Time expired?

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

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
Eroe
Posts: 33
Joined: 21 Apr 2014, 12:08
Location:
My Cars:

Time expired?

Post by Eroe »

Hi, all has my Xantia estate come to the end of its natural life? Suspension bouncy, turbo out, rev counter gone.....ideas?
citronut
Posts: 10937
Joined: 29 Apr 2005, 00:46
Location: United Kingdom east sussex
My Cars:
x 92

Re: Time expired?

Post by citronut »

well bouncy suspension is usually down to spheres run out of gas,
turbo might be a intercooler pipe/duct off/not secured fully, or for that matter any vacuum hose off or split

rev counter could be a bad connection on the transducer
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
User avatar
chinkostu
Posts: 1180
Joined: 24 Sep 2014, 09:41
Location: cheshire
My Cars: N Xantia 1.9TD SX
03 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec
x 30

Re: Time expired?

Post by chinkostu »

Depends how much you want to spend really. In a non hydro all 6 spheres will be around £150 which is pennies
Stu

Cars
1995 Xantia 1.9TD SX in (faded) Red
2003 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec in GREEEEEEEN
2001 206 1.9 LX
2001 Saxo VTR
1999 Saxo 1.1 East coast
1999 Punto :oops:
1996 306 1.8 XN Auto :?
1996 Fiesta 1.3 #-o
User avatar
Stickyfinger
(Donor 2016)
Posts: 10411
Joined: 28 Mar 2013, 21:05
Location: Somset my lovleee
My Cars: Xantia V6 ACTIVA 3ltr 24v Manual p1
Xm 2.1TD Ph2 Exclusive
AX, little Daffodil
SAXO White Mk1. Sally
x 1280
Contact:

Re: Time expired?

Post by Stickyfinger »

chinkostu wrote: 6 spheres will be around £150 which is pennies
Not to some.......
Alasdair
Activa, the Moose Rider
3x C5x7 Steering racks and counting
Northern_Mike

Re: Time expired?

Post by Northern_Mike »

Stickyfinger wrote:
chinkostu wrote: 6 spheres will be around £150 which is pennies
Not to some.......
Quite right. It's a fair sum to someone not on a big income these days.
User avatar
chinkostu
Posts: 1180
Joined: 24 Sep 2014, 09:41
Location: cheshire
My Cars: N Xantia 1.9TD SX
03 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec
x 30

Re: Time expired?

Post by chinkostu »

Oh god, i meant pennies conpared to springs and shocks all round, plus you could easily cut out the accumulator and antisink if theyre ok.

It is a wedge of money don't get me wrong, but if the rest of the car is cheap to fix itnis worth it
Stu

Cars
1995 Xantia 1.9TD SX in (faded) Red
2003 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec in GREEEEEEEN
2001 206 1.9 LX
2001 Saxo VTR
1999 Saxo 1.1 East coast
1999 Punto :oops:
1996 306 1.8 XN Auto :?
1996 Fiesta 1.3 #-o
Eroe
Posts: 33
Joined: 21 Apr 2014, 12:08
Location:
My Cars:

Re: Time expired?

Post by Eroe »

6 spheres? would I have to replace all? And sorry to be ignorant, but I know about the front two, where do the other 4 go? you mention the accumulator and antisink, how would I know if they are ok? And what is a 'non hydro'?
User avatar
Stickyfinger
(Donor 2016)
Posts: 10411
Joined: 28 Mar 2013, 21:05
Location: Somset my lovleee
My Cars: Xantia V6 ACTIVA 3ltr 24v Manual p1
Xm 2.1TD Ph2 Exclusive
AX, little Daffodil
SAXO White Mk1. Sally
x 1280
Contact:

Re: Time expired?

Post by Stickyfinger »

chinkostu wrote:Oh god, i meant pennies conpared to springs and shocks all round, plus you could easily cut out the accumulator and antisink if theyre ok.

It is a wedge of money don't get me wrong, but if the rest of the car is cheap to fix itnis worth it
NP...I jumped to soon I think....sry
Alasdair
Activa, the Moose Rider
3x C5x7 Steering racks and counting
User avatar
chinkostu
Posts: 1180
Joined: 24 Sep 2014, 09:41
Location: cheshire
My Cars: N Xantia 1.9TD SX
03 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec
x 30

Re: Time expired?

Post by chinkostu »

Eroe wrote:6 spheres? would I have to replace all? And sorry to be ignorant, but I know about the front two, where do the other 4 go? you mention the accumulator and antisink, how would I know if they are ok? And what is a 'non hydro'?
Is it like driving a bouncy castle? With the engine running give each corner a bounce, they should go down and return quite smoothly. There is a sphere for each wheel, plus an accumulator and an antisink, which store a reserve of pressure for if the pump/engine dies
Stu

Cars
1995 Xantia 1.9TD SX in (faded) Red
2003 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec in GREEEEEEEN
2001 206 1.9 LX
2001 Saxo VTR
1999 Saxo 1.1 East coast
1999 Punto :oops:
1996 306 1.8 XN Auto :?
1996 Fiesta 1.3 #-o
User avatar
demag
(Donor 2016)
Posts: 1441
Joined: 18 Oct 2004, 05:03
Location: Black Country, aye it ar kid.
My Cars: "H" Citroen Bx Tgs Automatic.
2006 Toyota Prius T4 Gen 2.
x 102

Re: Time expired?

Post by demag »

Yes it should be fairly easy to push each corner down and there should be a lot of movement especially at the rear. Much softer than a "normal" car. Also if you stand in front of the car with the engine running you should be able to hear a steady click. If it's every thirty seconds or more that is good. If it's every few seconds it definitely means your spheres need attention. If you look in the Lhm reservoir under the bonnet the fluid should be bright green almost fluorescant. If its dark or black that will also need doing. It's possible to bring these back from the brink and get the suspension working quite nicely again.
Dave
2011 Peugeot 3008 1.6hdi Exclusive EGS.
'04 C5 auto estate 2.2 hdi. Gone.
Bx 1.6 TGS Auto 50k A rare beast by all accounts. A bit tired but getting better by the day. Gone.
'96 XM 2.5TD VSX.......Sadly sold. What an idiot! I should have held on to that.
User avatar
xantia_v6
Forum Admin Team
Posts: 9052
Joined: 09 Nov 2005, 22:03
Location: France or NewZealand
Lexia Available: Yes
My Cars: -
1997 Citroen Xantia V6 (France)
1999 Citroen XM V6 ES9 (France)
2011 Peugeot 308 CC THP 155 (NZ)
1975 Jaguar XJ-S pre-HE (NZ)
x 825

Re: Time expired?

Post by xantia_v6 »

The anti-sink sphere (behind the spare wheel) provides a pressure reservoir so that the rear brakes will still work for a while even if there is total pressure loss in the main hydraulic system, it is thus a safety item, but there is no easy test to determine its condition. It is best to replace it whenever the rear suspension spheres are replaced.
User avatar
Zelandeth
Donor 2024
Posts: 4731
Joined: 16 Nov 2014, 23:36
Location: Milton Keynes
My Cars: 2006 Peugeot Partner Escapade 1.6HDi.
1988 Renault 25 Monaco 2.0i.
1985 Sinclair C5.
1984 Trabant 601S.
1975 Rover 3500.
1973 AC Model-70.
x 1403
Contact:

Re: Time expired?

Post by Zelandeth »

Really depends on overall condition.

Spheres are essentially a service item and you should be able to do a full set for less than £200, less if you can find a good secondhand set somewhere.

Turbo could well be something simple, but even if it is stuffed that shouldn't be catastrophic if you're reasonably handy with a spanner or know someone who is. Xantias wear their miles remarkably well, and well over 200K while still running like a Swiss watch isn't at all uncommon. 198.5K here and counting, and aside from knowing she's due a timing belt the mileage isn't something I even think about. A lot of these cars get thrown away because people are scared of high milers, hence why mine was for sale for £295 with a brand new MOT. It's sad really, sure a huge number of Xantias end up in the crusher needing naught but a good service!

What sort of miles are you at and which engine is it? Folks here should be able to tell you what to look for.
Current fleet:
06 Peugeot Partner Escapade 1.6HDi, 88 Renault 25 Monaco, 85 Sinclair C5, 84 Trabant 601S, 75 Rover 3500, 73 AC Model 70.
Eroe
Posts: 33
Joined: 21 Apr 2014, 12:08
Location:
My Cars:

Re: Time expired? Now what!

Post by Eroe »

Thanks to all, changed front spheres yesterday, actually went ok. Suspension seems ok now. Lots of foamy fluid around when I unscrewed them, any ideas? And noticed after a long run to test, fluid on top of resevoir where I had cleaned off surplus....?
New problem....demobiliser preventing starting. Problem is random, worse when car is hot, sometimes solved by complex routine of getting out, closing all doors, locking the car, and reversing the proceedure. Using car starting to be a bit stressful. Especially at petrol stations!!!!! Again chaps, any ideas?
Eroe
Posts: 33
Joined: 21 Apr 2014, 12:08
Location:
My Cars:

Re: Time expired? Zelandeth

Post by Eroe »

Zelandeth, don't want to scrap my car, love the sleek lines and the quirky French thing, but have heard that the electrics start to be the issue. Mines done 187000, stil really tidy, but if she can't pass the serial killer test (starts first time, every time) becomes a worry. 2ltr HDI V reg. Thanks for your support.
citronut
Posts: 10937
Joined: 29 Apr 2005, 00:46
Location: United Kingdom east sussex
My Cars:
x 92

Re: Time expired? Now what!

Post by citronut »

Eroe wrote: Lots of foamy fluid around when I unscrewed them, any ideas?
this is caused by the nitrogen that has leaked into the citro blood, probably the bladder in that sphere has ruptured so dumped all its gas into the system
Eroe wrote: And noticed after a long run to test, fluid on top of reservoir where I had cleaned off surplus....?

usually this is due to the reservoir being way over filled, with the car on level ground and fully up at its highest setting, the yellow disc should be between the two red bands, your will almost certainly be right up in the top of the sight glass,

the only problem this will cause is a mess on top of the tank/reservoir, as the rubber seal around the tank unit is just a dust seal, and not to hold any sort of pressure at all
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
Post Reply