Speedo and cruise control, airbag light and alarm probs

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xantia sx auto
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Speedo and cruise control, airbag light and alarm probs

Post by xantia sx auto »

Hi everyone
I have just found myself a 2.0 sx auto xantia with 82k, it was described as having dodgy speedo and cruise not working but also the side airbag light is on,(gonna try wires under the seats) but also the blooming boot does not always unlock and I think that is what keeps making the alarm go off all the time, when i lock the car with the button it beebs and i believe this should only beep if a rear door/boot is not shut??
main worry though is the speedo dies and cruise never works, is this the speed sensor problem or something else?? does anyone know if the speed sensors are the same for automatics as manuals? are they easy to do? and how much are they?
also i think there are some fault codes on the car, how do i read these or do i need to have a special computer or be a millionair to go and see citroen!??
should my suspension go down? it does but i was reading somewhere that a xantia shouldn't???
sorry for so much but am new to this car, had a few bx's but they seem a world apart!!!
any help would be most welcomed
thanks
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Post by CitroJim »

Welcome to the forum!

I assume the Xantia in question is the MK2 and fitted with the AL4 Auto-Adaptive autobox. All electronic...

Yes, the cruise control will stop working if the speed sensor is not giving a good signal.

The sensor itself is mounted on top of the RH (lobng) driveshaft boss on the end of the diff. It's not easy to see or get at as it has a heatshield around it and often a shiny fabric sleeve as well. It's worth cjecking the wiring to it. The speed sensor itself is normally fairly good and well behaved.

It can be tested (along with everyting else) using a Lexia diagnostic tool. Some of us have them and if you look in the SuperSticky area of the forum you will find a list of members who offer Lexia sessions. Hopefully, one will be near you.
Jim

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Post by xantia sx auto »

it's a w reg 2000, no idea about the autobox, you say they are normally well behaved but i've been reading sooo many threads about bad ones! I suppose i better look at wires but have no idea what i'm looking for!!! are the sensors the same on manual and auto's? any other cars the same like xm or 406 ? someone said they are but i take it you work for citroen so you should know best.
Thanks for ya help
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Post by xantia sx auto »

oh and any advise on my other probs???/
cheers
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Post by Xaccers »

Sinking could be spheres in need of replacement.
Do you have any service history saying when they were changed, especially the accumulator and anti-sink spheres as these often get missed (although an unscrupulous garage may still charge for them).
Get the car running and listen at the front of the engine for a loud tick/click
There should be at least 30 seconds between ticks, longer if the accumulator has been recently changed.
Also check the LHM pump to see if the seals around the 19mm union and blanking plate (over the back) are leaking. They're pennies to replace from a main dealer. Some dealerships insist on buying 10, so check on the forum as many people have spares.
If the accumulator needs replacing, chances are the anti-sink sphere does too. Despite its name, it's really a rear accumulator.
Xantias will sink a bit after you get out, as they rise up due to the removal of weight, which takes pessure from the system, then adjust their height.
Other causes can be a leak somewhere, either back into the system via the leakage return pipes or a small leak to the outside.
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Post by xantia sx auto »

it's had spheres done but how long do they last? where is the anti sink sphere and also the actuator? i checked for leaks when i got it yesterday! his drive looked clean too! so hopefully no leaks! should the car sink over time or never do so?
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Post by xantia sx auto »

sorry not actuator i meant accumulator! (whatever that is!) where would this be??
thanks
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Post by Xaccers »

Accumulator is normally right at the front of the engine down low.
The anti-sink sphere is at the back of the car, behind the spare wheel basket in the middle.
Genuine Citroen spheres last up to 6 years I believe, and amtex (from GSF) last about 3 but are a fraction of the price.

Another test of the accumulator is to get the car running, let it settle on it's own, turn it off and sit in the boot.
Assuming you weigh 10-15stone it should sink down, and then within 30seconds rise back up if your accumulator is good.

I don't know of any easy way to test the A/S sphere unless you take it off and build yourself a sphere tester.
A good rule of thumb is change it when the accumulator need doing, and on a newly bought car, change it unless you know for certain it's been done.
They're only about £22 from GSF for each sphere, and there are plenty of threads covering how best to change each one.

Remember, never ever go under the car unless it's supported on axle stands etc, they can sink down and make a mess of you.
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Post by xantia sx auto »

the spheres it had fitted were about 56 pounds each according to reciept and done last year so i'll try the acumulator test and see what happned, is that like another sphere on the front of the engine, I ran her up and listened but heard no really loud ticks, only ticking i heard was about 8 seconds apart!
thanks for your help, just spent ages hoovering the car and went to start it and the battery is flat so not happy, taken it off to charge so with any luck when i put it back on it'll reset all the ecu faults and drive like a dream without the airbag light on!!! do you know if when i put it back the alarm will go off as i live in a built up area full of old biddies!!!
thank u
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Post by Xaccers »

£56 would suggest they're genuine citron spheres, which is good.
How many were changed?
Your car being a SX has 6 spheres, 4 on the corners, the Acc, and the A/S.
If only 4 spheres were changed, then it's most likely time to do the acc and a/s, especially with an 8 second tick from the accumulator.

All spheres are basically the same, a metal ball with a nitrogen filled balloon inside (citroen spheres have multiple membranes though which is why they last longer).
Suspension spheres have dampners in them.
They have different volumes and pressures though, and different fittings.
Most screw into a socket which the hydraulic pipe is already screwed into, others like the a/s screw into a bracket and the pipe screws directly into the back of the sphere.
Spheres can be regassed if they haven't ruptured, although with amtex ones it's about the same price to buy new.

Reconnecting the battery in my experience usually sets off the alarm when you open the door.
So try deadlocking (two presses of the lock button on the remote) then unlocking.
Otherwise, when you open the door, get your figer on the dash button which looks like waves being transmitted from a point and start the car.
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Post by xantia sx auto »

so the accumulator itself would be ok it just needs a new sphere??? I know only the 4 corners were done so hopefully it just needs an accumulator sphere? do they just undo like an oil filter or are they left hand thread or something??? or is the actual accumulator itself something that needs to be changed, i'll sort that out first as i know that's not right as it ticks more often than 30 secs! i can't seem to find any threads on how to change them as if i put in sphere or accumulator in the search it seems to show every page that has that word in! anyone know how i just search for a subject??? i'm probably being thick!

noticed yesterday that the cruise cable has been taken off and it somehow seems that the cable is too short now, looks like it must have got stuck at speed!! must have been scarey for the old chap i got it from!! is this a common fault? any fix's?

oh and the button with the alarm crossed behind the wiper stalk by the door, what does that do, does it turn this horrid alarm off? it's not in my handbook at all! i pressed it with car running and it didn't do anything but i'm scared to press it any other time in case it shouts at me!!!

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Post by xantia sx auto »

hmmm
just had a look at my lhm leval and it was a bit low, thought that might have been my problem but it only took half a litre while on top setting with engine running to top it up between marks!

Now though the ticks are every 4 seconds instead of 30!!!!

if i change the actuator sphere will this make it tick less??

the spheres on it are amtex not genuine
is the actuator sphere called that or has it got a special name that i need to quote when ordering?
thanks
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Post by CitroJim »

This thread will tell you all you need to know about changing spheres.

4 seconds does tend to indicate the accumulator sphere is a bit worn. Replacement is easy but occasionally they can be very tight. They do indeed just screw off conventionally.

GSF supply them: 453PC0011 ACCUMULATOR SPHERE XANTIA ACCUMULATOR 21.50

Did you carry out Xac's "sit in the boot" test? That really does test the accumulator..

Hopefully, a new accumulator sphere will increase your tick rate considerably. If it does not, you have another fault, most likely high internal leakage although such faults are rare.

Be aware that a flat accumulator is bad as it can impose heavy loads and potential damage on the hydraulic components through pressure spikes, normally seen as leaks at the pump, and an absence of a reserve of pressure for emergency braking in the event of sudden engine or pump drive belt failure.

As Xac says, there is no quick test for the Anti-Sink sphere. It is mis-named as it has nothing whatever to do with sinking! It is in fact a rear brake accumulator and it is necessary as a consequence of the anti-sink system, not because it is a part of it.

One way to test the A-S sphere is to try bleeding the rear brakes with the engine switched off. If good, you should be able to get some fluid out when you try bleeding them.
Jim

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Post by xantia sx auto »

i sat in the boot with engine off and it didn't rise up again until i got off, but it comes back up if i sit in with engine running

do i need a new accumulator or just accumulator sphere??? is the accumulator the sphere itself or the bit it screws onto??
thanks
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Post by CitroJim »

xantia sx auto wrote:i sat in the boot with engine off and it didn't rise up again until i got off, but it comes back up if i sit in with engine running

do i need a new accumulator or just accumulator sphere??? is the accumulator the sphere itself or the bit it screws onto??
thanks
Ahh well, QED. Flat Accumulator...

Just the accumulator sphere needs replacing, the green ball. The bit it screws into is called the pressure regulator and that's the bit that ticks. It's essentially a hydraulic thermostat and jolly expensive; fortunately it's pretty reliable...
Jim

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