specalist knowledge in 1.9TD xantias and idle speed.

[white exec]

White smoke - glycol combusting
Had a BX19RD which at one point could fill an entire street with fog, but only when throttle was booted.

Local diesel specialists in Guildford diagnosed injectors, and replaced them with serviced Bosch items.
Fog persisted. Had to leave them with a (somewhat out-of-date) debit card to be able take the car for a test drive.

Got RAC engineer to the car. Quickly diagnosed glycol fumes in the exhaust, from the sweet smell and lack of particulates.
HG gone; replaced; fine.
Reported diesel specialists to Trading Standards, who issued a warning letter.

Heated glycol fluid is frequently used as the basis for stage smoke/fog machines, together with glycerine and water.
Maybe it's now being used in e-cigarettes

[CitroJim]

Maybe it's now being used in e-cigarettes

Wouldn't surprise me... Horrid bloody devices I find them as objectionable as traditional cigarettes; the stink from the clouds of vapour is often very sweet so very possibly...

I used to smoke but since giving it up a few years ago now I have developed a hyper sense of smell so lots of things smell very strongly and objectionable to me nowadays...

One big one is barbecues...

[falling-out-with-my-car]

oh dear the xantias days are numbered it has become a money pit of late
time for a new motor I think I'm not going through all that hassle of a new head gasket again.
lifes far to short, for all the hassles and breakdowns Ive had in the past two years.
she's been on the breakdown truck 6 times last year alone with poor quality tensioner pulley failures
belt failures 2 alternator failures, now the newly fitrted sump leaks to.
The door locks are nackered she had a gearbox fail this year despite regular oil changes to the box.

a money pit she has become.

Bye Bye Xantia ................... hopefully something better is on the horizon.......

[CitroJim]

If the problem is not too bad I'd just carry on running until it dies Nigel...

Is it using any water?

[falling-out-with-my-car]

I cant answer that at the mo but will check soon Jim.
it is using oil but its draining from the Newly fitted sump gasket
and brand new sump just below the A/C pump.
its not overheating as yet anyway.
I've decided to get myself a PT Cruiser 2.2 CRD for the time being
with the Merc engine, always fancied one.
I shall still subscribe here its only a packet of tea bags once a month anyway.
and I still have a 2cv at the moment, and Father has a GSA and his old Xantia VSX with
nearly new strut tops (same as activa 8 Spheres) going for a song soon.
and I might be able to help someone along the way in the future.
I am afraid my love affair with Citroen is drawing to a close after
an ax, BX, Berlingo, and Xantia which is 16 years old now.
even Martin at Pleiades struggled to find rear brake pads for her this year.
The cost of insurance on big citroen diesel models this side of 2005 seems to be astronomical.

[CitroJim]

Good It's important to go and have what you really fancy Never hurts..

At least a PT Cruiser is a car of character Nigel and that's rare these days...

Do please stay around as you will always have valuable knowledge to contribute...

[falling-out-with-my-car]

I thought you my object there Jim. Thanks for that.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Well she's not using any water at all.
I know that when the sump was recently replaced
the engine oil was over filled to the top of the gap in the dipstick.
and the engine must have been burning it off slowly surely through increased crankcase pressure
on acceleration or with the engine under load, if so I have been very lucky if the crank case seals have not blown out.
as this is what happened to my Fathers XUD 1.9td in his old BX.

The oil level in my car is now at half way on the dip stick and the white smoke is not occurring as much as it was.
my Haynes BOL says 4.1 litres of oil in the engine, I think someone put about 4.9 litres in it when the sump was fitted.

perhaps this has over lubed the turbo which has been blowing smoke on acceleration as it burns the new clean oil??

removal of the old sump would have made the new oil very clean for a while and maybe make it burn a whiter colour.

[CitroJim]

Nigel, good news

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Thanks Jim,

Have you any idea of the proper oil capacity of the XUD9 lump please Jim?
does 4.1 litres sound about right to you?
Think I may have been overfilling her for years with about 4.5 litres.

Have just done 267 miles on £10 in my 1.9td Xantia. Now that cant be bad at all.


That's running from reserve light to reserve light again after putting ten quid's worth of fuel in.

need some cheapy front treads now just to see me through to buying a very low milage Dacia 1.5 three pot diesel.

The price of insurance and road tax put me right off the PT Cruiser 42 MPG for a diesel also put me off.

[white exec]

I have 4.5L for XUD9 here.
Check also that the dipstick is the correct one for the engine; has been known for these to get changed when the top plastic widget disintegrates, and the stick gets replaced. Someone here might measure a known good one (top of tube to H and L marks) for comparison.

[CitroJim]

Chris and Nigel, you're both right at 4.5 litres but I find an XU(D) is about 4 and a bit only due to all the oil that remain trapped however long you leave it to drip..

I fill 4 litres initially and then top up over the course of a day in small amounts to bring the level to the top of the dipstick... Also, on the TCT both sides of the dipstick read differently!

Better to err on the side of caution, especially in an XUD, and run a little under rather than over...

[superloopy]

Nigel ... i'm wondering how Pleaides struggled to find rear brake pads ... for a xantia ?? They're ten a penny to source.

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Well that's what Martin told me. Maybe he's addicted to modern motors now since he started working on all makes. Not just Citroen's. Martin is not well these days he said he didn't go near s doctor all his life until recently when the found s tumour behind his eye. Now he only works two days a week. Simon one of the old Garage mechanics had been hired to do the bulk of the work now. Shame really i miss our little chin wags with Martin and just hope he gets better soon.

[falling-out-with-my-car]

Maybe it's now being used in e-cigarettes

Wouldn't surprise me... Horrid bloody devices I find them as objectionable as traditional cigarettes; the stink from the clouds of vapour is often very sweet so very possibly...

I used to smoke but since giving it up a few years ago now I have developed a hyper sense of smell so lots of things smell very strongly and objectionable to me nowadays...

One big one is barbecues...

Yes food grade propiline glycol is being used in ecigs I use a 50/50 mix of glycol and vegetable glycerin in mine I quit the ciggys four and a half years ago. I tried everything else designed yo keep you addicted to nicotene.I don't get chest infections anymore and I certainly don't cough up all that nasty tar anymore in the mornings. I haven't had another blood clot as I am prone to them since I quit the fags. Do for Mr my ecig has been marvelous. I've cut my nicotine intake down dramatically from 25mg to 6 mg and I intend yo go further all the way down to zero. So for some of us ecigs are a real life saver. Regards Nigel.