Couple Questions about Xantia!

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 06:43

it seems like there's a coolant leak somewhere but i have checked all hoses and seems like nothing's wrong with it, it takes about 1 litre every week.

when i bought the car the guy who sold it to me said that i will need to change the rear right arm bearing but since i live in finland and i'm not finnish so i got caught in the culture shock thing, is there a difference between arm bearing and trail arm bearing? should i buy the whole kit or just the hubs?

the feul gauge is not working properly when it gets to quarter of the tank it means that it's empty so i have to drive by the trip meter and hope for the best

it would be nice to have it fixed, any ideas are much appreciated.

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 26 Oct 2010, 07:35

Is there a curry/cat pee smell when the heater is on? Are either of the footwells wet under the carpet?
Could be the heater matrix is on its way out and needs replacing.

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 07:58

Xac wrote:Is there a curry/cat pee smell when the heater is on? Are either of the footwells wet under the carpet?
Could be the heater matrix is on its way out and needs replacing.

no nothing like that at all

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 26 Oct 2010, 08:04

Any signs of anti freeze seepage on the rad?? IE: Blue marks etc...

As for your fuel guage this has been covered, on here and by myself.. The MOST likely thing to be causing guage problem will be a small "Piggyback" driver board in the clocks, behind the Speedo! Unfortunally if I remember correctly its intrigated into the clocks, so the easyest solution is to source a replacement set of clocks (speedo, rev counter binnacle)

Has the water pump been replaced either recently or with the last belt change??

Paul

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 26 Oct 2010, 08:11

I've encountered gauge issues due to tank sender problems so don't discount
this as a problem not the dash; what model/engine is it?

One and tge same; the trailing arm bearings are the cause of a leaning arm
not to be confused with the wheel bearing. Does the wheel whine when
driven or lean in at the top and rub against the inner boot side.

Andrew

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 08:35

Any signs of anti freeze seepage on the rad?? IE: Blue marks etc...

No

Has the water pump been replaced either recently or with the last belt change??

I have no idea as i bought it recently but it just passed the yearly inspection if that might help.

I've encountered gauge issues due to tank sender problems so don't discount
this as a problem not the dash; what model/engine is it?

It's 94 1.8 8V SX
yes the wheel whine alot when i'm drivng and the wheels seem to be tilted as well

Old-Guy · Post by **Old-Guy** » 26 Oct 2010, 08:57

Coolant leaking from the water pump isn't a safety issue - so I wouldn't expect any equivalent of the UK MoT (except in Japan) to cover it. If your Xant still has the engine bay undershield in place, the water pump can't be seen by an inspector anyway.

Whining wheel is wheel bearing. Leaning wheel could be just wheel bearing if worn to extreme, but more likely to be rear arm.

If you search the forum you'll find plenty of posts on replacing the rear arm bearing.

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 09:53

ok will check the pump and most likely will change the the arm bearing, thanks alot

now any ideas how to check the tanks sender?
and by the way i have few lights out like the stereo and clock and AC controls could it be a fuse or the bulbs need to e changed?

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 26 Oct 2010, 15:14

The fuel gauge may have dry joints where it’s soldered into the main board.
Clock and AC control lights out are blown bulbs.
The stereo has its own bulbs, and depend on the make.

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 15:24

Thanks alot guess i will be busy for a while!!

Post by **RichardW** » 26 Oct 2010, 16:57

Aren't those the 4 pins for the speedo Clogzz????

(On my to do list, although speedo has been behaving itself recently!)

Post by **CitroJim** » 26 Oct 2010, 17:25

One possibility here could well be small pinholes in the radiator that expel water which in the heat immediately evaporates and leaves no trace although usually a bit of crystalline anti-freeze deposit will be seen on the radiator core if you look carefully...

This fault can often be smelt at the end of a long journey by the odour of anti-freeze under the bonnet..

Ref · Post by **Ref** » 26 Oct 2010, 18:58

CitroJim wrote:One possibility here could well be small pinholes in the radiator that expel water which in the heat immediately evaporates and leaves no trace although usually a bit of crystalline anti-freeze deposit will be seen on the radiator core if you look carefully...

This fault can often be smelt at the end of a long journey by the odour of anti-freeze under the bonnet..

i will have it checked since i can't spot anything, thanks for the help!

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 27 Oct 2010, 14:57

the 4 pins for the speedo

They’re the pins of the fuel gauge on the Mk I.
Think that the speedo has a mounting on the inside of the double-sided printed board with more widely-spaced pins.

Misbehaving speedo can come from an intermittent pick-up or greasy pick-up connector.

Old-Guy · Post by **Old-Guy** » 27 Oct 2010, 17:34

Over-optimistic fuel gauge - I'd check the easy and obvious first:

1. Are the connections at the sender unit clean and and firmly located?

2. Remove the tank unit (it will drip so have a fuel-proof container to put it in) and check that the float arm isn't bent downwards and there's nothing preventing full travel. While you're at it, clean the in-tank filter if there is one.

Jim's suggestion about coolant stains as a give-away for pin-holes - look at both faces of the radiator (and elsewhere); the front face of the radiator is more vulnerable to impact damage and corrosion.