XM 2.5 TD drivers electric window

noz · Post by **noz** » 13 Jun 2003, 04:01

annanoverone
Apparently a common fault on all series 2 XM's is the window winder mechanism failure. Having compared a series 1 to a series 2 it makes you wnder about Citroen sometimes. The series one has a nylon pulley to and bottom which carry the guide wires which are approx 2.5mm dia. On the series 2, presumably to reduce cost they replaced the bottom pulley with a stationary piece of nylon and reduced the wire dia to approx 1.5mm. The result is that the cable fails.
Citroen want £165 for a whole new drive mechanism. No chance. I obtained a roll of braided wire of the correct diameter (very important - take my word for it ! ) and repaired the broken wire. The trick was how to make the ends. The factory ends are hexagonal in section and are crimped on to the end of the wire in a hydraulic press. Having none of those things, I had to improvise. By drilling out the centre of an 8mm length of 6inch nail with a 2 mm drill I had a ready made end. I slipped it over the end of teh wire with a little perseverance and hit it several times with a hammer, rotating it as I went. I threaded the wire through the outers and the plastic guides and fixed another piece of 6 inch nail to the other end.
An important trick is to get the length of the wire almost exactly right. I got it wrong on several attempts before I realised the importance of the length. As one end of the wire unwinds from the drum the other end of the second wire is winding on to the drum at the same rate. Essentially, all the grooves on the drum should be filled with wire no matter the position of the window. There should be no empty grooves. The two springs on the cable ends should be well compressed when the wire wrapped around the drum correctly.
The mechanism was fed through the holes in the door (proficiency in chinese puzzles or the Rubicks cube a necessity for this part)and refitted. The glass was refitted and the door inner cover replaced. The window works a treat on both the manual and the one-touch buttons.
Hope this helps someone. If you need to know the details let me know.
cheers
noz[8D]

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 13 Jun 2003, 04:32

Well done Noz! How nice to see a well explained and useful piece of creative engineering endeavour. I reckon that one is worth putting in the Fixes treasury and saved for posterity on this site. It will undoubtedly save many a car from the scrappy.

Alex S · Post by **Alex S** » 13 Jun 2003, 05:55

Hi , it is nice to see that i am not alone.[8D]Have done the same thing on Xantia 3 months ago exactly as you've described.The hardest thing to me was to figure out the correct cable length .

Post by **Jon** » 13 Jun 2003, 14:23

Nice work Noz!
I've copied this one into Common Problems and Fixes.

noz · Post by **noz** » 14 Jun 2003, 00:11

Glad to be of service. I forgot to measure the wire before refitting the last time bu tif someone's desperate I'll take it back out again and measure it.
The correct length is really a key parameter of the whole repair. Too long and the springs can't keep the tension and the wire slips off the drum. Too short and there are insufficient turns to move the window from one end to another before the cable end comes out of the slot in the drum.
happy motoring
cheers
noz[8D]