Update from new Xantia V6 owner

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sirrah09
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Update from new Xantia V6 owner

Post by sirrah09 »

It is now 8 weeks since I took delivery of my new Xantia V6 and I am still over the moon with the enjoyment of driving such a classy car.

There are a couple of idiosyncracies of the xantia which intrigue me.

I have run the battery flat three times by leaving the key in the car after coming home from shopping which seems a bit risky. it would seem that the key must be removed form the vehicle and all the doors closed when not actually driving. This rules out sitting in the country with the door open while listening to the radio.

As a further complication and minor irritant there is an intriguing whistle emanating from under the boot which seems to be associated with the security system as it stops after the car has been locked for twenty or so seconds.

Is there any way of working around these issues ?

The car is trouble free but, as advised by the vendor, it is using about 1 litre of coolant every 300km. Auto France where I took it for a post purchase check were surprised as they said they pressure tested the cooling system. I suspect it may be the water pump as it has started to squeak intermittently. hopefully this is not a major job.
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Post by CitroJim »

Great to hear you're loving the car :D

The ignition switch has a bleeper to warn you the key is left in (or it should have) also, it's vital the car is always put into P when parked up as again a bleeper will sound if not left in P. I'm wondering if there is a problem surrounding this bleeper and circuitry that is causing the battery drain. How long did it take for the battery to run flat?

The whilstle you hear under the rear is normal. It's the rear hydractive electrovalve which switched the suspension between soft and firm. It is fed by a 1KHz squarewave and hence the whilstle. It whilstles when in soft mode and the suspension will remain in soft mode for 30s after the ignition is switched off and the last doo closed. You'll notice the whistle starts up again as soon as you open any door. If you leave the ignition off and leave a door open, the suspension will remain in soft mode for 30 minutes before switching back to hard in order to conserve battery power.

Incidentially, as the hydractive soft mode is activated whenever a door is open, there is a possibility this is also running your battery flat if there is a problem with the door switches or the switch in the tailgate. It's not unknown for an intermittent switch on the tailgate to cause the hydractive electrovales to be operated all the time, even with the ignition off, and this can run down the battery over the course of a day or so.

I would check that the whilsting definitely stops after 30s and after locking the car.

It's not a good idea to leave keys in the ignition, at least not here in the UK. Life in NZ is clearly more trusting and benign if you are happy to leave keys in!
Jim

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Post by CitroJim »

Sorry, forgot to comment on the coolant consumption.

I find my V6 uses a drop but not so much as that. I suspect a tiny leak somewhere. so small that it's not leaving a visible trace. Favourite spots are the header tank seam, this often splits, The header tank cap has become weak and is allowing coolnat to escape through the overflow hole, the mass of hoses and joints just above the gearbox around the thermostat housing and the heater matrix. The raidiator can develop pinholes that jet coolant out but little trace is left as the coolant almost instantly evaporates.

I know it's summer in NZ but turn the heater on full-blast and see if you can smell the distinctive odour of coolant, a curry-like smell. If you can, the matrix is leaky. Also, you may find damp in the passenger footwell. Wether the heater is on or off, coolant still circulates through the matrix; there is no valve on it.

The water pump could be weeping and this should be given away by traces of dried coolant near the crankshaft pulley. Replacement is a major job as the cambelt has to come off to get at it. The waterpump is cambelt driven.

Whenever the cambelt is replaced, the water pump should be done also.

Cambelt replacement is a skilled and expensive job although it is possible to do yourself. I can provide a guide to doing it...
Jim

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Post by xantia_v6 »

I don't think you ever told us how many km your car has done.

I would agree with Jim that a leaking seam on the header tank, or a leaking radiator are the most likely problems (I have had both).

I can't remember hearing of an es9j4 pump failing or leaking, so I would be a bit surprised. I don't think you would be able to tell a water pump squeak from any of a dozen bearings and pulleys at that end of the engine.

If you do do decide to change the pump, note that there are aftermarket pumps available for around £60 in the UK, which is probably much cheaper than you can get in NZ, but you should probably change the timing belt and the timing belt tensioner at the same time, to fit the later C5 style automatic tensioner which is much easier to refit than the original tensioner.

BTW, if you ever decide to sell the car, let us know, I might be returning to NZ and need a good V6 :wink:
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Post by sirrah09 »

Thanks for the helpful info Jim and Xantia V6 . . . it seems with all the electronics this is not a car to sit around in, even the door light only has two positions . . on all the time or when the door is opened . . no isolator position which seems to be standard in most cars. I guess i will have to make some behavioural adjustments. I am inrtruiged by the information about the hydra active valve. . . is this the same as selectable soft and firm modes and would it help if i put it into firm mode when parked up. Is there any info on how much battery power is used when the car is locked. I have a little honda shuttle which i will continue to use for town running as it is more economical and zippier. The xantia could sit for a few days . . .Thanks for the lead on the coolant loss issue Jim . . I will follow those up. The car has done 182k which is quite high but was owned by a farmer who used it mostly for long runs. I may well be interested in selling in the future because owning a 3 litre citroen is a slightly whimsical affair and my wife may eventually persuade me to buy a hybrid when the prices come down and petrol is $4/litre. By the way I see you are dismantling a MKII . . do you by any chance have a LH door mirror glass that you might be interested in selling. My pet mechanic from Auto France has had one on order to replace the hopeless flat glass replacement that is in mine but nothing has turned up yet.
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Post by Citroenmad »

Usually if you leave a door open for a time the interior lights will go out on their own. The Xms do this so i would assume a Xantia would too.

It does sound like it either has a weak battery or there is something really draining the power when your parked up.
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Post by Xaccers »

The "sport" selection button (to the right of the steering wheel, looks like a zig zag spring) reduces the thresholds at which the suspension firms up, so you have nice soft ride then when you hit less of a bend than with the button off, the car goes into firm mode.
After 30s of the engine off and the doors closed, the car should go into firm mode.
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