2.1 Diesel _ Xantia

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 24 Apr 2006, 17:43

Folks, what are your opinions of this engine, in a late Xantia.

So far I have had many TD 1905 cars, and a 1.8i petrol Xantia. How will it compare?

Is is any harder to work on?

power? i am not sure if it is turbo?

Thanks as always
John

deian · Post by **deian** » 24 Apr 2006, 17:47

nice engine, turbo yes, refined, quiet, brisk, not worked on it yet to say it's hard, but it does seem a tight squeeze, although apparently they run forever

mine's on 187k miles, doesn't smoke and pulls like a train

BonceChops · Post by **BonceChops** » 24 Apr 2006, 17:51

Yes it is a turbo. It has 110BHP (109 in some books). Mine is a joy to drive when I can make the damn thing idle. The pump is "fly by wire" and completely electronically controlled.

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 24 Apr 2006, 18:45

what about MPG's chaps..

Think the average 1905 TD will get 40-50 on a run?

deian · Post by **deian** » 24 Apr 2006, 19:01

I get what citroen says i should get on a mixed run. 40mpg

I would assume this figure would be more like 50mpg maybe 60mpg on a long motorway journey doing driving on constant 70mph. Which is why I bought the car really.

But doing a lot of town driving it will drink a fair bit more, you may get 30mpg, i guess i got that these last few weeks. And then it goes up as you do more constant driving. No need to overrev it, no power beyond 3500 rpm for everyday driving, unless you tow a caravan, it will just use more fuel.

Remember i get these figures at 187k miles, and I get no black smoke and it uses no oil at all! Next best thing to HDi!

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 24 Apr 2006, 19:10

i want it!

what would you pay for a nice exec. 99?

deian · Post by **deian** » 24 Apr 2006, 19:17

i paid £1400 for my R reg 1998 2.1 TD exlcusive with 187k and service history, 2 owners, 12nths mot, no tax, off ebay through buy it now. don't regret it at all.

some stuff to consider though, check the clutch, i hear they are a bit of a pain in the ass to change, also check the exhaust isn't spitting from the manifold or gasket, or higher up, it's very tight behind the back engine, haynes are scared of working on this one as according to them you need the engine out to change the head gasket, and to change the turbo, although mine still pulls very well. other things to know are, they are drive by wire, apparently the gear changes are done by wire, the clutch is hydraulic and some other things that maybe other people could tell you about. and it's 12valve too.

good luck

BonceChops · Post by **BonceChops** » 24 Apr 2006, 19:55

Mine pulled a trailer with a Xantia estate on it, which is a combined weight of over 1800kgs at 70mph on the motorway. Yes I know its max towing weight is 1500Kgs and 85Kg ball weight. For my type of driving - 80/90+ on the motorway and not hanging around on the A roads I find it more economical than my 1.9TD was with the same type of driving.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 24 Apr 2006, 22:22

The 2.1 seems a more efficient engine than the 1.9. In my XM which is somewhat heavier than the Xantia, I get an average of over 40 mpg and a best of over 50, but I dont thrash it and I live in a rural area. A lightly loaded diesel engine is much more efficient than one driven at full throttle so the increased power to weight ratio could well improve your fuel consumption.

Good as the 2.1 is, its a pig to work on. I fitted a new head gasket to mine last year, I was quoted about £1,000 to do the job, and found out why when I did it myself! But it has run faultlessly since, for over 20k, I think they are a brilliant engine. The last XM I sold had covered 292k miles and was still going well

deian · Post by **deian** » 24 Apr 2006, 22:36

peter, tell us about the head gasket job? u ended up doing it yourself, and what happened? thanks

BonceChops · Post by **BonceChops** » 24 Apr 2006, 23:08

Peter.N. wrote:I think they are a brilliant engine.

Is yours a mechanical pump or is it the Lucas EPIC pump? Does it have cruise control?

Post by **Peter.N.** » 24 Apr 2006, 23:11

Well, for a start there is a lot of ancilliary equipment to be removed just to get at the head. Take careful note of where all the mounting brackets go, I have a box of them left over! but its stilll going OK after 20k + .

After removing the surrounding pipes and the rocker cover, and, yes, you can call it a rocker cover on the 2.1 as it has hydraulic tappets, you then have to remove the camshaft carrier, prior to this of course you have to remove the cam belt and top sprockets. The carrier is held on to the head by quite a large number of allen screws, and they are tight! so you need a proper allen key socket. The carrier is almost an interference fit between the head and inlet manifold, so it needs a lot of juggling.

You cant remove the manifold as you cant get at the bolts, so the head has to be removed complete with manifolds and turbo. This means that you have to disconnect the turbo oil feed and return pipes which calls for some dexterity.

Before removing the head bolts, you have to remove the rockers and hydraulic tappets, they must be marked in some way so that they are refitted in there original positions.

Having removed the head bolts and making sure nothing is still attached, you will need an assistant to lift one end as its very heavy and awkward. In removing the head you will probably bend the turbo oil return pipe but you can straighten it again after refitting

Dont think of refitting the head without having it first machined flat and then preferably use a genuine Citroen 'repair' gasket which is laminated steel and looks as though it should last forever.

After you have refitted the head, the fun begins. Replace the tappets and rockers in position and then try and refit the camshaft carrier, it will probably knock half the rockers off! You can fiddle them back with a couple of screwdrivers, but its not good for your blood pressure.

The carrier has no gasket, so needs some silicon selant on the underside, as it is such a tight fit, you are likely to scrape it off when refitting. I overcame this problem by applying the sealant the night before so that it had set when reassembled.

Once you have the carrier refitted, its then just a case of refitting and timing the cambelt and trying to remember where all the other bits go. Exhausting but rewarding. Probably easier for the younger among you but I qualify for a bus pass.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 24 Apr 2006, 23:17

BonceChops - Mine is mechanically governed as are most of the XMs but I think most if not all of the Xantias are ECU controlled as they were later. No cruise control.

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 25 Apr 2006, 00:17

guys, thanks, Peter, useful description, well done!

the seller has removed from ebay, I have offered cash but will wait to hear.

i am handy with a spanner, and you've all convinced me that a 2.1 is a good bet,

John

rory_perrett · Post by **rory_perrett** » 25 Apr 2006, 18:42

As everyone says - lovely car. On a run our 2.1td Xantia is more economical than the 1.9td. Around town I think the 1.9 has the edge. Fortunately I've not had to do much on the car but most stuff around the engine is a bit of a pig without major dismantling of things. Up to 190k and still going well. Doesn't appear to have had a clutch yet either unless it was done at a non Cit dealer as not on Cit service history printout that came with the car.

Rory