S1 Xantia 1.9TD - Engine running very erratically

[CitroJim]

Thanks Paul, excellent advice

Recover the key way, it may drop into the pump pully... but no further.

That's your lifeless Welsh keys for you. English keys are far more energetic and aerobatic

[pete the bus]

Update:-

I've tried to start the car to move it to a more suitable place to work on it but it didn't want to know. I tried to prime the pump using the priming bulb and it took ages to go hard. Then I noticed fuel dripping from under the pump body somewhere - roughly in the area where Paul had mentioned earlier.
So realising it probably wasn't going to start I decided to go ahead and take the pump off anyway - on the road, outside my flat, parked with the nearside against the kerb.
After the usual faffing about, I finally got it out, although I forgot to mark the position on the faceplate, and I've just left the sprocket loosely held by the timing belt as I couldn't find the timing holes.
I am now hoping for some advice as to what could need looking at, bearing in mind the leak I described earlier.
Thanks for everyone's help in getting me this far.

[le cheekster]

hi.. i read most of the posts on this one. i had the same,1.9td 1994-conked out often, hard to start etc etc smoke,etc ect same stuff. eventually she broke down on a friday night out in the booneys..anyway, after bussing it back there, with tools etc, and more facki* about found air bubbles UNDER FUEL FILTER..slowley coming up into fuel filter housing- tried to cold weld the blanking plugs, changed bottom o ring etc .. bollox- just unclip the i.p. pump inlet at the "t " joint and connect directly.. it took off immediatly- .. run a few days like that, ordered separate heated filter head unit etc for runnin on veggie... never looked back.what i conclude after looking at the o.e offering, its a cheap and cheerfull fuel heater/filter housing with plenty of potential for air intake..dump it asap- as i reckon the housing deforms..basically 15- 20 years down the road they are stuffed.
for 65£ on yer doorstep get the good filter head/heating plate and filter all in for that price delivered.no brainer.

[Stewart(oily)]

If it is the same pump being refitted then I have found that aligning the dirty mark on the backplate to be good

[citroenxm]

Providing the pump shaft hasnt been turned...

The keyway needs re fitting back into the shaft and must align into the pully correctly.

The shaft seal needs digging out of the end from around the shaft but care also needed its metal armoured but will give.

Citrojim put a link up to the correct seals somewhere.

[Stewart(oily)]

Sorry I meant the pump body onto the plate on the engine, the belt timing will need setting up using index bolts as per cambelt change.
I have a spare thermostat housing/heat exchanger/fuel filter body if needed, though it does sound like the front seal on the pump.

[oscar]

glad you are dealing with it rather than getting shot of it as looks a nice car and not so many around like this i had similar to yours with a key pad but mechanical pump.

[dragen]

Thats a great conversation to have followed there folks! I have had a problem with my Xantia recently also, running fine driving along and then just suddenly lost power, running very erratically, basically stalled and nigh on impossible to get started again. I've basically just bunged it in another shed for a couple of months, but now I have a hunger to get it operational again. Any thoughts, tips, suggestions, or just proceed through the processes described above... ? Much appreciate...

[citroenxm]

Xantia TD is a basic engine setup. If there's fuel and air they should go. So start at beginning.
Check the fuel pickup in the tank .. the cause can get blocked up
Change the fuel filter and then make sure fuel is getting through using the hand primer .
Bleed it all up.. then crack open a union on one of the injectors.. just undo it.. no need to remove it.. soon the engine over and see if fuel spurts from the open union. If not. It's not getting past the pump. Check the stop solinoid on the pump out let just above the outlet pipes though Bosch ones are fairly reliable then can stop.. but it could also have lost its 12v feed from crap french wiring..

[dragen]

Thanks citroenxm... much appreciated, I'll try all of that out. It'll probably be next week that get onto it - got a bit to do on the tractors hydraulic system. Which to be fair is easier to access, but somewhat bigger in scale...

[dragen]

Finally got into the mighty Francois... Tank filter looks good, and then found a drip when priming at the return line into the injection pump off the last injector, so that could easily be sucking air at that point. Will grab some fuel-line when I am in town on Wednesday, and chuck a fresh filter in and shall report on where I end up from there.

[citroenxm]

That should be it . Only takes a split in a leak off .. it doesn't have to leak out for fuel to drain back from air ingress.. a good sealed Derv system should always start first touch of the starter..

[dragen]

Replaced the faulty piece of pipe but no luck, still continuous cranking with the occasional splutter. I'll go through and replace all those injector overflow pipes this week, see how I get on. Fuel squirting at the injector when release the union and crank the engine. Haven't replaced the filter at this point as the local parts biz want a hundy bucks for it, and flow is ample. Will update... I had originally wondered about a blocked injector or something...

[dragen]

Grr... still no luck! Replaced the fuel line on the injector over-flows, and the return to the pump, it isn't a super tight fit, but given the condition of the old ones and how they came apart when being removed this should be way better. Fuel squirting at loosened injector union. Still just a spluttering turn-over, like its almost starting, seems so close, but just doesn't fire... ! Any other suggestions?

[citroenxm]

I expect you have changed the heater plugs


Ok has the car had any s**t fuelbinbut previously . Or has the cam belt been changed recently ?