Vince's XM...213k and slowing....

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 11 Dec 2010, 16:45

well i feel so much better now.....

It pains me to see my car slowly filling up with rubbish and dirt inside mainly from the kids so something today had to be done now that the weather has warmed up enough.

The car is now clean inside and out and i even cleaned the dash and door shuts

Finished off with a new forest fresh air freshener as the car was a bit stale inside due to being damp and freezing for days, its now a nice place to be again.

Linda has her christmas do tomight so i am playing taxi. Cant have people experiencing probably their first Xantia drive in a smelly dirty car.

Tomorrow the plan is to take the car to Liverpool again and change over my front spheres. I think we have everything in stock apart from the front centre Hydractive sphere. I will have a look tomrrow for one but that might have to be one that i do later on. Even so some new corners and a new accumulator sphere should feel better.

After reading Jim's blog i too have had an occasional squeaking from the engine bay when very cold which i put down to the alternator pulley. Seems perhaps that it might be the crank pulley? It hasnt done it for a while so it cant be too bad yet. A job for the year ahead perhaps?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 11 Dec 2010, 17:45

I was a bout to clean my Old V6 today and wash off all the salt Vince, but some other Xantia-related work I became involved in scuppered that. All in a very good cause though..

I'm like you as far as interiors go. My car interiors must always be spotless even if the outside is a bit grubby. Almost every weekend if I do nothing else I clean and hoover the insides of the cars...

Do as I did tho check the crank pulley and paint a couple of lines across it. I have a paint pen for such jobs but a bottle of Tipp-Ex will do just as well...

If it just chirrups a bit just on start-up then it's not too urgent but do keep a close eye (and ear) on it...

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 11 Dec 2010, 23:02

Good advice Jim,

Ive got tippex at work so will paint a few marks on it when its on the ramp tomorrow.... Thats if it gets on the ramp in the first place. Work demands can scupper the best laid plans

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 14 Dec 2010, 13:39

Well the front spheres have now been changed over yesterday with the exception of the front centre......i didnt have on in at the time. Im sure i have on in the shed though somewhere but have no pressure tester so i might just order another one into stock at the shop

Im going to start the search for a rear hydractive electrovalve as mine is somewhat duff. Also my height corrector is semi seized and so is causing some hassle.....Still lots to do though on the car....its never ending isnt it

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 27 Dec 2010, 12:55

Not much to report other than ive noticed my crank pulley twitter more since its been cold and also since Jim pointed it out

I cannot believe the Xantia is so dirty as it stands. Luckily the snow is thawing today but its raining so if i can get away with it ill wash it later if i can.

Linda and i had a bit of a falling out about how i dont care much about the house, and care more about the car. The fact is that i know how to fix up cars but the same doesnt apply to houses as im not the best DIY'er in the land. Going to try harder though this year and keep ontop of the car but not so fastidiously......its only fair that i get stuff done in the house....just wish i enjoyed DIY as then id be more up for it

Soon be show time again

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 27 Dec 2010, 13:27

the trouble with DIY is that you HAVE to do it Vince, you dont HAVE to do the car and usualy things that have to be done are not enjoyable.
I still have the kitchen to finnish before i start on the dinning room after the wedding

everyone is the same.

D

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 27 Dec 2010, 13:34

Deanxm wrote:everyone is the same.

Absolutely. Spannering is pleasurable. DIY is not. It's just a chore...

lexi · Unread post by **lexi** » 27 Dec 2010, 16:37

DIY is the reason I love camping. Lying looking up at the walls of the tent I constantly remind myself "nowt needing done in here.......this will do another year

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 27 Dec 2010, 17:09

Thanks guys i know im not the only one.....the point is apparently that im not house proud as i am car proud...apparently jobs in the house are not to be seen as a list of tasks as i put it but moreso a labour of love as it is our home

.....ive never viewed jobs as labours of love...not even fixing cars

I quite like the tent idea....The way im heading that is a distinct possibility

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 27 Dec 2010, 17:30

vince wrote: I quite like the tent idea....The way im heading that is a distinct possibility

Bit chilly in this weather though Vince

Women just don't understand our relationship with our cars

Robyn didn't but now she's driving, she gets it a little more than she did...

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 27 Dec 2010, 17:32

the point is apparently that im not house proud as i am car proud

Like all men everywhere then

D

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 03 Jan 2011, 14:59

Well back to work tomorrow.....Boo

Gave the engine bay a quick clean up today and cleaned and waxed all front lights and panels of the car. I noticed that when my fogs were fixed the mechanic hadnt put the fog trim clips in properly so it was waggling around. Sorted that out also before the cold drove me back indoors.....Its gone chilly again hasnt it

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 26 Jan 2011, 13:24

Its been ages since ive been on here....how time flies when your busy

Nothing much to report on the Xantia front. The central locking plip is still not opening the car. Ive checked the fuses, checked the plip itself, tried to re code the plip back to the car which did nothing naturally...checked behind the black receiver in the ceiling and still nothing so its got me stumped

I dont want to order a new plip just incase its definately not that and they cost around £50 from our place if i can still get them...anyone had any similar experiences?

I was going to take a trip to the scrappys in Warrington today (day off) but lack of fuel / money / poor weather called that one off so a quick wash and a hoover is all ive managed to get done. According to Steve Trainman they have/had a Xantia in decent looking condition in my colour so i was going to scout it out for a rear spoiler and side door trims....I could also do with a rocker cover to blast back to new again and swap for my existing one which needs re cleaning up. Never mind though...

Everything else is as normal, Xantidote from here, and Alan off the XM forum have been into the shop in the last couple of weeks adding a little french flavour to the working day, but other than that nothing much has been going on....just counting the days until payday like most people i suppose

Never mind, soon get better weather again and time to get back to work on the Xantia readying it for shows and meets again

Vince

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 26 Feb 2011, 11:50

Updates updates.....so whats been going on? ....

Well, its all coming along nicely...

Thanks to Paul CitroenXM i received a replacement rocker cover about a week ago? with the sole intention of making a mint condition one out of it and replacing the one i have on at the moment. The one i have is good, but it needs repainting and has spatters on it from when it was cast so is not completely smooth. Who cares some may say

Well thanks to one of the garages i look after at work, the replacement cover was sent down to be bead blasted and when it came back i frankly couldnt believe my eyes.....it had like a metal flake appearance and looked as though it had been primered with a flake. On closer inspection it was just the bare metal

Its so clean it is probably better than new top and bottom side and i was chuffed to say the least

So that just awaits being swapped over now....no rush.

Next on the list is the long pained spoiler.....the same customer has agreed to re spray this for free (rocker cover work was also free) and im taking it in on monday to get them on it. They do professional alloy wheel refurbing and other work so have all the right gear to do hopefully a proper job. I cant wait as it really lets the car down at the moment

Its always had bubbles under the paint one side so its long overdue for being done.

Once thats on i drastically need to get some mechanical jobs done. I need to get the LHM changed (about due now) and also an oil and filter change is well overdue

I will do the oil change myself i think but might take the car to an indy i know at work to get the LHM change done as i want them to clear out any old LHM from the brake line ends also when its changed. Following that, my rear height corrector is partially seized and i now wish i hadnt sold the new one i kept for a long while waiting for this very thing to happen.

Never mind, I will get the indy to strip it and free it up some other time once the oil changes have been done

The only other pain in the butt job is one of the rear hubs needs changing after being wrecked by a tyre place and their notorious air guns

Ive cleaned the car on the outside a couple of times now by hand in recent succession to get through the biult up grime caused by winter and it will soon be ready for a full polish and seal. Im not doing that though until the spoiler is back on and the paint cured for a couple of weeks to let it fully harden.

Here are a couple of shots of the blasted rocker cover......it was just an old oily cover when it turned up wrapped in rags....id love a blasting set up and a garage

This has not been primed by the way...its bare cast

Roll on the good weather

vince · Unread post by **vince** » 02 Mar 2011, 21:17

Well, some small changes to plans made.....

Firstly, i took my spoiler off and into work and shipped it down to the guy who said he'd paint it. It turns out he wasnt going to do it for free and wanted ridiculous money to paint it...bugger off was my reply and the spoiler is back on as it was

BUT......and this is a big but, Richard PM'ed me (Thanks Richard) with a link to a guy down south who had a mauritius blue spoiler in apparently good condition, but it was collection only from Essex

After a quick phone call to the seller, i managed to get it to a buy it now including postage for £30

So once it lands i will subject it to some fettling to get the finish as good as it can be and then whack it on

Another job that finally got sorted today was the front centre hydractive sphere....The old one felt like an original Citroen one based on the end "nipple" part of the sphere, which got me thinking how long has this been on?.....from new?

Tight wasnt the word for it....i was on a 4 post ramp in the garage next door to the shop and after de pressurising the system had a good chain wrench on it and it wasnt having it.....a set of heavy duty water pump pliers...nothing, some WD40 and then again....nothing, x 2 sets of water pump pliers in unison with me on one and a mechanic on the other...nothing

A hammer and chisel.....Nope. So i finally gave in and ran it across town to my friendly Citroen indy who changed it over for free

Apparently the knack is to tighten it first to crack it and then undo it....came off a dream with his water pump pliers

Either way, job done and now all the spheres have been changed for new ones including the hydractive centres front and rear...and boy has it made a difference

Next tasks suspension wise is to get the LHM changed and the front and rear height correctors removed and cleaned. Im really not sure if i can do that job but will have another read of Kev's old thread and also Jims recent problems with the pipe unions and make a decision. Id certainyl like to do it myself to learn

....looked today at my pipe unions and they seem nice and clean