The transporter lorry (a 7.5T Isuzu) was an excellent piece of kit with a double articulating bed that laid out almost flat on the ground when extended fully. It made loading a breeze and unloading easy too. I don't know how it happened but whe we arrived home with the XM on the back, the little close where I live was almost deserted. Normally it is littered with cars in the evening but for once and most unusually on Wednesday it wasn't
The XM guardian angels were out in force!The gearbox has failed good and proper but at Wetherby it had just enough drive left in it to load it but sadly it chose the time after revering off the transporter at home to decide than that was it and it has now totally lost all drive. It sounds very rough too. Three of us had to push the XM the last few yards onto my driveway...
So what have I got? A 19999 3.0 V6 S2 in Mauritius Blue that will henceforth be known as 'LAB' due to the letters on her number plate. She has multipoint LPG fitted.
This evening I've had a good look at her and I'm pleased with what I find. She looks a bit forlorn, being a bit grimy and dog-eared after sitting for six months and some paintwork is a bit iffy and in need of work. Despite that, she's bodily very sound and has a complete set of very straight panels. Not a ding or a dent anywhere. All glass is good.
The strut tops look a bit rusty but they are reasonably sound and will respond to some attention. Similarly the exhaust.
Inside she's absolutely immaculate and as dry as a bone so no leaks.
All her toys work perfectly, including the two displays, all windows, sunroof, seats and armrest. Even all windows go up and down. The only two small problems is a light out on the wireless giving a dark display and a problem with the alarm. The central locking works fine from the plip but when an alarm set is attempted the indicators light up and stay lit up forever...
The wireless is no problem as a thread on Club-XM shows how to replace the display bulbs - Thanks Robert for pointing it to me
The engine is sound and starts instantly with no issues at all. The gearbox isn't though and I suspect the lock-up clutch in the torque converter has broken up and caused it's usual havoc. Only time will tell there.
The only other obvious fault is a leak of biblical proportions from the LHM pump. Hopefully it is just O rings but there is a possibility it's cracked. I have a spare...
So, what to do? First job is to have the engine and gearbox out and do a full gearbox rebuild and whilst it is out, replace the engine cambelt, water pump and thermostat. The task of removing the engine looks easier than the Xantia by virtue of the whole front end being removable but the job will be made a bit more tricky by generally poor access and the LPG system being in the way. The exhaust to cat joint looks like an absolute devil to get to...
Then, before the engine goes back in the rest of the car will be given a good restoration. I plan to drop both subframes, clean them up and rustproof them, take the sills back to bare metal and repaint them as close to their original appearance as possible and do the other areas of paint requiring attention so I'll be learning some new skills on this car hopefully. Touch wood I'll not need to learn how to weld
This is going to be no quick, rush job. there is no time limit, no deadline and I plan to do the job properly, however long it takes and end up with a very nice XM at the end of it. She's a good candidate for a full restoration even if at first glance there's a tad of scruffiness apparent...
No doubt this is the first of many entries in this blog...
I'll be in touch...
