Sold New chip-shop smelling, hydropneumatic shite - NOW FOR SALE

[Wilko220]

This isn't a collection thread because Mr Duke, who I bought my new Citroen Xantia off, was kind enough to deliver it to my door while I was at work.

Still, it was a wonderful thing to come home to and I thought you lot might appreciate some pictures.



In every respect, this car is better than I expected. It's my first experience of a floaty Citroen and the novelty still hasn't worn off. I could happily sit on the driveway just moving the suspension up and down, pretending to be some kind of lowrider bad boy in very slow motion.

In all seriousness,the ride is smoother and more comfortable than my Rover 75, and I certainly didn't expect that. The 1.9 turbo diesel has ample power; the acceleration is fast and you can cruise at 85 (for continental driving of course) without even thinking about it.

It's also my first experience of a car capable of running on vegetable oil. I did feel a bit conspicuous in the Morrison's car park, but it's worth it for the saving.



Mr D gave me a bargain price on the basis that the MOT was due, but I've just had this done and it was 100 per cent drama free. I have to say, it's the first time I've been given an advisory for a badly positioned air freshener, but that's still a pretty short list by my standards...



So, in the next few days I have an 800-odd mile round trip up to Scotland and back to do in it. Mrs Wilko220 is far from convinced that it's going to make it and, I'm sure, is preparing her lecture about why we need to spend 10 grand of borrowed money on a new Kia or something, for when it all goes wrong half-way up the A1.

But I have faith. To me, it drives almost like a new car and I've no concern at all about taking it on a long trip. Who will be right? Place your bets now.

[messerschmitt owner]

let chompy-snake borrow it and then try that Scotland trip - I dare you!!

[hairnet]

anything dangling off mirrors will advise now

[HMC]

Top bombing! I'm a recent floaty citroen newbie too and have yet to tire of the adjustable suspension.

 

I bet the Missus would be surprised just how durable these old citroens are. Minor trim may fall off, but they're tough where it matters.

[Bren]

They really are fantastic cars.

 

There are'nt many N reg cars that get through an MOT without some welding - it shows how well built they actually are.

[vulgalour]

New plan:  drive to Maison Wilko220, swap number plates, drive home.

[dollywobbler]

Ace. If it was me, I'd probably ensure I had a bottle of LHM and a spare pump belt with me. Neither of those are easy to find in an emergency. They do lap up the miles though. I remember a friend owned one a few years back, and we cruised the mean streets of East Sussex, blaring out Genesis' Trick of the Tail. We were the coolest cats in town.

[Wilko220]

Ace. If it was me, I'd probably ensure I had a bottle of LHM and a spare pump belt with me. 

 

Thanks DW. Are you referring to what Citroen calls the "serpentine belt", or is that something else?

[Junkman]

I think Citroen calls it oh la la, le ceinture de caoutchouc se déchire, quelle merde.

Top explosion de camion yaourt, btw.

[dollywobbler]

I'd assumed that, like a BX, there was a separate belt for the hydraulic pump. I could be wrong though! If it is like a BX, there will be a belt-driven pump over the gearbox. If it's all done by a serpentine belt, then a spare one of those might be handy.

[forddeliveryboy]

No, it's all PSA - alternator, HP pump, aircon compressor and the rest are all bunched up against the chassis rail in an ungodly but compact mess, complete with shitty PSA tensioner which fails and can throw the belt off which sometimes does for the cambelt too. Worth checking. Hardly a road-side repair. But they do last for ages, once you've spent half a day damaging yourself fitting it.

 

Old Citroens used to have two V belts driving the HP pump which sat above the bellhousing - even the Peugoet BX as DW says (although this may have had just one belt in typically mean Pug fashion). A five minute job, the next time you happened under the bonnet. The only time anything went wrong with the suspension (unless you were Junkman, and the car decided it was possessed like his P6) is if some spannerman chucked in a bottle of DoT4 or a pipe rotted away - BXs had them all placed ahead of a rear wheel, as if trying to make the suspension fail was a sport - a bit like crappy plastic links on the height-correctors and prone-to seizure mechanisms.

[Tayne]

 

Who will be right? Place your bets now.

 

 

She will be.

Regardless of whether the car breaks down or not.

[forddeliveryboy]

If you're running on more than 80% vegoil then take a spare fool filter - it dissolves all the shit left behind by dino diesel. Better for the woman to say "I told you it was a good car" than "what did I say?". I give you 100% chance of getting there and back with no problem.

[MrDuke]

Well, I'm glad the old girl has brought as much joy to her new owner as she did to me - although I am really going to miss her. If the Fez ever dies for some reason, another Xantia will definitely be top of the list as a replacement. Personally, I'd trust it to go absolutely anywhere; it's never ever let me down, and AFAIK the only thing that will need doing in the near future is the cambelt, it's not urgent though. I threw in a spare fuel filter and LHM top-up bottle, so I can't see a short jaunt to Scotland causing any issues

[Wilko220]

Mr Duke was, indeed, very good to throw in those bits and piece and comes with a big eBay-style "top seller, highly recommended A++++" from me.

 

I'm sure there's a better thread for me to mention this - but just for the benefit of other Citroen (or Rolls Royce) folk who might wish to know...

I discovered today that a one litre bottle of LHM = £12.99 at Halfords (for own brand) but just £8.99 at A1 Motor Stores (for Comma). 

 

I also love the mention of Rollers on the bottle, which helped me prove* the unquestionable exclusivity of the Xantia to SWMBO...

 

[forddeliveryboy]

Other brand LHM is like dishwater compared with Total, making damping less dampy and life harder for an older pump/cylinders with a bit of wear. The ride is noticeably better using the real stuff - leaks and expired pumps (they're notoriously weak and prone to leaks on Xantias, compared with the original design which lasted decades but obviously cost 22p more to make) are more likely with thin stuff.

 

5 litres of Total on ebay is £31 including delivery, a fair price, cheaper than the cheap stuff at A1 Motor Stores. First thing I ever do with a hydraulic Cit is replace the fluid and clean the filters - for £31 to your door it's well worth it, main dealers were known to be unable to do this sort of complex* job by the late 90s and the sheer beauty of bits you can't see (excluding shite PSA HP pumps) demands it.

 

 

 

By the way, Wilko220, that new car of yours is jolly smart for a nearly twenty year old Sit-royen. Only thing I'd do is remove those nasty plastic wheel trims. Which are probably why you bought the car. My apologies.

 

PS

Mercedes-Benz were so up themselves they had to 'develop' their own fluid for their use of (modified, cheapened) Citroen suspension (in use, under licence on tens of thousands of Merc estates) and alter the sphere design. They hid the whole setup best they could, making parts MB expensive and replacement a pain. Unlike the Citroen original, the MB cylinders fail due to the cheap German design. One of the smartest aspects of the original is the fact that there are NO seals in the cylinders, such is the accuracy of the manufacture.

 

It took a British manufacturer (as was) to acknowledge the genius of the original design and not pass it off as their own. Having said that, a Rolls-Royce or Bentley sphere comes in a Rolls or Bentley-badged box - it must set some moustaches twitching when they see a double chevron stamped into their exclusive part!

 

[The Moog]

I didn't know that there was a difference in the fluid. I used the Comma stuff as was the cheapest.

[Station]

Mr Duke was, indeed, very good to throw in those bits and piece and comes with a big eBay-style "top seller, highly recommended A++++" from me.

 

I'm sure there's a better thread for me to mention this - but just for the benefit of other Citroen (or Rolls Royce) folk who might wish to know...

I discovered today that a one litre bottle of LHM = £12.99 at Halfords (for own brand) but just £8.99 at A1 Motor Stores (for Comma). 

 

I also love the mention of Rollers on the bottle, which helped me prove* the unquestionable exclusivity of the Xantia to SWMBO...

 

 

Rolls-Royce*

[wackywacerwill]

That looks a pleasant and useful old bus, good score. Talking of wheel trims, I've always thought big old Cit's would sit pretty on those salt racer moon discs which kind of ape those old cx trims anyway.

 

Tesco got the veg on smash at the minute with their 10L for £9 offer. 

[forddeliveryboy]

I didn't know that there was a difference in the fluid. I used the Comma stuff as was the cheapest.

 

Bit like feeding your dog the cheapest food - it'll cost in the long run, plus your mutt won't be as happy or healthy in the meantime. For the sake of £7 one off cost, your p&j could be much more like it was intended to be. I guess if you use Asda fuel and their £4.99/gallon engine oil then it downe really matta.

[Spiny Norman]

That looks well smart for the age, I love the ride from these old fluid sprung Citroens. If you've never done it before, open a bottle of LHM and have a good sniff, it smells like strawberries.

[forddeliveryboy]

That looks well smart for the age, I love the ride from these old fluid sprung Citroens.

 

Gas sprung. Nitrogen, variable-length oil pushrods with integral damping valves.

[Tayne]

Gas and Liquid sprung.

 

Hence all the LHM discussions on the previous page.

[forddeliveryboy]

Gas and Liquid sprung.

 

Hence all the LHM discussions on the previous page.

 

Springs are a trapped gas, damped and connected by liquid rods.

[Wilko220]

If you've never done it before, open a bottle of LHM and have a good sniff, it smells like strawberries.

Only here...

[Jim Bell]

Tastes like strawberries too. Have a drink of it.

[Jim Bell]

Seriously though. Don't drink it.

[vulgalour]

I guess my Dad doesn't like strawberries then.

[forddeliveryboy]

Not the best smelling oil, much nicer when used. Pressures are well in excess of 2000psi in some of the Citroen pipes and spheres, cylinders and valves. Treat the system with care, even when the engine is stopped.

[Wilko220]

I can't see a short jaunt to Scotland causing any issues

 

Just in case anyone was waiting in anticipation for the outcome of this - of course, the Xantia made it to Scotland and back without missing a beat. Went from London to Edinburgh, via a non-direct and non-motorway route, on about three quarters of a tank (of 80 per cent veg oil) each way.

 

What a fine car. Here's a pic of it soaking up in the sun in Middleton-in-Teesdale, where we stopped off on the way.