Xantia aircon

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addo
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Post by addo »

I think it's comparatively harder to stuff tablets down the throat of an unwilling cat with serious jaws, than it is to change a TX valve.

My present kitty is the most docile animal about, you just open his beak and put the tablet in.
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

Alfred's never been into treats like that unfortunately, he's very set in his ways, won't try anything new!! Unlike the other Maine Coon, Basile, who will try anything once and if he wants food you've got he will happily climb up and pester to get it. Basile loves prawns so if we get some from the supermarket we set a place for him at the table :shock: with us and he sits there and waits for prawns to be shelled and broken into bite-sized bits and put on his plate, if we're not quick enough with the next one he starts to fidget, stamping his paws! Alfred will not touch prawns, he's a 'if it doesn't come out of a foil cat food pouch I'm not interested' kind of cat, although he will eat raw chicken and rabbit occasionally.
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

Addo you're so lucky to have a cat that takes tablets, OH and I are covered in scars!!

To get back on topic, I don't relish having to remove the LHM tank to change the TX valve, think that is a step too far for us at the moment.
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
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AX - bad mistake!
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Taking out the LHM tank isn't so difficult as long as you are prepared. I use a small pump to empty the tank first, and then there isn't any mess to clear up.

Alfred sounds like a right character. When Mum bred Seal Point Siamese they also were characters, but they never were allowed to be choosy over their food. She got them good quality meat, and added bone meal (and a few other things) to it. Any that didn't want it didn't eat it, but this didn't happen often. Seven cats tucking into a tray of meat makes quite a contented noise, and they learned that what they didn't eat the others would! She must have got the mix right, as she was the first breeder in Europe to produce 2 Grand Champion International winners.

Grooming them wasn't a problem either, as they had short coats. However, she made a few velvet mittens to groom them with, using the pile to help keep their coats clean. I have seen cat grooming gloves, which have small soft rubber cones on the palms and fingers. You just stroke the cats while wearing the gloves, and they help keep the coats tangle free (unless they have managed to get a serious tangle going!). Excalibur (her stud cat) had a large nail brush screwed to his shelf in his area, and if there wasn't anybody available to make a fuss of him he would groom himself against the brush.
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Post by addo »

So I'm not the only one who gives the cat his own chair at the table! :lol:

The TX valve can corrode on its shaft; I suppose in a European climate the aircon isn't going to work so hard as it does in Australia so a slight "defect" would not impact on function noticeably - hence people not reporting problems. The CX was the last Citroën here without good aircon, and this very shortcoming meant they are seen poorly by many people (myself included) as a practical car for everyday - in Summer, they're just too hot!
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

The problem is that Alfred has been ill for so long that 'what Alfred wants Alfred gets' and he knows it! We tried a raw food diet with him but eventually he went off it and at the time getting food into him was important so he went back to his favourite commercial cat food, that cat is not stupid! Basile will not touch raw meat and yet he is happy to catch voles and mice (the cats have fenced area to themselves in the garden and only come into the main garden with us, they are not allowed to roam the countryside, we were warned that foxes kill cats here!!). Alfred was a champion kitten before we bought him at 10 mths old, but apparently his ears had become spaced to far apart to be a champion adult so the breeder didn't want him :(

No Addo you're not the only one to give in to a cat! When we lived in the UK we had a small little black cat, Quaver, who slept between us on the bed, however when she died (19 years old) Alfred took her place as senior cat and decided that he should also take her place on the bed!! We had to buy a bigger bed to accommodate him, 10kg of cat who is not going to give up a nice comfy duvet without a fight is not easy to move at 3am, and of course we indulged him because he missed Quaver :roll: So he still comes on the bed, not so often in summer, and can be seen flat on his back, four paws in the air, leaning against one of us - he does like to cuddle :lol:

I have just registered with Citroen Service so will investigate removing the LHM tank if there are instructions? Hoping to find wiring diagrams as well for the alarm.
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
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AX - bad mistake!
ZX 1.9D
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Taking the tank off is not difficult (10 minute job), it just can be messy. You will need a 10mm spanner or socket and the bottom half of a plastic bottle (to protect the pickup and drop tubes), and (if you can find one) a pump to drain the tank first. If you don't have a pump don't worry, you can remove that tank with LHM in it, just be careful not to drop it as it will make a 3L mess!

Empty the tank if you can, and then unclip and remove the metal clip that zigzags over the centre of the pickup mechanism. Examine the pipework as they drop down past the tank, and you will see they are held in place by a plastic framework. This can be unclipped from the side of the tank, so do so. Lift the pickup mechanism slowly from the tank, allowing it to drain back into the tank. You might need to unplug the two wires from the level sensor, so do so (they can go back on either way around without ill effects). Use the plastic bottle to protect the pickup and to catch any remaining LHM. Look at the back of the tank, and you will see it is held in place against the bulkhead. Undo the two nuts (10mm, IIRC), and then carefully lift up the front of the tank. This is held down in a rubber collar that engages a stem that protrudes under the tank. This can let go rapidly, allowing the tank to come free quickly (if you are not careful) and spread LHM across the engine bay. You can now lift the tank out. If there is LHM in it put it to one side where it cannot get knocked over, which is easy as its lower shape means it does not sit level.

Refitting is just a reverse of the process. If I have made any mistakes (or missed anything out) others with more experience will correct me.

What mileage has she done, and when was the LHM last changed? Citroen recommend changing it every 36,000 miles (about 50,000KM), and using the hydraflush every third change to clean out the pipework, valves, etcetera.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Neither of you are the only ones to give in to pets. My Mum has a dog called Brandy (of a breed similar to Alsatian, but slightly smaller), and recently they had a massive thunderstorm go overhead. This upset Brandy so much she wanted to get onto Mums' bed for comfort. This would not normally be a problem, but Mum lives on a narrow boat, and her bed is about 4' high (storage space underneath, as well as the calorifier underneath). Mum had to lift her up onto the bed, as poor Brandy was whimpering so much neither of them would have had much sleep.

The reason Wahh-li wasn't mentioned was that she recently succumbed to a cancer, and had to be put to sleep.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR

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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

Well the LHM tank sounds straightforward to remove, but the OH is 'twitchy' about keeping the LHM clean - retired engineer with the view that where hydraulics are concerned 'cleanliness is above Godliness'!! The car has done 94K but hasn't been used much in the last 4 years because I have been ill, so hasn't done 36K since some of the spheres were changed a few years ago. I'm just about back to full health now hence the restoration project on Snoopy (Xantia).

Sorry to hear about Wahh-li, we've gone through the same thing with two dogs in the past few years, it's heart-breaking.
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
GS Pallas
GSA X1
AX - bad mistake!
ZX 1.9D
3 x Opel Manta
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

You can let the OH know there are very fine filters on both the intake and output sides, and that LHM does not take up water.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR

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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

That'll put his mind at rest!
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
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AX - bad mistake!
ZX 1.9D
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Check page 4 of this post;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=44923" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR

C5 2.2HDi VTX+
Yes, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

That topic gives enough info for me to be happy to play around with the tank and even do that mod if appropriate, thought she was hitting potholes a bit hard on Wednesday. Thanks for posting the link James, greatly appreciated.
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
GS Pallas
GSA X1
AX - bad mistake!
ZX 1.9D
3 x Opel Manta
Hell Razor5543
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

I cannot speak for the mod (I have not had to do it to Gracie), but I selected that post as it clearly shows the LHM filters.
James
ex BX 1.9
ex Xantia 2.0HDi SX
ex Xantia 2.0HDi LX
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR
Ex C5 2.0HDi VTR

C5 2.2HDi VTX+
Yes, I am paranoid, but am I paranoid ENOUGH?
Out amongst the stars, looking for a world of my own!
Xantia97
Posts: 208
Joined: 19 Jun 2013, 20:04
Location: Bretagne, France
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Re: Xantia aircon

Post by Xantia97 »

I may not have to do the mod on Snoopy, I need to run her a bit more first, she's been very idle the past few months especially. Saw the LHM filters, all those photos take the mystery out of the LHM tank. Used to do all my own maintenance on my cars when I was in my teens and twenties (now in my forties :shock: ), even stripped down a carburettor because the car wouldn't start, it did after I'd played with it - didn't have much of a clue what I was doing though, Haynes was my bible then, not much use for the Xantia though. Bit out of practice with car maintenance but am looking forward to getting back in the swing of it and doing as much as I can :-D
1997 Xantia 1.9TD LX (owned for 14 years) - Snoopy

Gone but always remembered
GS Pallas
GSA X1
AX - bad mistake!
ZX 1.9D
3 x Opel Manta
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