V6 Xantia info

[yannbeam]

Good evening chaps. Does anyone know of a good source of info for the ES9 engine in the Xantia V6 ? There appears to be nothing from haynes or the usual suspects. Also seems to be precious little of any use on the web. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I dont want to give the old girl indigestion!

[Stickyfinger]

What do you need to know ? What are the jobs you are panning ?

[CitroJim]

Indeed, as Alasdair says, there are many of us on here with much knowledge of the ES9J4.. I've had several in bits and have the official Citroen service documentation on the engine..

A search of ebay may throw up a copy for you... It's good and useful if you intend to do a full rebuild...

[yannbeam]

I was just after general info about servicing etc, although more indepth info would be usefull incase I have to do any major work. I've located a manual for the Renault version of the engine but I'm not certain what differences there are between the two. There is no service history with the car so I'm unsure of when it last had the timing belt changed etc.

Thanks.

[CitroJim]

Just let us know exactly what you want to know and we'll furnish

[Mandrake]

Apart from changing the thermostat (grumble grumble) most jobs on the ES9J4 are relatively easy. It's a nice well laid out engine to work on if you take your time.

How well does the engine run at the moment ? Did it pass its last emissions test with ease ?

If the car is new to you with no service history I would consider replacing the spark plugs and spark plug cassette/leads to the rear bank - at the age they are now the leads can start getting a bit scrappy (broken wire inside the insulation) especially if previous spark plug changes have been done in a ham fisted way. This can lead to misfiring and loss of power in damp weather. I've had to replace the leads on both my Xantia V6's - one at 100k and the other at 70k.

To change the rear spark plugs you need to remove the upper inlet manifold which is not difficult once you know what to do, but you'll need a new cardboard gasket for reassembly - available for about £4 from a dealer. I usually like to have a spare one left over in case anything goes wrong as they are easy to tear.

While you have the upper inlet manifold off and the rear spark plug cassette removed you can inspect the rear cam boxes for oil leaks - a very common problem. If the leak is minor I would just clean it up and put it back together and check it again in another year however if it is leaking a lot it will need resealing which usually means camshafts out.

Coil packs can also go on these but they're easy to change at the front. Symptoms would be a significant loss of power which might only occur if the engine is hot.

That's about it for common problems really. How are the gear changes ? The engine is pretty bullet proof so you're actually more likely to have gearbox problems, especially if it has never had any oil changes...

[xantia_v6]

There are PDF copies of most of the XM MK2 factory service manual floating around in cyberspace. The one that I have seen includes all the ES9 service procedures.