Xantia Evilness

[tim leech]

Well another day of Xantia s**t, had the timming checked at work, my mechanic reset to what he thought should be right, it doesnt fire at all now, and hes away on a weeks course, and noone else at work will touch it, so its in bits again, I guess its free storage but I really have had enough of this car, all my fond memories of riding round it when it was new as a family car have been replaced with hours of work, mountains of money for something that refuses to drive properly.

Joy!

[Deanxm]

sounds like someones been using the DM crankshaft pulley timing reference points again

Get it up to Richard and make use of his kind offer, he will be able to start from the bottom and work his way through and have it sorted in no time

it runs too well i think to be a compression issue

dont rule anything out until its been tested.

D

[uncle buck]

Sorry to hear of your nightmare with the car tim.

Reading the thread made me think of a problem I had many years ago with a mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier that I had at the time. The car drank the juice and ran a bit lumpy despite my best efforts to cure them, it turned out that the ignition was running advanced all of the time as the 2 small springs that controlled the centrifugal advancement of the distributor had broken, popped on 2 new springs and cured the problem.

So I'm wondering if your timing is to far advanced or it isn't advancing as it should.


Cheers.

[addo]

...dont rule anything out until its been tested.

Exactly. There's no substitute for systematic tests by an informed person - and unfortunately it sounds like this mechanic hasn't moved with the times.

The first thing I'd be doing is checking the damper - to be replaced with NEW if any doubt whatsoever, then timing it up, then compression testing wet/dry. If that's good then the issue is external, probably electrical. Operating parameter checks on a Lexia will reveal any shortcomings there.

[Prilliant03]

Throwing another (remote) possibility in there. Years ago I had a ZX 1.4 that refused to run properly without full choke and drank like Oliver Reed and George Best at a free bar.

Lots of swearing and head scratching later it turned out to be a badly contaminated tank of fuel. My tank was half filled with water!

[tim leech]

It wont be the fuel chaps as I have filled it up and run it dry, ive tried optimax aswell to help it along! My problem is getting a now immobile car down to Richard though.

Is there a foul proof way of timing these engines?

[DickieG]

Is there a foul proof way of timing these engines?

I think a pretty foul job has been done already

As for doing it correctly it's really a case of using a solid pulley as Jim describes then locking the cam etc, if that's done I can't see what's so difficult

Well the offer is there Tim, the car needs time spent on it going through each item very carefully and cross checking with Lexia.

I'll be very disappointed with myself if I can't sort it out, it'll be a personal challenge

[tim leech]

As for doing it correctly it's really a case of using a solid pulley as Jim describes then locking the cam etc, if that's done I can't see what's so difficult

I'll be very disappointed with myself if I can't sort it out, it'll be a personal challenge

Thanks Richard

Does anyone have a solid pulley I can purchase then?

Also wheer abouts are you.

Tim

[Deanxm]

on the 2.0 engines there is a timing mark on the timing belt drive and a marker on the oil seal housing, some others have a locator on the oil seal housing to take a 1/4" section pin, not too sure about the later 16v engines though as i believe they used a different block.


timing belt change4 by Deanxm, on Flickr

D

[tim leech]

on the 2.0 engines there is a timing mark on the timing belt drive and a marker on the oil seal housing, some others have a locator on the oil seal housing to take a 1/4" section pin, not too sure about the later 16v engines though as i believe they used a different block.


timing belt change4 by Deanxm, on Flickr

D

Mines a 1.8 8v though!

[Deanxm]

is the 1.8 8v still an xu block? may well be then and in which case they may be just like the 2.0 8v, forgot yours was 8v.

D

[robert_e_smart]

Its the XU7 I believe.

[tim leech]

is the 1.8 8v still an xu block? may well be then and in which case they may be just like the 2.0 8v, forgot yours was 8v.

D

Yes it is.

Anyone got a bottom pulley then!

[DickieG]

Also wheer abouts are you.

At the bottom of the M40, three miles from J1/M25 J16.

[Chris570]

seriously if I were you I'd be going onto shiply and getting the car to Richard, thats a very generous offer from him and I know that he'll get it done, one way or another. Take a look at his blog and you'll see what I mean.