Dean's Activa/XM/V6 and now Talbot blog

[DickieG]

Jim's spot on with the cost of daughters, mine will be 17 tomorrow,,,,, not so sure that she's as expensive to run as an Activa, although far more reliable.

[Deanxm]

Children have an ability to consume money like an Activa consumes petrol

Robert How dare you suggest Dean weigh in the Activa. Shame on you

Wow can children really be THAT bad, I mean come on a V6 maybe, but Activa consumption, that's a tall order. Before you pipe up Robert I'm sure the XM TCT is just as bad.

Congratulations Dean, is she registered with an FCF account yet? Also is she getting a Xantia or an XM first.....

If mums got anything to do with it she will be pink and girly and about as interested in cars as i am in handbags (not very in case you were wondering )

I think the Activa is doing well tbh (back on topic) ive used a touch over a quarter of a tank so far this week and done 132 miles, so if you say 20 litres used thats got to be about 27 mpg and in 30-40mph limits stop start and not carefull drivnig, just getting from A-B asap without racing , im very happy with that, having the engine actualy make some boost might be helping though as you can go anywhere at 1300rpm in 5th which it doesnt like in the aweful state Citroen tuned it to.

D

[red_dwarfers]

Congratulations Dean!
I'm well pleased for you and the missus!

[Deanxm]

Thank you Kev!

D

[Deanxm]

Just dropped the Activa subframe, two bolts and 10 minutes including jacking and i can get my hand over the top now and get access, looks likt the 't' peice where the activa electrovalve and hydractive electrovalve come together, both pipes are badly split all down their length and seem very greasy, just having some Tea and getting back out so wish me luck.

Thankfully its modified, the exhaust way a doddle to drop and with no wheel carrier life is so much simpler.

D

[Deanxm]

Does anyone have the part number for this return pipe from the rear electrovalve and arcs electrovalve, it sits on top of the rear subframe and is a moulded 'T' peice, my chassis number is VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff], over the phone the parts guys are a little vague sounding and it doesnt help that we all call things different names to Citroen, i dont want them to order the part only for it to be wrong.

D

[Deanxm]

Not to worry, thee guys at the parts department emailed me through the drawings (god they are vague drawings) and ive pinned the part down, just waiting for availability and price now.

Edit £60 and not available for two weeks!!!!
D

[Citroenmad]

Congratulations on your new arrival Dean

Shame about the Activa being incontinent, not what you want im sure.

[Deanxm]

Thanks Chris, not sleeping much but she is worth it

a few piccies of the days fun, very easy to do really, would have to lower the whole subframe to re pipe any high pressure stuff but still a simple enough task gettting it off i think, the exhaust actualy makes life so simple as its one peice from the cat back and can be lowered while attached to the subframe, also there are no heat sheilds in the way.

Activa leak6 by Deanxm, on Flickr

Activa leak5 by Deanxm, on Flickr

Activa leak4 by Deanxm, on Flickr
Of course the main leak was from the moulded 'T' so i cut the pipe off and dug as much of the old stuff out from within the T as i could, i then re attached the pipe to the plastic sleeve inside the moulded bit and zip tie it as it barely hangs on, seems to be dry untill the eye wateringly expensive new one gets here, at least the parts guys were on the ball at my local dealer, they are a good bunch there.

Activa leak1 by Deanxm, on Flickr

Funnily enough i thought the turbo was going the other week as i took it for a long run and on the way home gave it some go, out of the back i could see a cloud of thick blue smoke, i muttered some expletives but have a spare turbo and gasket set so it could easily (well i say easily) of been done whilst i tackle the clutch but it turned out to be the lhm burning on the back box, took a lot of cleaning to get it all off today.

D

[davetherave]

I missed this! Congratulations Dean!
Lots of sleepless nights ahead I imagine.
60 quid seems steep!
Parts departments are great if you know the exact part number you need, which reminds me I must put my citroen service DVD on this laptop!
I am a bit lost without it.

[Deanxm]

£60+ vat i think, its enough to make you weep, but i need one asap before my bodge dies and where else can you get something like that? i was going to make one out of a 'T' peice and some silicone hose but tbh the original has done 15 years and its in a pita place, its not like you can pop it back on mid journey if your mass of silicone hose and B&Q plastic joiners fail.

Thanks for the congrats Dave.

D

[Deanxm]

Just topped up the activa and worked out the the mpg, she is doing 25mpg town driving between 30-45mph with trips up to 6 to 8 mile with lots of 1-2mile trips to the shops and stuff like that, i dont think thats too bad, what do you other activa drivers get away from the motorways?

D

[Citroenmad]

Ive calculated mine does around 22-24MPG round town, that is sitting in lots of traffic and not often going above 30-40. With the AC on last summer it was doing about 20.

On my 25 mile round trip to work, mixture of town, dual carrigeways and stop start traffic it does around 26/27 and on a good long, high speed, motorway run about 31/32.

Not too bad really

[KP]

That's pretty bad for a HDi lol

Seriously not bad for a tct engine. I struggle to better that in my current chariot

[Deanxm]

I struggle to better that in my current chariot

Its worth it though KP

D