More ageing French tat joins the fleet...

[wuvvum]

Blimey - I somehow missed that Aphrodite was a C-Matic Graeme! Even cooler now.

Ditto - I hadn't spotted that either.

[michiel]

Vous êtes le héros de la merde automotive, monsieur wuvvum!

[Quintus]

A truly wonderful car.

 

*Random fact alert*

 

The late Roger Deakin, in his book Waterlog described sleeping in the back of his CX:

 

After the show, and a pub fish dinner, I spent a blissful night in the back of the sometimes-reliable Citroen CX Safari down a farm track in a Dutch barn alongside a combine harvester. This is the beauty of the Citroen shooting brake. You can stretch right out and sleep in it, curl up and read in it, spread out your dinner in it, and carry a small library. Some people have prim little curtains in the back windows, but I carry a big air-force-surplus silk parachute with me and spread it over the car when I'm in residence. It works like net curtains in the suburbs; I can see out but people, or just as likely cows, can't see in. It also diffuses the light beautifully, prolonging sleep by softening the intensity of sunrises. It's the kind of parachute they use for dropping food parcels in emergencies. It is big enough to stretch out by the guy-ropes into an airy Bedouin tent, its brown, orange, green and white silk disguising the presence of a motor car, if not exactly unobtrusive. It keeps mosquitoes and midges out and means you can leave all the windows and the back door open on sultry nights. Even if it gets drenched, it dries out quickly in the sun. Once, when I was encamped inside it in the chestnut woods near Souseyrac in France, I heard some early walkers marvelling, 'Mais alors, il eest venu en parachute.'

[Shep Shepherd]

Just brilliant!

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, Roger Deakin enjoyed the greater flexibility of the Safari. The middle row of seats is fixed in place (albeit the outer seats tip to allow access to the rear bench) in the Familiale, so much harder to turn it into a bed/van. As I discovered with mine!

[DSdriver]

The load space in the fam is much shorter so sleep in the front seats reclined as far as pos. Dog in the back, luggage on the rear row of seats and small child asleep on middle row.

We once drove to the south of France for a long weekend in one of these. Four adults sharing the driving: Friday evening ferry, arrived about 1.30pm Saturday after diversion into Lyon to buy new wiper blade (we weren't expecting snow on the massif central in April), stayed two nights in hotel and left Nice for return trip late afternoon on the monday. Drove overnight. Went to work on Tuesday completely knackered.

Take out the middle row of seats and you can load the car with 55 cases of 12 bottles wine/spirits. GR9 for trips to Calais in the old days. Mk3 Cortina would only take thirty six before back end sagged so much it was hard to see over the bonnet.

Or with the seats back in, eight people can go for a night out with just one designated driver.

Very versatile.

[dollywobbler]

I've heard a rumour* that someone in the Norfolk area has purchased a pair of VW Beetle rear lights and an angle grinder. Is he going for a matching pair?!

 

I do look forward to a shot of the two massive Citroens together.

 

* Well, I made it up

[wuvvum]

OK, a bit of thread resurrection here as I haven't done much with the CX for a while, what with Christmas an' all. Had a bit of a play with it this morning and the electrovalve is activating fine, both when I pull the wire off the gearbox and when I wiggle the gear lever. It still ain't selecting gears properly though - it won't select second or third at all at a standstill.

 

I took the car for a spin and checked the fluid level with the gearbox in park, and it's off the bottom of the dipstick. Would checking it this way give an accurate reading (in park with engine running)? I don't want to top it up if it doesn't actually need it...

 

Also, would topping up the fluid be likely to solve the gear selection issues? I can't see how it would - if the electrovalve is working properly surely it would divert the fluid away from the torque converter even if the fluid level is low? - but I'm not sure I fully understand these things. I'm hoping I'm not going to have to [pay somebody to] dismantle the gearbox...

[eddyramrod]

Yes, in a word. You did right checking the gearbox oil in the way you did, so it seems you need to top up. It may not take a full litre bottle though, try about half and run it up again, see what shows. If there isn't enough oil in the box it won't be able to make suitable pressure, so you may find your selection troubles are over. Just keep an eye open for leaks...

 

*Unless, as seems likely, Citroens are different to every other automatic!

[Pete-M]

Teh CX is teh Sex.

 

TOP SHITEING. 11/10. I love CXs.

[eddyramrod]

Teh CX is teh Sex.

 

TOP SHITEING. 11/10. I love CXs.

 

Mustardmitt, there is something special about them. I've never driven one, but I'd really love to have a go one day. Maybe if I ever do my Shite Euro-trip, that's what I should be bringing back...

[dollywobbler]

Might be worth dropping J-J a PM as I know he's not on here 24/7. He seems to have the measure of these.

[messerschmitt owner]

Wuvvum

 

have you an owners handbook for it?

[wuvvum]

Nope - I have a HBOL, but that's less than helpful - it just says "check the fluid level with engine running". It was also completely useless when it came to working out which fuse does what - it lists six different fuses, but the fusebox in the car only holds five.

[messerschmitt owner]

PM your address and I'll send a CX Diesel Estate owners handbook for an S1. It's a July 78 issue.

 

It is sitting in the garage doing nowt.