Not a good week...

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white exec
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Not a good week...

Unread post by white exec »

As if getting our Toyota seriously whacked by an unseen Discovery this week wasn't enough (and no, I wasn't driving) . . .
Image081.jpg
. . . the XM 2.5TD went for its ITV (MoT) early this morning, and failed! :(
Exhaust opacity figure of 4.62m-1 (max allowed = 3). Very odd, as the previous several years' figures were typically 0.18 ! Fresh test booked for mid next week, and inbetween times a hefty dose of Dieselclean and some motorway workout. All very odd, because it gets this sort of thing routinely anyway, and had a 10km motorway whoosh-out on the way to the test. Hmm... :?
Chris
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daviemck2006
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by daviemck2006 »

Urrrg not a great week then Chris. The only time I saw smoke from your XM was when it got a hefty boot up some of the hills on the NC500. Hopefully a heavy boot in the gears on the hills around you will clear it.
The toyota looks like it needs a new bumper and thats all.
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CitroJim
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by CitroJim »

Oh dear Chris :( A double whammy :evil:

I'm surprised at the XM as the old IDI engines are normally very smoke-free unless very heavily booted at low revs...

As said, a really good 'Italian Tune Up' (or in your case, a Spanish one) and some magic tonic hopefully will do the trick...

Fingers crossed...
Jim

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white exec
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by white exec »

Bit more than just the bumper, Davie: also rad grille surround, wheel arch finishers, upper front cross-member, chipped headlight. Impact knocked the whole lot sideways. Bonnet aok, but everything below it askew. Toyota mechanicals are tough as nails (mostly), but the trim and body panels are 'hung on' by a myriad of hopeless plastic clips and small brackets. Parts prices eye-watering.
Oh well, it's what insurance is for. Loyalty bonus means no Excess. First claim on this vehicle for years, and the very first where it was 'our' fault . . . and I use the word 'our' loosely, if you get my drift. :roll:
Chris
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daviemck2006
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by daviemck2006 »

“Ours”as in mrs white exec I presume!
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white exec
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by white exec »

A solo performance by the good lady, quite unaided. :dunno:
Fortunately, it happened right in the middle of our local village, and a good many folk rallied round to help, including the local garage/bodyshop, who were already helping fill out the paperwork by the time I got there ten minutes later.
Chris
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CitroJim
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by CitroJim »

white exec wrote: 25 Nov 2017, 18:03
Fortunately, it happened right in the middle of our local village, and a good many folk rallied round to help, including the local garage/bodyshop, who were already helping fill out the paperwork by the time I got there ten minutes later.


What excellent community spirit Chris :D It must be a real gem of a place to live...
Jim

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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by Hell Razor5543 »

Those 'Chelsea Tractors' with the chameleon paint schemes can be so irritating!
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white exec
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by white exec »

The minor damage to the other one...
Image082ret.jpg
Moral: Don't drive Toyotas into Land Rovers, even recent ones. [-X
Chris
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white exec
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by white exec »

Well, one bit of the bad news this week ticked off... Re-test of the XM was successful, with an exhaust opacity figure of 2.06, compared to the 4.62 clocked last week. Tester this time somewhat more experienced, and used his own foot on the pedal rather than mine. There is a knack to achieving a decent figure, on a pretty haphazard test.

Another 40km of Italian, with a hefty dose of dieselclean, no doubt helped. Spirited Away, as they say. :-D
Chris
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CitroJim
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by CitroJim »

That's good news on the XM Chris :)
Jim

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white exec
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Re: Not a good week...

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Yes - restores my faith in the testing system. Re-test was even performed on the same analyser, but by a more experienced foot.

Quick Q, Master Jim, while I'm at it...
How do the Engine Oil Level Probes work? Shown on the circuit diagrams as a 'variable resistance', but engine oil in use is non-conductive (tried some today).
Mine has suddenly started showing zero, although sump level is ok. Quite likely a dodgy connection, but wondered how the things actually worked.
Chris
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Zelandeth
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by Zelandeth »

I'd assume it's a float arrangement like the fuel gauge...prepared to be proven wrong though, I've never taken one apart. Yet.
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CitroJim
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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by CitroJim »

I don't know how the level gauge works for sure Chris but I reckon you're close Zel but f it is a float why is it sensitive to some oils and cries wolf every now and again?

Unless the float is a bit porous?

We need a scrap one to investigate ;)
Jim

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Re: Not a good week...

Unread post by xantia_v6 »

CitroJim wrote: 30 Nov 2017, 06:13 I don't know how the level gauge works for sure Chris but I reckon you're close Zel but f it is a float why is it sensitive to some oils and cries wolf every now and again?

Unless the float is a bit porous?

We need a scrap one to investigate ;)

A couple of responses from the clubxm knowledge base...
djg wrote:If it's the same as in the BX, and I couldn't imagine why not, it's more complicated than that. A quote from my site (I can't recall where the description came from but I collected it like a gopher): "The level sensor [835] is, unfortunately, somewhat more complicated. The picture on the diagram is misleading, it is not a potentiometer; it operates on the principle that the resistance of conductive materials changes with the temperature. The circuit sends a constant current into the sensor and looks for resistance change. The time required for the resistance to reach a certain limit depends on the time required for the sensor wire to reach a certain temperature. However, this second one is influenced by how deep the sensor wire is submerged into oil as the oil cools the sensor wire and lengthens the warming up period. You can check whether the sensor wire is broken (the resistance should be somewhere below 20 ohms) but you cannot check its correct functioning by simple measurements. In this case the only option is to swap it with another one from a donor car."
And...
Jan-hendrik wrote:I found this on aussiefrogs, referring to the CX:

This system works by having a resistance element partly submersed in the engine oil. Passing a current through the unit causes it to heat up and the 'hot' resistance changes according to how much of the element is cooled by engine oil. There is a little electronic control box that feeds to the dash gauge. This system is energised for only a few seconds on start up. The gauge drops to zero once the engine is running.