De cat a Xantia 110Hdi

[Tamsin]

Hello i have a petrol Citroen Xsara 2001 plate. i was driving it the other day and it made a 'pop' sound now it sounds like a tractor the downpipe came off the CAT converter. do i need a new one do you think or are there any clips i can use? thanks.....i clearly know nothing about cars!

[addo]

Cheapest option would be a piece of pipe welded in to replace the cat, or an aftermarket "decat pipe". Next cheapest a non-genuine cat. Used ones aren't worth the trouble, they might be on the way to blockage. Genuine will cost a bomb.

It's unusual for the pipe to break in front of the cat, normally it fails in front of the centre muffler.

[RichardW]

HI Tamsin, welcome!

You can't de-cat a UK Petrol unfortunately Addo, this will get you an MOT fail....

It might be possible to weld the pipe / cat back together, but if you take it to any of the fast fit centres they will want to sell you a new one. Could you post a picture of the failed part? We might be able to see if it looks weldable, then you might be able to ask a local garage if they would do it. Otherwise you might be near a forum member with appropriate gear that might take it on for some beer tokens

[citronut]

have a look at Bosal's online catalogue in the link below

http://tinyurl.com/q37vupw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

you can either select to view the two options on the right, or enter your car specifics

[Tamsin]

Hello again

I took it to a garage just around the corner from me and they managed to weld 90% back on and used some fire putty for the bit they couldn't reach. The bloke said it should last for a few months (fingers crossed).



my pipe came off at the bottom of the rounded bit in the picture. It's not a picture of mine but just to show you where. Got it welded for £15 so not too bad. they said a new CAT and to get it fitted would be £168 or £100ish for the part by itself. Thanks for the help i also have another longstanding problem.....

My engine temperature keeps going up to 90 degrees in stationary traffic....when it hits the 90 a red light comes on and says its overheating and then all the water pours out. I thought it was the cooling system so its had a new radiator, new water pump, timing belt and thermostat. i then took it to a garage who said one of my fan resistors had broken (which it had) and he replaced it....however it still does it. Any ideas?

Thanks again

[Hell Razor5543]

There are (as far as I am aware) three relays mounted under a cover between the two fans. Over time corrosion builds up and stops the relays working. As these relays control the fans you can see what happens next. I have not had personal experience of this problem, but there are post of the forum covering this. A quick test would be to have the engine running, and then turn on the air con. This should cause both fans to start spinning at high speed.

[Tamsin]

ah right i see. Only the higher speed one comes on. so its just a relay i need then? haha after buying all the other stuff as well!

[Hell Razor5543]

Both fans are meant to spin at the same speed. The fact only one fan is spinning strongly suggests one or more of the relays (or the wiring to them) has failed. Now we need somebody with the right knowledge to point you in the right direction re wiring/relays.

EDIT; This could be useful;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=47933" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tamsin]

Oh i get you. I was under the impression that there were 2 speeds or they came on at different times (i probably wasn't listening properly to the mechanic!) Thanks for the help again!.......you'll probably be hearing from me all the time as something is always going wrong with this car! haha

[Hell Razor5543]

Just a thought. Can you turn both fans by hand? It is not unheard of for them to seize. The fact that one spins shows it hasn't, so really you just need to see if the other one turns.

[isisalar]

I put theses guys in the recommended section some while back :- http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 15&t=47182" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Just checked prices with them for my 110HDI and the cat section (there's 2 types apparently) is £51.86+vat and a complete front to back system is £140+vat. Free delivery.
Cheers
Paul

[addo]

I can imagine the pipe breaking there due to road salt and engine movement / vibration.

Consider also, a badly blocked cat will cause poor performance and overheating. However given the car's age, I would suggest there is corrosion to the head and gasket.

[Tamsin]

I think your probably right about the head gasket . I've just been driving now and the lights are coming on saying its overheating, however the gauge hasn't moved and the timing belt area is making a different noise, like it's going a bit fast? It hasn't done this before, a new one was put on in August '13. Is it even safe to drive? Thanks

[c.morewood]

Getting back to the original thread. I finally took the plunge today and had the complete exhaust remade up to the back box. Taking out the middle box, (the cat was already gone) completely. The initial results are she seems much easier revving as though she was being choked by the old exhaust (almost original 2002) No noiser though and less smokey on acceleration, judging from the view from the rearview mirror.
Maybe there was a lot of soot buildup in the old exhaust.
I'll continue to monitor the mpg and report back. last tank was 55.5. I'm going to try to correlate a air temperature graph alongside my mpg graph.. I'm becoming even more convinced that the 2 are connected.
Thanks to John Plum for his advice on the exhaust

[CitroJim]

When I swapped the exhaust on my V6 Chris I was amazed at how full of rust and debris it was.. The back box sounded like a pair of castenets!

So yes, I expect your old system was well choked...

My V6 seems freer revving and more economical now too