How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Xantia. - I just needed to hit it harder.

[somewhatfoolish]

Flush it!

What difference does the Powerball make?

 

It makes it easier to sell dishwasher tabs to gullible punters, aided by bollocks animated sequences which make the internal processes of a dishwasher more exciting than Guardians of the Fast'n'Furious IX.

[Supernaut]

So, I'm just back from Glasgow after driving there and back in this:

 

 

It's a cracking wee car, and I think I'd very much like to take it on after the Xantia shifts (an as-yet unannounced party on this forum is showing interest in it, but doesn't need it quite yet). The Civic could do with a weekend's worth of work put into it to tidy it up though, however my brother is just... well, neglecting it because cheap cars don't need maintenance.

 

 

Anyway. I got the 30mm core plug and discovered I'm a fecking idiot.

 

 

Note to self, always wear glasses when checking the measuring tape. It actually needs a 32mm.

That's not my blood on the core plug. I got some red RTV sealant that says it can be used on thermostat housings, so I guess it'll be fine to seal a core plug too, as it should be resistant to coolant.

Hold on, Autosave said on the phone on Friday they only had 32mm core plugs in stock... I drove there in the brother's Civic and upon arrival they seemed confused with my request. They couldn't find core plugs and weren't sure if they stocked them but asked if I wanted to order one in.

 

FFS! I'll get another one from ebay instead. 32mm this time. Luckily they're only £2 a pop. Anybody want a 25mm or a 30mm core plug? I have no use for either of them.

[Supernaut]

I'm going utterly fucking spare now.

 

30mm core plug = too loose.

32mm core plug = too big.

 

The one I took out appears to be 31mm. Does anybody sell 31mm core plugs (even on ebay)? FUCK NO.

 

There is the distinct possibility that the one I took out fits nicely because it's distorted now, and that there may be baked-on crud in the hole, preventing the shiny new 32mm one going in. I'll have something to eat then get back to it.

 

After sanding down the hole (fnarr) the new plug still doesn't seem to want to go in. I compared the old and new and the new one does look ever-so-slightly, marginally bigger than the old one. Like I say, it could be down to the old one being distorted from the removal process. Am I just doing it wrong? Trying to drive it in with a socket just the right size on an extension bar, hitting the end of the bar with a rubber mallet.

 

 

Could it really be imperial? 1 and 1/4" ?

[Supernaut]

I reckon I may need an assistant to hold the socket and extension square on the core plug while I try to hit it with all my strength. It's kind of awkward to try on my own.

[Guest Hooli]

Got a thick flat bit of metal? Something like a tyre lever, hold that over the core plug & twat it. It'll be much easier to hold square than a socket & extension.

[Supernaut]

Got a thick flat bit of metal? Something like a tyre lever, hold that over the core plug & twat it. It'll be much easier to hold square than a socket & extension.

The problem is that I kind of need the extension, it's difficult to get a hammer all the way down into where the core plug is.

 

 

In that photo, you can see the leaky core plug surrounded by lots of hoses. Not easy. It's at an odd angle, pointing slightly upwards and to the left of that photo.

[Guest Hooli]

Ahh, good luck with that...

[mrbenn]

Try putting the core plug in the freezer for a bit first, perhaps apply some heat to where it needs to sit.

[Guest Hooli]

Good plan that, I've kept bearings in the freezer for similar reasons before.

 

I'd say a couple of hours to let it get properly cold.

[Supernaut]

Well I can put it in before I go to work tomorrow... too much?

 

Otherwise I put it in when I get home and make an attempt at the back of 7 in the evening!

[Guest Hooli]

You can't leave it in too long, it'll only get as cold as the freezer. The colder it is the better as it'll shrink more, fit as a quick as poss when you take it out before it warms up & expands.

 

The bearings I was talking about lived in the freezer for about 3 months till I rebuilt that motorbike engine one xmas.

[Dave_Q]

Seems highly unlikely that it would be 1 1/4 inch.

 

Rubber mallet won't cut it, you'll need to bray it in with a decent metal hammer.

 

It's meant to be tight, it's an interference fit so it seals.

 

If you want to double check you've got the right size, clean up the hole and measure it with a proper measuring stick, not a ruler.

[DSdriver]

Since when did anyone ever have a core plug push out because the block froze? Not since the invention of antifreeze. So why do we still have core plugs? I would tap the hole and put a plumbing fitting in. 

[somewhatfoolish]

Since when did anyone ever have a core plug push out because the block froze? Not since the invention of antifreeze. So why do we still have core plugs? I would tap the hole and put a plumbing fitting in. 

It's more about the practicalities of casting big lumps of metal with cavities inside; cooling passages would be impossible without extra holes to allow casting sand to be removed after the fact.

 

Can the housing be removed without fucking up the gubbins? fitting it would be a lot easier on a bench.

[Lacquer Peel]

I think the core plugs cover holes necessary for the production of the block, that's my guess.

Fuck knows why an HDi thermostat housing has one

[Mally]

Core plus do push out with ice.

Especially if you forget to put antifreeze in.

Preferable to cracking the block though.

[Dave_Q]

I think the core plugs cover holes necessary for the production of the block, that's my guess.

Fuck knows why an HDi thermostat housing has one

Same reason, it's a lump of sand cast iron and the sand needs to get out somewhere.

[DSdriver]

I'd still tap a thread and fit a plug - sump plug would be ideal.

[Lacquer Peel]

32mm sump plug?

[DSdriver]

Ah, see your point. What about http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-DN15-Flanged-Blanking-Plug-Blanking-Cap-Brass-Male-Thread-Plumbing-Fitting-/322453654287?var=511427833460&hash=item4b13bc4b0f:m:mtOxv9es5FxUXyoO_r-hLTw

[Supernaut]

I think I just need to hit it really hard to get it in. Fnarr, etc. etc.

 

After a tiny bit more reading, I realise that the edges of the core plug actually compress inwards as it goes in, so the 32mm isn't the wrong size. It just needs to be hit really fucking hard. I have enlisted the help of Tayne for this evening, so we shall see how we get on.

 

The core plug is currently in my freezer too. See if that helps at all.

 

 

 

 

Unrelated, but when I drove my brother's Civic I found myself wondering "Do I really want rid of the Xantia?" It's a (very) comfortable car that averages 50mpg and has a nice lump of mid-range torque, as well as actually being able to corner (at worrying speeds too). Whereas the Civic is fucked due to owner neglect, and is probably representative of the typical car I'd find for about £500 or so (unless it was a £500 car from this forum).

Basically, I should appreciate what I have, which is where the title for this thread came from in the first place. I'm basically repeating myself.

 

TLDR - Xantias are ace.... if you keep on top the coolant changes and don't let it rust out a core plug. Derp.

[Junkman]

[Supernaut]

Well, they make it look easy!

[UltraWomble]

Old 10p coin & chemical metal

Jobbed.

[rantingYoof]

I genuinely think that only a conveniently located and sensibly priced LS400 is an adequate alternative to the Xantia.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Supernaut]

I genuinely think that only a conveniently located and sensibly priced LS400 is an adequate alternative to the Xantia.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

At this point, yes. The Civic felt gutless because no mid-range torque. It got a move on above 4,000rpm but I got out-dragged off a roundabout by a diesel Ford C-Max while driving it.

[SiC]

Sounds like you're driving the Civic like a diesel. Its a Honda, so you gotta use the revs.

[Supernaut]

Sounds like you're driving the Civic like a diesel. Its a Honda, so you gotta use the revs.

Aye, I was revving the tits off it and it was alright admittedly, but it's only a 120hp 1.6. It did make a nice induction noise though.

 

The lack of performance could be attributed to its utterly fucked left rear brake too. Who knows? I'm a fickle being. I like change, and I keep thinking I want rid of the Xantia, then I drive it and think "hmmm, this is nice."

[Lacquer Peel]

Buzzy shite

[Mally]

I just put a slightly smaller socket in the core plug and smack it in, but I'd be worried about breaking the housing.

Tapping and pluging sounds good, but how much is a tap?