hot engine left standing for a short period needs hot plugs. I also agree that leaving the ignition on for a further five seconds after the light goes out certainly helps with starting my TD. Look at the plugs....it is obvious if they have not been replaced for years. It is a cheap and worthwhile medicine.
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