New synergie owner

A forum for new members to introduce themselves to the rabble already onboard. Not compulsory!
Tell us a little about yourself, lie if you have to but keep it to just an introduction, not a car discussion.

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Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

Good afternoon. Just registered on here, thought I'd say hello. Bought my 1997 synergie TD in April, after years of saying I'd get one (and kept buying galaxys for practical reasons) but finally had enough of computers and blowing turbos, so I took the plunge and bought "Firefry"
IMG_20190623_143705.jpg
We're a 2 Citroen family now (not quite sure how they happened but never mind :lol: ). My wife has a 2002 xsara picasso 2.0hdi
IMG_20190324_080823.jpg
Both cars are run on veg, mine is 100% full time apart from when the the weather is really really cold, and the picasso runs 50/50 veg/derv in the summer, and ⅓/⅔ veg/derv in the winter.

I'm an hgv driver from Preston, and moved to bacup 3 or 4 years ago or there abouts.

At home we're me, my wife, 3 kids (8, 10, 13) and a daft-as-a-brush staffy cross.

So there's a bit about me, looking forward to be involved in the forum :-D
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white exec
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Location: Sayalonga, Malaga, Spain
My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
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Re: New synergie owner

Post by white exec »

Hello, and welcome.
Have always liked the look of the Synergie, and its straightforward turbo XUD.

You likely have it already, but the Citroen Mechanics' Handbook for the car is worth downloading and printing:
viewtopic.php?p=590278#p590278
Just hit the red '2001' to download the pdf.
Chris
Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

Yeah I've seen the through Citroen service. Oddly, it only lists the hdi under synergies, the xud is listed under the xantia sections but only auto. Which is strange
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white exec
Moderating Team
Posts: 7445
Joined: 21 Dec 2015, 12:46
Location: Sayalonga, Malaga, Spain
My Cars: 1996 XM 2.5TD Exclusive hatch RHD
1992 BX19D Millesime hatch LHD
previously 1989 BX19RD, 1998 ZX 1.9D auto, 2001 Xantia 1.8i auto
and lots of Rovers before that: 1935 Ten, 1947 Sixteen, 1960 P5 3-litre, 1966 P6 2000, 1972 P6 2000TC, and 1975 P6B 3500S
x 1752

Re: New synergie owner

Post by white exec »

Yes, your're right. It's in the Xantia-XM-Evasion (2001) edition.
Chris
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mickthemaverick
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Re: New synergie owner

Post by mickthemaverick »

Welcome to the forum, there are some terrific people on here so have a good look round and join in wherever you fancy!! :welc:
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Skull
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Location: Darlington Co Durham
My Cars: Citroën Xantia XII HDi
Citroën AX XII

Missing AX 1.4D Echo
x 222

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Skull »

:welc: Moths

I used to run my old AX 1.4D (Bosch pump) on new veg oil and it used to be worth it even buying new oil - that was 12 years ago!

I haven't tried it on my Xantia HDi though mainly because the price of new veg oil is only a bit cheaper than diesel nowadays :shock:
On my 4th Citroën Xantia (X2 HDi (110))
Citroën sAXo Memphis Mk II
Gone
Xantia x3 (2.0i TCT Activa)(2.1 TD SX)(1.9 TD Estate)
Xsara HDi VTR Coupe / Saxo 1.1i / BX 1.9 d / 4 x AX's (1.4D /1.5D)
2 x 406 (1.9 TD Estate/2.1 TD Saloon) 405 1.9 D Estate 306 1.9 XTDT Hatch
Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

Works out 70p a litre. Is your hdi the 90bhp? If so, it's the same as my wife's xsara Picasso
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myglaren
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Re: New synergie owner

Post by myglaren »

Don't use veg in a HDi.
Biodiesel is OK but veg is bad news.
Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

myglaren wrote: 13 Sep 2019, 09:30 Don't use veg in a HDi.
Biodiesel is OK but veg is bad news.
I'm part of a veg oil / biodiesel group on Facebook, and there's a lot of hdi owners on a mix of veg with no problems. I wouldn't encourage 100% by any means, but we've been running 50/50 without issue. Pre mixed because the in tank lift pump is supposedly weak so it removes the risk of it pulling a concentrated area of veg. We'll be reducing it to ⅓ veg soon for the colder months (although my synergie will continue to chug pure veg down to freezing temps. Then I might do 20% derv)
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myglaren
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x 4888

Re: New synergie owner

Post by myglaren »

It does have a reputation of clogging piston rings and accumulating on the cylinder walls, as well as being unhealthy for the diesel pump.
Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

myglaren wrote: 13 Sep 2019, 16:48 It does have a reputation of clogging piston rings and accumulating on the cylinder walls, as well as being unhealthy for the diesel pump.
That's a general concern with direct injection engines as a whole. Regular oil changes is key
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mickthemaverick
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Current cars: 2004 Subaru Legacy 2.5 SEn, 1994 Mazda MX3
x 6010

Re: New synergie owner

Post by mickthemaverick »

I ran my Mitsubishi Shogun and Delica on pre heated 100% used/filtered veggie oil for 4 years with no engine issues at all. However keep an eye on the fuel pipes and joints, as I developed a weeping leak in the heater output joint on the Delica. Because I was getting 26mpg for half the price, I used to think I was getting the equivalent of 52mpg on diesel, so I ignored the weep. Sadly, when MOT time came round, I discovered where the veggie had been leaking to, it had dissolved virtually all the front nearside rubber components in both the steering and suspension. Thus the economic thing to do was scrap it, break it and get my investment back in parts. Fortunately I had a workshop at the time and was able to strip the body bare and sell most of the usable parts for a total sum of £4260 which was £740 more than I had spent on buying and converting the vehicle. So I was lucky but the moral of the story is of course, if using veggie oil, make sure it only gets where it is supposed to and start the engine every day on diesel, switch to veggie after a couple of mins running and then switch back to diesel for a couple of minutes before switching off. That procedure ensures the pump seals etc, are not soaking in veggie overnight and so should not suffer. Running the veggie through a preheater was also vastly superior in engine smoothness and power output!! :)
This is the part I took to the scrapyard for the last £150!!:
Delica body.jpg
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
Firemoth
Posts: 19
Joined: 12 Sep 2019, 13:05
Location: Bacup, Lancashire
My Cars: 1997 Citroen synergie TD
x 4

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Firemoth »

That's unlucky. I've never had an issue. I use fresh veg which is less acidic that waste veg, the only part that's likely to become victim is the seal in the injection pump. If it were to weep, there's an uprated one that can be fitted, but touch wood, in the last 8 or so years I've been running veg, I've never had an issue in anything (not veg related anyway haha)
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van ordinaire
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Re: New synergie owner

Post by van ordinaire »

I read an article on making bio-diesel &, as I recall, it's waste vegetable oil that's been filtered - although THAT process is a little more sophisticated than just pouring it through a coffee filter.
Citroens:-
'81 2CV Club :cry:
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Skull
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My Cars: Citroën Xantia XII HDi
Citroën AX XII

Missing AX 1.4D Echo
x 222

Re: New synergie owner

Post by Skull »

Firemoth wrote: 13 Sep 2019, 00:45 Works out 70p a litre. Is your hdi the 90bhp? If so, it's the same as my wife's xsara Picasso
No mine is a 110 HDi great engine but not ideal as a town car :roll:

70p @ Ltr is tempting but I should add that my mileage NOW is only around 5K a year and mostly short town runs so I feel it wouldn't be worth it in those conditions.
On my 4th Citroën Xantia (X2 HDi (110))
Citroën sAXo Memphis Mk II
Gone
Xantia x3 (2.0i TCT Activa)(2.1 TD SX)(1.9 TD Estate)
Xsara HDi VTR Coupe / Saxo 1.1i / BX 1.9 d / 4 x AX's (1.4D /1.5D)
2 x 406 (1.9 TD Estate/2.1 TD Saloon) 405 1.9 D Estate 306 1.9 XTDT Hatch
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