I hate my Xantia - Strut mount gone...

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 05 May 2005, 23:55

Hello all...
Well, I must admit that I`m beginning to really hate my Xantia.
The car has been standing "still" for the last 3 months, because of a fault in the steering rack, it can drive, but not too far.
The other day i mounted my sommer wheels, took it for a spin to check the air pressure in the tires, came home, left the car for the engine to cool off. Changed the spark plugs, done, saw that it leaked a little LHM from the LHM tank, fixed that, looked at the strut mount.....WOW, rusted fully though half way round, grabbed the (the thing you raise the car with, don`t know the name in english), didn`t want the bonnet to be dented.

It looks like the strut mount could be easily changed, but am i right?
Well, it has to go in for MOT in about 1-2 months. I don`t have alot of money, but i think i have found a guy who can fix the things i can`t, without charging tax.

But i might as well change the things I can manage, and save the money.

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 06 May 2005, 00:06

i have not fixed one yet but in GB CCC mag few months ago there where pic of a xantia where top mount had failled whilst being driven completly mangled the bonnet,lookeda right mess, i dont think it is very hard job to replace regards malcolm

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 06 May 2005, 01:57

Yep, i have seen a couple of pictures of an XM with a strut through the bonnet. Not a pretty sight.
Well, i am in Denmark, so haven`t got access to that magazine.
Anyone tried to replace the strut mount on a Xantia?

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 06 May 2005, 02:47

no but i think you remove sphere, loosen large nut on top of strut whilst still atached to car,then remmove stut from wheel arch and finnish undoing large nut,you should now be able to lift of top mount,istand to be corected malcolm

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 06 May 2005, 03:01

Hmmm, ok, that doesn`t sound too difficult, but offcourse i could be horribly wrong.
It has alot of faults:
Strut mount
heater matrix gone
need to change LHM
change acc. sphere
exhaust needs fixing
probably new rear discs and pads
need steering rack fixed
I really love my car.....when there`s nothing wrong, and it purrs like a kitten.

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 06 May 2005, 03:12

thats a hole new ball game heater matrix is lovly job,apox 3 day work,citroen in a blinding flash thought we made bx matrix to easy, we will let the computer aided desin prog place xantias matrix ha ha ha regards malcolm

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 06 May 2005, 03:21

Yep, i know. But will have to try and tackle the matrix job myself, i simply can`t afford it otherwise.
I need someone else to fix the steering rack problem, the exhaust and maybe the strut mount.
When i bought my Xantia 18 months ago, I was actually aiming at a Volvo or Saab, but if i should obey my budget, they would be rather old and the possibility of alot of problems, but erm...guess i should have bought a swedish car afterall.

Kowalski · Unread post by **Kowalski** » 06 May 2005, 15:14

For Xantia money you would have been looking at a GM Saab 900, a Saab 9000 or a Volvo 440, unless you wanted a very old 740 or 940. The 9000 is probably the best of that bunch but a car of that age would come with inevitable problems, you would be no better off at all.

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 06 May 2005, 15:19

Kowalski->
Yes, it would have been an old swedish car, but i mean, with all the problems i have with the Xantia, it wouldn`t have mattered. My parents have a Volvo 740 Turbo 1986 with 263.000 km on the clock. It just runs and runs, no troubles at all. Guess they have been lucky with their choice.
I didn`t want a Volvo 400-series, it`s not a real Volvo.

Kowalski · Unread post by **Kowalski** » 06 May 2005, 17:00

My Xantias run and run, but they need maintenance and servicing.
My newer Xantia has a problem with the air conditioning, this is not a Xantia specific problem, its an air con problem that all cars including Volvo would suffer from, this Xantia needed new tyres since the old ones had done 78k miles. The older Xantia needed some welding doing to its exhaust, all cars suffer from rusting exhausts, it also had to have a new timing belt and auxiliary belt and tensioner.
All in all, this year neither Xantia has had much go wrong on it, in fact aside from service items and wearing parts neither one has broken down.
I should add that the newer Xantia is doing 20k miles a year and the older one is doing about 12k a year, they haven't been standing around doing nothing.

CommY · Unread post by **CommY** » 06 May 2005, 17:18

Hi
Can you not cut a good strut top mount from a scrap car and get it welded over your dodgey one (Welded from the top and underneath after removing bad metal from car once top welds are in place. You might need to tack some washers to the underneath of the mounting points where metal has been removed to keep the strut square and reduce stress.). This I think would be the quickest and easyest solution?
Gary (Bodge welder extrodinaire)

adzbaby · Unread post by **adzbaby** » 07 May 2005, 00:55

Replacing the strut mount isn't too difficult.
As already mentioned, you just need to remove the sphere on that mount, undo the top nut, there should be enough play on the wheel to pull the strut down far enough to get it out of the mount, undo the 4 (surprisingly small) bolts that hold the mount to the chassis and voila!!The mount drops out and you bung a good one in.
Nowhere near as nasty as doing the steering rack! A very disgusting job.
Adam.

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 07 May 2005, 04:04

Kowalski ->
I am aware that a car need maintenance and servicing, BUT...I don`t see fx steering rack and strut mount as ordinary service or parts that normally has to be replaced.
In the first 12 months of my ownership, the car drove 18000 miles, so not exactly small runs.
CommY ->
Welding, what`s that...?

Might be an easy job for you, but certainly not for me.
adzbaby ->
Yep, thank you. I hoped it was that easy, and what do you know....for once I`m "lucky".

I`ve been told that a Citroen shop needs 3-4 hours to change the steering rack, is that right?

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 07 May 2005, 04:12

most cars that have been serviced properly should go on for 100of1000 miles without any real probs you must have landed one that has not been looked after,what year is it and how much did you have to part wiyh for it regards

pagh · Unread post by **pagh** » 07 May 2005, 04:49

citronut ->
Citroen Xantia 1.8 8v, 1995, 169000miles/272000km and i paid 45.000 danish kroner / around 4.100 pounds 18 months ago. It sounds like a crazy price to you, but that is the normal price here in Denmark.