Xantia of Desires - Farewell xantia!

[Matt]

Saturday the 5th

This is very early prep for the next time a 5th falls on a Saturday!

[beko1987]

Damnit, 3rd even!

[vulgalour]

Here's hoping it's a good result.

[beko1987]

All I'm hoping for is a pass with a long advisory list! There's lots I want to do, but need/want to hit it all at the same time ideally, as lots of its interlinked (spheres, hydra flush and height correctors really need doing at the same time etc)

 

Im just sorting the obvious things out so it doesn't fail on a bulb or something!

[rml2345]

Fingers crossed it's a pass!

As for dismantling the dash to get the binnacle out, it looks much harder than it is but can be quite fiddly and time consuming. I've had mine out a few times for bulb replacement and the hardest thing was putting the steering wheel back on straight as I'd forgotten to mark it.

[beko1987]

Reading the how to guides it seems a bit involved, good to hear it's not in practise then!

 

It's not happening in this cold though, unless every bulb suddenly goes I'll put it off until next year. I need glue when I do it too, lots of the dash already needs gluing together, I imagine more will be needed during the stripdown too!

 

What's best to mark the wheel? Bit of masking tape across the top of the wheel and column cover, then cut so the wheel comes off, then line it back up when going back together? Will be odd removing an airbag, my old ZX was ace with it's non airbagged wheel...

[rml2345]

Aye just a bit masking tape or a chalk line or something to line it up with. Best screw it down at that point and test it just to be sure though as having to take the airbag out again is a pain in the arse!

The airbag removal itself is pretty straightforward which was a surprise, I expected a right faff.

[beko1987]

Well that wasn't fantastic...

 

Failures:

 

Bloody numberplate bulb stopped working again, not too worried about that

Drivers seat insecure - it does rock alot. I'm going to take it out and see/hope something can be tightened up, otherwise I need to get hold of a drivers seat within 10 working days

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (even after he re-tested it on the front wheels). He says the lever goes right up and hits the stop, how do I adjust the cables on this and hope that helps it?

 

Then the big ones:

 

Exhaust noise, excessive level of smoke and excessive smoke or vapor of any colour, despite me ragging it to the test centre. I'm gonna have to grovel to my dad for the cash for a new exhaust I think, but how can I drop the smoke down? I know chompy improved the fuel pump, I think with modified innards, but can I just turn the fuelling down or summat to help it? Not fussed if I de-tune it or owt, I just want a pass! I'll need hand holding through that too as I've never done it before

 

So, drivers seat and exhaust... buggar! 10 working days to fix for a free re-test

 

On the plus side though, not a word was said about the rust or tyres.

[beko1987]

Also, the existing test ran out on the 23rd December, I am still legal until then arent I despite it being a fail? Sure I've read as such on here before but want to check

[Richard]

You are legal but if an accident was caused by something you've been made aware of, e.g. if it rolled away when parked, you would have a bit of explaining to do- but you still wouldn't be done for not having an MOT.

 

IIRC the handbrake cables are adjusted under the centre console somewhere.

[Jifflemon]

For the smoke, did it actually fail the emmisions test?

 

Unscrew and empty fuel filter, refill with some Forte https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forte-Advanced-Formula-Diesel-Treatment/dp/B008COEA9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480762569&sr=8-1&keywords=forte+diesel+treatment

 

Pour the rest in the tank and thrash it death in second gear. Lots of revs, Should hopefully shake the soot out of the exhaust

[forddeliveryboy]

Doesn't old fashioned atf work just as well?

[Arthur Foxhake]

Find the fuel screw and turn it out a quarter turn and the smoke should clear.

 

 

It's the slotted one with a securing nut.

[Kiltox]

For the smoke, did it actually fail the emmisions test?

 

Unscrew and empty fuel filter, refill with some Forte https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forte-Advanced-Formula-Diesel-Treatment/dp/B008COEA9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480762569&sr=8-1&keywords=forte+diesel+treatment

 

Pour the rest in the tank and thrash it death in second gear. Lots of revs, Should hopefully shake the soot out of the exhaust

This. Other fuel treatments are available.

[dave21478]

If the fuelling has been messed with in the past, no amount of magic potions is going to stop too much diesel being injected.

[beko1987]

That's my thoughts tbh. If I can dial it down a bit I'd be happy, then take it back with a new exhaust and everything else fixed and really fucking rag it and hope/run it low on derv and put 20l of veg in.

 

Dads asked me to send him the exhaust links...

 

Handbrake and brake pipe advisory fixed (i think, still out here but cable adjustment at the caliper has the lever to 4 clicks before it stops rather than near vertical as it was before

[conkerman]

Just turn the fuelling screw down as mentioned above.

 

Sent from my Vodafone Smart ultra 6 using Tapatalk

[beko1987]

Seat fixed, well bodged. Bloody frame is snapped on one side, 2 bolts missing and all the rest loose. Moving a bolt to the cracked side has it all held down nicely, and nipping all the rest up has improved things alot. New front seats wanted though!

 

Having a rolly then onto fueling

[beko1987]

I can't get to the lock nut without removing this black box of wires, do I remove it or is it doable with it fitted?

 

[twosmoke300]

Ask chompy on here ! Oh no wait a minute 😬

[oldcars]

Seat fixed, well bodged. Bloody frame is snapped on one side, 2 bolts missing and all the rest loose. Moving a bolt to the cracked side has it all held down nicely, and nipping all the rest up has improved things alot. New front seats wanted though!

 

Having a rolly then onto fueling

Your cracking on. Could the crack be welded up, and then you would just need some bolts.

[vulgalour]

Boo on the fail, but yay on the lack of mention of rust etc.  Sounds sortable, just hassle.  Unfortunately the original seats were binned ages ago as nobody wanted them.  Excessive smoke is likely just the fuelling being cranked up so if you can turn it down you should be okay.  I remember one of the front handbrake adjusters being an absolute arse, nothing inherently wrong with it beyond Citroen making a front handbrake that is difficult to make work properly.

 

Good luck with the retest!

[The Moog]

Fuel screw is doable without removing box of bits. Undo lock nut then turn with screw driver.

 

The exhaust is a straight through which I don't think helps. It was a pain to get through last year. They put magic potion in it to get it through got it mega hot and then it squeaked through.

[beko1987]

I was expecting the exhaust tbh, and have wanted to replace it since buying it, seems that will happen earlier!

 

I presume a proper system will just hang on? No mounts etc were chopped off?

 

All done, having a rolly then will get washed and changed, on the laptop and do a proper update!

[beko1987]

Here we go then! Picture of before the MOT

 

 

We all know what happened at the station, so I won't bore you with that, but a number of issues have been fixed.

 

Handbrake is sorted, there was ALOT of adjustment in the cables at the caliper end, so I wound both up quite far and now on 2 clicks if I try to pull away on tickover it stalls. Before the handbrake lever went right up near vertical with no resistance (it did hold though, but the failure was excessive travel). I can just make it do 4 clicks. If anything I may have adjusted it a bit too much, but both cables are due replacement, and if it does create a tiny bit of drag from the front that's no bad thing, the pads are in need of a cleanup, it squeals coming to a stop (brakes fine and evenly though). Will see how it feels on a drive.

 

 

Drivers seat - is actually snapped (Pug 405 seat on xantia runners remember). 2 bolts were missing on the snapped side too, and the frame had snapped around a bolt hole. To fix this, I took a bolt from the other side where there were 2 together and fitted it to the cracked side, which has clamped the break down nicely. All the other bolts I found were loose too, so everything has been tightened up. One of the seat mounting holes in the chassis is ruined though, I hasten to write it's just about tight, mainly by screwing the bolt into the threaded bit, feeding it at an angle through the hole then nipping it up so it clamps the remains of the hole but that's what it is. However, the whole thing is alot more rigid now, the only flex is through the seat mechanism itself now so it's as good as I can get it. 

 

 

Rear numberplate bulb - I cleaned and checked the buggars last weekend and they do light, one side just needs a thump sometimes. I'll try another bulb, but otherwise I'll put the lights on before I get to the station and check the bulb is on before it goes in... I checked it at various points in the week too and it was lit. Little sod...

Black smoke... I turned the fueling screw down a bit. With the engine running and chugging away due to the intercooler pipe being off, I wound it down a whole turn then left it for a minute. After 5 minutes the idle went a bit lumpy, and little white clouds chuffed out of the exhaust (the exact same colour I had when the cambelt slipped and messed up the fueling). Half a turn back the other way and it seemed fine. I put it all back together and had a friend stand by the exhaust, and took it to the redline 5 times. Then I stood by it whilst he did it twice. Now, there is no more general smog, however at (and a guess here) when the revs shoot up past 2.5k up to 4k a dark black cloud comes out, but then it clears. I'll drive a bit harder than I usually do (being perpetually poor I like to conserve fuel, but that'll have to go out of the window for now) and boot it every chance I can. I can take it to the redline throuhout 2nd, 3rd and 4th easily enough joining the motorway twice a day.

My dad has kindly offered to buy me an exhaust, so I'm about to send him links to the ebay stuff I need (may post it here first incase anyone can check). That will hopefully sort the noise out, and help the smoke maybe as alot of the welds on the home made exhaust have failed. After that it's down to the chod gods to smile on me!

I don't think I need a cat AND a backbox on a pre 2001 diesel do I, even though it had one from new, certainly my 1994 ZX did not have a cat (and it was fitted with one when new) but it did have a backbox. I was going to buy a straight pipe and backbox (and a clamp and new fitting kit as one of the bolts is loose and seized where it joins the turbo). One plus will be ease of access, it's a right tight sod on a ZX, seems to be much more room on a Xantia!

So there we go, 3 things fixed (and an advisory too, both front brake pipes were not clipped in, sorted that), exhaust to go. At the very least, I'm hoping that when they see it re-presented with a shiney new exhaust and other things fixed they may *overlook* borderline smoke, but I won't expect it.

I have 10 working days to re-test it for free. I have friday and monday next week/week after booked off work as I had annual leave to use up, so as long as th exhaust arrives we should be dandy. Although 'legally' I don't have a re-test to use, the tester told me that the 'handbrake doesnt work AT ALL' when he told me it failed. Odd I thought, it's rubbish, but it does work, you did test it on the front wheels didn't you?... nope! Sadly it made no difference as he then came back saying about the excess travel, and had to use the 'retest' option to update the test, but said when I go back in he will just do a full re test for free, which seemed fair enough to me. I also had to help them out when they got it down from the jacks, guess what they had not done... that's right, put it in high. I felt very clever as I lent in, popped her into high, waited 3 minutes then down to normal, he called it 'air suspension' too, I don't think they see many green blooded cars there! Sadly my knowledge did not mitigate the fails (which they shouldn't have done anyway, but I hoped they might!)

It needs to pass, I have alot of things lined up for it next year! 

 

(copied from the french car forum post I wrote, because I cba to type it all out again, there's pictures here though)

[bub2006]

The exhaust noise is usually testers discretion. I've heard a lot louder pass an Mot. Glad there is nothing major. I would not worry about cat as it's not necessary.

[bub2006]

From sounds of things you may need a new Mot tester. Doesn't check front wheel handbrake, doesn't even ask about suspension and fail in noise.

[Bren]

For a 20 year old hydropnuematic citroen that is very good.

 

The car has obviously been looked after.

[twosmoke300]

I agree the tester sounds very green. Was brake test before or after it went on the ramp ?

[scaryoldcortina]

It should always be afterwards. The logic being that there might be a brake pipe or hose about to fail that might burst during the roller test, and you aren't supposed to damage a customer's vehicle so if you inspect first and test afterwards you can fail it for the rotted pipe/bulged hose and not do the brake test for safety reasons.

 

Also imagine the situation where something permanant 4x4 that still needs you to tapley it in the carpark bursts a hose you didn't spot and piles into a wall.

 

Tester does sound a bit inexperienced/wary to me as well, but the driver's seat and the handbrake travel are both legitimate fails.