Citroen XM - was JohnK's steed

[dollywobbler]

Question - would the STOP and overheat warning lights be an MOT failure? If so, I guess I'll be crawling around under the sodding car this afternoon - test tomorrow.

[forddeliveryboy]

No, unless the tester refused to test on the basis that when a Citroen says stop and you don't, it can result in bad things. Let him know the lights are still in Christmas mode. There's little frightening for your average tester with a BX or XM - all the Peugeot bits often make them feel more confident too. On the other hand, I've seen testers almost break down in tears/become a terrrorist when trying to test a CX, partly through fear of the car, partly through fear of doing permanent damage to it.

[DSdriver]

I tend to ignore the BRLOD when it comes on, however this week it wasn't crying wolf, the bloody rear suspension ram that was replaced (with a second hand one because new/reconditioned is not an option) is leaking. What with that and some fuckwit smashing the drivers mirror off I nearly put the car up for sale. However sanity prevailed when I realised that would involve having to wash it before I could take any snaps.

[UltraWomble]

Totally off topic but i had a dream last night about robbing a bookmakers shop and you were the getaway driver in a red and white limo BX.

 

Weird.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. I shan't worry about it then. I have removed the relay that controls the fan again though. I shall be there for the test so I might suggest he leaves the heater fan on if leaving it running. I'll also advise him to put it on high before lifting it for suspension/steering checks.

[Bren]

My xantia shit itself when the aircon refused to work - no fans and the same lights as yours.

 

One of the fan motors had gone and taken the wiring with it.

 

Fixed, but pricey.

[dollywobbler]

Thankfully I have none of that air con nonsense. Povo spec FTW.

[forddeliveryboy]

Stick some veg it, that usually prevents testers from leaving engines running unnecessarily! It always niggles that testing suspension bushes etc with suspension on high, with no give in the springing at places all the forces on all the other bits. I guess most sensible testers will take this into consideration, but 'funny suspension' has never been flavour of the month for the English garage fraternity.

[dollywobbler]

Ah, that's a point. Pain in the arse if you have to keep lowering the ramp to put the suspension back on high to stop it just crashing down on the jack though. Maybe intermediate will do the trick. 

[beko1987]

Mine decided to pop the drivers side strut leakoff pipe off when up on the ramp, tester said "Is it supposed to be leaking fluid all over the wheelarch?" I agreed that it should not, pulled the leftover end of the pipe off the join and pushed the now 1cm shorter pipe onto the connector. He uumed and aahed about wether it was a braking system failable leak until I said it was a leakoff pipe from the strut, so was meant to have fluid through it when going up, so he said no more about it. Was a tight moment that was!

 

Also, put it on high when it first goes on the ramp, when my tester went to jack each end up to check the wheels etc I remembered I had not, had to get him to lwoer it, so I coudl get in, wait a minute for it to rise then he could put it back up and carry on, always forgot that! Same with getting the tyres changed, remember the worried look on the foreign part worn blokes face when it ate his jack, and I calmly swore at myself, flicked the lever and said wiat a minute to him!

 

Amys car embarassed itself in the bay by pissing oil everywhere whilst idling, my tester does have a habit of leaving the engine on for the whole test... Had to follow him with a blue roll everywhere... Luckily I think the oil level dropped a  bit so it didnt leak out so much towards the end

[dollywobbler]

Ugh. Just went outside to conduct the 'don't fail on anything stupid' pre-MOT checks (ie lights and wipers/screenwash). Passenger footwell is soaked! Water is pissing into it. I cannot understand how that much water is getting in. This is all water that can only be getting between the glass and the seal, as it's well inside the area catered for by the drain tubes - which are working fine. 

 

I have a nasty feeling the honeymoon period is over.

[beko1987]

Mine pissed water into the footwells by running down the a pillar, behind the bit of trim that sits inbetween the door seal and dashboard then exited there.

 

Sounds like you need to strip the whole thing out, replace the drivers seat and drive for a week and hope it shows its fat ugly wet face! Or paint the whole thing in silicone sealant rat luk style

[dollywobbler]

Maybe I just need to strip it all out. Wouldn't be an issue then!

 

Anyway, this has happened.

 

Handbrake (as expected) only just scraped through, but all good otherwise, and she didn't flash up any warning lights! She even had the good grace to lift herself off the jacks without any input. Maybe she's not so bad...

[Inspector Morose]

See, it likes you. There's no reason not to persevere with it now! (Not saying that you'd have given up on it anyway!)

[dollywobbler]

Maybe I'll feel better if the weather improves. 

 

 

 

FORECAST: Rain, rain lots of rain, gales and perhaps snow

 

ARSE.

[xtriple]

This may or may not help.... Years ago I had a Merc 450 SE (116) that was a 'bit of a mistake' and the sunroof used to leak like billy fuck - to the extent that I had to put plastic bags on the seats to drive it.

 

No amount of fucking around with the roof cured it, or even got close. It wasn't until I changed the windscreen (it was cracked) and found all the rot that the 'sunroof leak' got cured. I would have sworn it was the sunroof as water was coming in and getting on the seats, but it was the 'screen.

 

Most sunroof leaks I've been plagued with since have had some origin in the windscreen.

[twosmoke300]

Indeed. One thing I have learnt is that there are no short cuts with water ingress jobs. Strip out and have someone use the hose to find where its coming from. Quicker in the long run than trying to guess at it. Water takes some strange routes once inside a car sometimes .

[dollywobbler]

All very nice, but I can actually see where water is pooling on the inner edge of the sunroof aperture before spreading into the headlining. Not saying there aren't other leaks, but this is a major one. MO has a good sunroof cassette, so that's looking like an option - even if I pinch the glass/frame out of it and transfer to mine. At the very least, it allows me to work on the sunroof with the car still more watertight than if there was no sunroof at all - which would be the case if I removed it to work on right now.

[beko1987]

I nearly made that mistake, parked at mums, sunroof fully open, motor out on the bench trying to seal up where it goes into the mechanism...sudden very black clouds appear... So I refitted it all and sealed the whole roof just as it started to rain quite hard...

[twosmoke300]

That's like when you buy a new car with a sunroof , make sure you have a clear forecast for at least a week before you try it for the first time.

 

DW , tis strange that it still leaks when you taped it and then sealed it .

[dollywobbler]

Yes. It is very strange. I was going to try the ultimate bodge weapon, gaffer tape, but my gaffer tape is apparently rubbish and about as sticky as a telfon tyres.

[messerschmitt owner]

It's more hassle to swap glass than it is to change units. It's a major hassle to change the unit as all the trim needs to come off on a-c posts then headlining. Lifting the new cartridge up is definitely a two man job. If you have a few hours we can do it at mine If you want. Take the post trim off and remove the headliner before you visit and then it's just a few screws/bolts to undo remove and replace. I have spare trim for the a-c posts if needed.

[messerschmitt owner]

Silicone seal the roof just now too. Any decent diy shop and then it and just unseal with a Stanley knife prior to fitting new cartridge.

[twosmoke300]

Yes. It is very strange. I was going to try the ultimate bodge weapon, gaffer tape, but my gaffer tape is apparently rubbish and about as sticky as a telfon tyres.

Ahh , not aldi stuff is it ? I bought some and its pants . Strange as most of their stuff is pretty good. Proper duck tape ftw .

[twosmoke300]

Oh , how rude of me ........Congrats on the Mot pass .

[jonathan_dyane]

You're using the wrong type of tape; unlikely as it may seem plain old insulating tape is the best thing to seal sunroofs shut. Sealed my XM sunroof with it 6 months ago and tape is still in place and car interior dry.

[beko1987]

Flood it externally with glow in the dark liquid, wait until bedtime then go have a look?

[Pillock]

Quinine in water will make it glow under UV

[Sloth in a bowl]

Quinine Enough blood in water will make it glow under UV

 

So do detergents that do bluely whiteness bollocks.

[spike60]

Another vote for insulating tape, especially in 3" wide variety.