Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Tell us your ongoing tales and experiences with your French car here. Post pictures of your car here as well.
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van ordinaire
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by van ordinaire »

Now I've seen one fitted, that little curved bar makes more sense - & is sufficiently pedestrian-friendly to be MoT compliant.

Not sure that the smell of Dettol would be an improvement, I'd be inclined to investigate the void under the scuttle - & clean it out BUT then, I wouldn't have been brave enough to tackle 1/2 the jobs you have (e.g. anything involving wipers or door innards is a big NoNo for me).
Citroens:-
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'05 C15 :!:
'97 Xantia Exclusive estate [-o<
others:-
Jeep XJ Cherokees x 3 :?
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beko1987
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by beko1987 »

I am still knocking on the door of 50 miles a day, and all is well!

It now wears a new set of the finest* Rovelo tyres, £121 fitted on my mums driveway by National Tyres, after ordering them for £30 the set cheaper through Tyreleader... and then applying a 5% discount code. They seem utterly fine, there's only so much hoonage one can do with a 1.4zx so wheelspins etc are no issue!

It now has a new cambelt, waterpump and tensioner pulley. Which has cured the utterly dreadful noise from the engine! Neither the pump nor pulley felt grat when I span them by hand, so I have no idea which one was about to explode but all is fine now! Someone had been there before though as the waterpump had a bead of clear sealent around the edge...which gave me the proper fear when I turned it back on after fitting the new pump with its proper rubber gasket but all is fine! (I've checked, twice...) It was, however an utter sod to bleed! ran it out of petrol doing it, oops

Yesterday I spent the afternoon adjusting the valve clearences and now it sounds MUCH better, much smoother to drive too although the biggest change will be in the noise. I currently have a blocked up ear so it'll be thursday morning after the nurse karcher's it out I'll be able to really tell!

There are still jobs to do though:
There's a light metallic rythmic knocking coming from somewhere when it's idling and out of gear (so handbrake on at traffic lights etc). It's still there with just the clutch down, but goes when it's in gear with the clutch down so I'm fairly confident it's not the clutch about to explode...

The sloppy gear change (although I'm more used to that now). I have a feeling both are linked and it's a rid knocking away, hence it going when put into gear. Possibly a bush or two, haven't investigated yet

Could probably do with a gearbox oil change, which I doubt is expensive or tricky to do

SInce having the fuel lifter out, and gluing up the cracked retaining ring the smell of unleaded is nearly eliminated. However from the light being on, it takes about 25 litres before the pump clicks off. Then the fuel needle sits at 3/4 full... It's then really vague for the next 230 miles until it does a massive cough and 'runs out of petrol'. Upon restarting (which is great fun gliding along at 45 down the road) it's then fine again as I hot-tail it to the neaest petrol station to put another 25 litres in... (11 miles is my max so far...). No idea what that is but it sounds quite tricky to troubleshoot so my plan is to just feed it petrol after 200ish miles, which is every week and surprisingly not that annoying, makes a change to only need £30 max rather than cars that swallowed £100 of diesel happily (406 I'm looking at yu, although it would do 700 miles to that..)

Still need to have the scuttle off and clean it all up and lubricate the wiper mechanism

I peeled the GB sticker off the tailgate and found a hole that had been smashed through the GRP... I put the GB sticker back on! This explains the crack running down the tailgate...

The rear passenger door has started bouncing again.

I dropped a quid down the handbrake housing so need to remove that to retrieve it

But it drives nicely, has some pep when you give it some revs, or is serene and chilled when you dont! It is about to spend the next 20 minutes crawling in traffic then a 10 mile punt up the m40 then 50mph B roads. Who needs a fast car!?
1997 Citroen ZX
1997 Citroen XM
1994 Citroen ZX
1997 Citroen Xantia
2005 Renault Laguna
2001 Renault Laguna
2002 Peugeot 406

1997 Citroen ZX
2002 Citroen Xsara
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Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur
(Donor 2018)
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur »

brilliantly entertaining account of life in the 'not particularly slow lane'.

I never managed to work out why Daughter's OSR Door (106) 'bounced' but there did seem to be some correlation to the weather and a replacement rubber had zero effect; it was never a sufficiently severe problem to merit proper investigation. Also I remember well extricating a lock mech from a 405 rear door in a scrappers, the limited access left me determined not to mess with such things again unless I really must.

Last time I bled my 405 I used this, it worked really well ! I'm not familiar with the 1.4 ZX, but if its gonna be a pig, might be some value in something similar should there need to be a 'repeat performance'
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white exec
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by white exec »

Reminds me of something done a good while ago...

20-litre container, one horizontal (jigsaw) cut:
20-lit cont 2.jpg
20-lit cont cutline.jpg
Makes one draining container, with emptying cap and grab-handle
DSCF2839.JPG
And one tool/bits tray
DSCF2840.JPG
Chris
GMZX
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by GMZX »

beko1987 wrote: 06 Mar 2019, 15:02 Hi All

Gosh I have floated around haven't I! Thought I would dust off the old login as I am back in my 3rd ZX as of last night!

I don't think I've been on here properly since my XM days, I've had a few cars since then...

1997 XUD Xantia Estate - heavily tuned, was hilarious fun right until it wouldnt pass the MOT smoke test, had it de-tuned! Sold it for spares needing the common points welding to someone probably known on this forum, a guy called Richie who is slowly making one good one out of my old one and his one he already had

2005 Laguna 2 2.2dci Initiale - This was free! Was amazing in many way, I've never had a car with so many toys, it really was fab. I broke it for spares and scrapped the rest when the engine blew more oul out of the top than burnt it, the gearbox banged into 3 or more gears, rear void bushes were shot and the EPB started playing up

2001 Laguna 2 1.9Dci Expression - Much nicer with a manual gearbox, real world 55mpg and it was just generally very nice. Scrapped 8 months later when the clutch pedal stayed down after a depress more than came up, rear void bushes again, needed brakes all round...

2002 Peugeot 406 Estate - This is still actually behind my house awaiting it's final drive to the scrapyard tomorrow. Bit sad about this as it's a lovely barge, but I went to change the lower balljoints last weekend and they have welded themselves to the hub, removing the droplinks and track rod ends showed them to need replacing too, the rear brakes weren't doing anything so new discs and pads were needed there plus a rebuild of the calipers, horn didnt work and I think it was steering wheel related... MOT up on the 17th and I need a car to get to work.

So, enter the 3rd ZX! a 1997 1.4i Temptation! Bought from Derby on Monday, a guy from another forum I know was delivering a car to Newcastle on Tuesday, so I bunged him £50 and he got the train from Newcastle to Derby, drove to mine in Oxon, then I drove him home to Basingstoke and back again!

What did I buy (sight unseen)?

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It's fairly tidy. No idea how many owners it's had yet as I don't have the V5 (The guy I bought it from only recieved it this morning, got to change the ownership tonight) but it has 57k on the clock and a very clean MOT history

The engine is lovely, as in there's space to work on it!

Image

The guy I bought it from had fitted a lightbar using cheap LED ebay parts, and initially I asked him to remove it, but then changed my mind and I'm so glad I did! It looks awful frankly but driving home last night, having come off the m40 onto the B roads to home it made the night into day! It's wired into the full beam, so woe betide any full beam idiots coming my way now... (All the wiring needs tidying, it's all crimped on atm so I'll see to that)

Downsides, well... the interior is perhaps not as fresh as it could be

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it utterly STINKS! Must have the carpet shampooed/removed and jetwashed before it becomes warm! Not the person I bought it from's fault, he only had it 3 weeks (couldn't fit his mobility scooter in it) but it seems to be wearing all of it's 57k in it's carpet!

Immediate jobs? Droplinks are clonking like a good-un, handily replacements are in the boot! Will do that Sunday, and whip a vacuum cleaner around the place then pretty much just drive it until payday! Driving it is taking some getting used to, I've been spoilt with 6 cars worth of TD torque! But I'll get used to it!

Medium term plans?

Well I'm amazed how cheap parts are! I have an ebay watch list set up and already it has a full cambelt and waterpump kit (no history), 2 new front indicators (missing lens from one), spark plugs, HT leads, fuel air and oil filter (I bought oil for the 406 but never got around to it, handily it's the same grade!) and valve clearances (I found Mr Eastment's mega-handy TU3 guide for all of that)

The gearstick is comically floppy between shifts! I've found some plastic bushes on ebay which look like they could be the ticket, need to research possible causes though

Drive it! It'll do 250 miles a week, might start going the back way a bit more as it's a bit noisy at 70mph on the m40!

Bye for now!
Hi.

Great thread about your ZX. Do you still have it?

I bought one last year. A P reg 1.4i SX with 82k.

I was wondering if I could ask your advice on a couple of things??

The engine runs sweet at idle but under load or at speed it makes a tapping/clacking type noise which increases in speed with the speed of the car. It's been doing this in the 2500 miles I've done in it so I'm perplexed as to what it is. Any ideas? The car doesn't seem to go as fast as it should (I know it's a slow car but it feels even slower than usual). 80mph on the motorway is a bit of a struggle and the car becomes tiresome to drive quite quickly.

Also, the accelerator pedal is quite hard to press. I've tried without success to lubricate it and adjusting the cable at the throttle end has maybe improved it slightly.
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CitroJim
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by CitroJim »

The tapping noise may be incorrect valve clearances... They're easy enough to check and it's well worth doing them to eliminate that as a cause. I'm assuming it has the 8 valve engine...

If it's not that, I have some other thoughts...

If it has the old Bosch single-point fuel injection it will be a bit sluggish. I have the same on my Saxo and it's never going to set the world alight!

Heavy throttle is almost invariably the cable... Check it's not kinked somewhere along its length...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
GMZX
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by GMZX »

CitroJim wrote: 22 Jul 2023, 05:25 The tapping noise may be incorrect valve clearances... They're easy enough to check and it's well worth doing them to eliminate that as a cause. I'm assuming it has the 8 valve engine...

If it's not that, I have some other thoughts...

If it has the old Bosch single-point fuel injection it will be a bit sluggish. I have the same on my Saxo and it's never going to set the world alight!

Heavy throttle is almost invariably the cable... Check it's not kinked somewhere along its length...
Thanks so much for your advice. I'm kinda on my own with this car as no-one else has one and mechanics aren't very interested in it.

Jobs I've done to it so far
- new timing belt/tensioners/water pump/alternator belt
- new rear shock absorbers
- new front pads and disks
- rear drums cleaned and handbrake cable adjusted
- small patch of welding done for MOT
- new droplinks
- repaired non-functioning windscreen wiper motor
- new "old school" windscreen wiper
- changed gearbox oil
- changed oil/air filter/fuel filter (oil additive added)
- gave it Seafoam treatment
- cleaned fuel sender unit
- cleaned throttle body
- adjusted clutch pedal
- rust treated and undersealed chassis
- removed immobiliser keypad

Jobs still outstanding
- fix rear "bouncing" doors
- investigate clunking noise after changing UP gears (lower engine mount? Lubricate selector?)
- heavy throttle pedal
- fix clacking engine noise

Yes it's sluggish but I don't mind that, it just seems to become progressively harder and more tiresome to drive the longer it is driven. I've checked for head gasket issues. No mayo on oil cap, no coolant loss. No oil in coolant. So it can't be that.

I'll check the valves next week and adjust if necessary. The noise is best described as thus; at idle it runs well...add some electrical/throttle load like putting down the windows or turning on the lights and you get the odd clack here and there. Drive the car and the clacking appears under throttle load, increasing in speed with the engine speed. By the time you're cruising in 4th/5th it kinda blends in with the general noise of the engine and the road. I've suspected piston slap but the noise would be there at idle. Also alternator bearings but the noise isn't coming from that area. Manifold? Perhaps.

I have a video somewhere of it under driving conditions I'll try and find. In the meantime here she is in all her French Racing Gold glory.
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Rp0thejester
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by Rp0thejester »

This is going to sound stupid but guess what, I ask stupid questions. Have you checked for any heat shield missing a bolt? I ask this because it was an issue on my T reg Xsara.
Ryan

'99 Xsara 1.6 X (Red) with Sunkissed bonnet. T59 SBX
'54 Astra Estate 1.7DTI (Artic White)
'06 C8 2.2Hdi Exclusive (Aster Grey)

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CitroJim
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by CitroJim »

Rp0thejester wrote: 23 Jul 2023, 00:21 This is going to sound stupid but guess what, I ask stupid questions. Have you checked for any heat shield missing a bolt? I ask this because it was an issue on my T reg Xsara.
Th
at a very good call Ryan, especially on the TU engine, the exhaust manifold heat shield. It's only held on with three 10mm studs and one is always ineffective. Mine on Bluebell rattles a little at times... Daffodil used to rattle her exhaust silencer heat shield at times too...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
GMZX
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by GMZX »

CitroJim wrote: 23 Jul 2023, 05:57
Rp0thejester wrote: 23 Jul 2023, 00:21 This is going to sound stupid but guess what, I ask stupid questions. Have you checked for any heat shield missing a bolt? I ask this because it was an issue on my T reg Xsara.
Th
at a very good call Ryan, especially on the TU engine, the exhaust manifold heat shield. It's only held on with three 10mm studs and one is always ineffective. Mine on Bluebell rattles a little at times... Daffodil used to rattle her exhaust silencer heat shield at times too...
This is a good shout. I've long suspected a heat shield rattle or something loose rattling under load. I'll remove the heatshield tomorrow and have a drive without it and see what happens.
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Rp0thejester
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by Rp0thejester »

I will say that oil in coolant isn't necessarily a head gasket issue. Astra 1.7s are fitted with an Isuzu engine and have an oil cooler that is known to fail. It will allow tiny amounts of oil into the coolant. The oil cooler could be replaced or removed as our temperatures aren't hot enough, but not cost effective, better off just adding a dishwasher tablet into the coolant tank to stop the oil settling and blocking something up. Just thought I'd mention it
Ryan

'99 Xsara 1.6 X (Red) with Sunkissed bonnet. T59 SBX
'54 Astra Estate 1.7DTI (Artic White)
'06 C8 2.2Hdi Exclusive (Aster Grey)

Champion of Where's CitroJim :-({|=
Yes I ask the stupid questions, because normally it is that simple.
GMZX
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by GMZX »

Took the ZX out for a drive yesterday and today and noticed that with the lower temperatures we're now "enjoying" the car runs and drives a lot better. It is sitting at 85ish now and much happier for it. In the 20+ temps it would hit 100 on the temp gauge before the fan kicked in. So there must be some sort of correlation between the high temps and the ECU's running of the engine. Anyway I think a new thermostat is in order with a lower opening temperature.
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MattBLancs
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by MattBLancs »

Rp0thejester wrote: 23 Jul 2023, 21:08 I will say that oil in coolant isn't necessarily a head gasket issue. Astra 1.7s are fitted with an Isuzu engine and have an oil cooler that is known to fail. It will allow tiny amounts of oil into the coolant. The oil cooler could be replaced or removed as our temperatures aren't hot enough, but not cost effective, better off just adding a dishwasher tablet into the coolant tank to stop the oil settling and blocking something up. Just thought I'd mention it
On PSA engines the "modine" oil heat exchangers fitted to diesels and some petrols can fail like that too. (The type sandwiched under oil filter) Though from what I've read it tends to be massive oil contamination of the coolant (as in "oh look my expansion tank has turned black!?!") rather than a little weep.
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CitroJim
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by CitroJim »

I don't believe any TU engines in the ZX were ever fitted with these sort of oil coolers. But yes Matt, due to the pressure differential between coolant and oil a lot of the latter can find its way into the former if the cooler gives up...

I'd think it would be more likely the head gasket leaking in the usual TU place but rather then going external, going into the adjacent water passage.
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
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MattBLancs
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Re: Hello again! 1.4i ZX Content!

Unread post by MattBLancs »

CitroJim wrote: 26 Jul 2023, 09:34 I don't believe any TU engines in the ZX were ever fitted with these sort of oil coolers. But yes Matt, due to the pressure differential between coolant and oil a lot of the latter can find its way into the former if the cooler gives up...

I'd think it would be more likely the head gasket leaking in the usual TU place but rather then going external, going into the adjacent water passage.
Good shout on both counts Jim, think you are right, of the TU it's likely only the 16 valve version if any that got a cooler (and ZX used XU engines for the swifter models rather than more advanced TU engines)

I'd forgotten about the leaky head gasket that isn't the way everyone thinks is only way a head gasket can fail - I thought it only did an external dribble bug no reason why an oil to coolant leak path couldn't form instead