Johndouglas

After a busy day I can sit back feeling very satisfied having changed the coolant and antifreeze in three of our fleet. I started with the easy one, the Pug 306. Easy because there’s bags of room down behind the radiator and also it has a half-turn&pull drain plug situated at the bottom of the rad. Just a matter of waiting for it to empty then close the valve and refill with 50/50 mix. There’s only one Schrader-like valve which I leave open as I refill. Once fluid leaks out, I close the bleed cap, rev the engine for a short while and finally top up the reservoir. Job quickly completed. Then it was on to the Saxo. This time not quite so easy. There’s no drain plug so it means disconnecting the bottom hose. However there’s still room to do it from under the bonnet. Only benefit is that it drains quicker. Once the hose is replaced, the reservoir is refilled with 50/50 mixture. Again there’s only one bleed screw adjacent to the reservoir. Job not quite as easy as the 306 but not at all time consuming. Then it was the turn of the Xsara HDI. Citroen have saved a few pennies by not fitting a drain plug in the radiator bottom. There’s not enough room to work between engine and radiator, so it all has to be done from underneath, which needed ramps. The HDI has an undertray which unfortunately needs to come off for access. Since there’s no drain plug the bottom hose also has to be taken off. Once the hose is replaced the reservoir can be refilled and bled. Altogether a much longer and dirtier job than the first two cars. I use an Ethylene Glycol-based concentrate from Screwfix which they do for less than 9 quid a 5ltr can. It’s mixed with an equal amount of distilled water which is saved all the year round from a dehumidifier. I aim to change the coolant every two years, so as it drains away, it has a very healthy appearance without any signs of discolouration.

Had you being buying last year you may have bought cheaper in France than in the UK. Then a Euro had a value of .69p. Now it's 80p (84p if you have to use the tourist rates) www.speedy.fr is the French subsiduary of Kwikfit, but Norauto which is usually attached to Carrefour or Auchan is worth looking at. For good value I can recommend http://www.tyretraders.com/ I've used them two or three times now. Although you buy on the 'net, the tyres are delivered to and fitted by a workshop of your choice.

I ran a 2.1 Xantia from 1998 till 2005 and it was a brilliant car. Over the month, from fill to fill, it's average fuel consumption was usually 42mpg. As a tow car, it was a work horse and with the caravan on the back, it towed effortlessly at 70mph and returned 32mpg. My present C5 also tows very well, but any increase in speed over 60, and the fuel consumption plumets. I've still got my service record for the 2.1 on floppy and up till I sold it on at 100000 miles, other than regular oil and filter changes, all it cost me was 3 hydraulic fluid changes, 2 cambelts, and 3 rear spheres. The only breakdown required a new antisink valve. I've got to disagree with Colin - IMO the best Xantia is the 2.1

I have no idea. It's not possible to repair them so a new one is needed. One from GSF or similar would be around 130 quid. It's not a very long job to replace. Any competent garage should be able to do the job.

I have a mechanical Burroughs gauge - also bought off eBay and which uses the Newton scale. I use the Autodata conversion chart which is the one Kfk has reproduced. Having used the gauge, I try it with the time-honoured thumb and finger twist :) Come back the XUD auto-tensioner!

I haven't needed to do my C5 calipers, but on my previous Xantia the pads went wedged shaped. I got the calipers off and cleaned off the corrosion which was surprisingly hard and difficult to shift. There was no problem in refitting them.

Maybe you are just experiencing Xantia brakes. That's the differerence in the system between the brakes on the Xantia and those on more conventional cars. The Xantia brakes use the same hydraulic fluid used by the suspension and the steering. As the pedal goes down, a spring is first compressed which may give the impression of the brakes being slow to react. Many home mechanics with Xantias do their own modification to the pedal whereby they remove the spring between the button on the brake dosuer valve and pedal with a similar length of 15mm copper tube. Of course, you may have additional faults.

Looking at their blurb, it seems to be just another injector cleaner/fuel enhancer similar to Diesel Redex or Millers Diesel Power Sport 4 - only a bit pricier. Ebay "buy it now" price £20 for two 500ml bottles. I buy Millers at £84 for 5ltrs - so I'll stay with that.

I believe it goes something like:- Switch ignition on. Wait for LED to extinguish Within 30 seconds press lock or unlock button. Within 10 seconds press lock or unlock on any other keys. Ensure LED illuminates for .5 second.

Have a look at Haynes number 3751. I know it only goes up to W reg but it does have a section on the 2litre HDI engine. My daughter's Xsara is a 2002 model and it's the one I use. Whether or not you will find it possible to change the belt DIY, only you know your ability with the spanners. We've all got to have a first time. My first belt change was on a diesel BX some 16 years ago. The job seemed to go OK until I started the engine. Very clattery!!! Eventually discovered the pulleys were one tooth out. But that something learnt for next time. You will have looked down the front of the engine. That's where the difficulty lies in the lack of room to work. Therefore it's necessary to have the sump supported on a jack so that the engine can be lowered or raised accordingly. If you decide to DIY, do as Jonno suggests. Replace the water pump and tensioner pulley at the same time. I also consider it worth changing the auxiliary belt as well. Also look closely at the crankshaft pulley. They do begin to disintegrate.

It could be. How about when it's warmed up? It could also be a leak of air to the fuel line. In the morning, before the first start of the day, open the bonnet and give the hand primer a few squeezes until it becomes firm. Then try a start. If it goes, you've got a leakage of air going into the fuel line. ................................. If that doesn't work, wait for the glowplug light to go out - switch off and wait for the glowplugs again. If that works, you have probably got a duff plug.

Maybe - it could also be the problem that this form of suspension has been plagued with since the first BX came onto the road - that is a buildup of corrosion between the caliper and the suspension arm. It can build up to a thickness of 2mm, pushing the caliper out of position and causing all sorts of noises. It's been well covered on the forum. Use the search feature.

If you have no luck in finding a ready-made seal, you could try these:- http://www.automobiletrim.com/door-seal-rubber.html

Quite

Yes - I've heard it said that they put Loctite on them when they are assembled in the factory, but the ease with which mine came out at the end of the first year makes me doubt it. To my mind it's the later corrosion from the unlike metals that binds them. Most guys on the various forums recommend greasing the bolts before refitting. Certainly according to Haynes, they say, "Lubricate the threads of the calliper securing bolts, then refit the calliper and tighten to the specified torque." That's good enough for me!

My local Citroen dealer did the first service on my C5 in April 2006 - I took it in simply to keep the warranty going. The total bill was £254 with the labour portion being £131. Since then I've done the servicng myself. Daughter's 2002 Xsara had it's first service in March 2003 at a total cost of £173. Obviously it's going to cost more now, so I doubt that you'll find a Citroen dealer any cheaper than your BMW - but you might find a Citroen indy that would be less..

Maybe that's the theory - In practice, if they are torqued to 35lbs, in a year's time when I want to redo them, they are as tight as when they were put in....................................and they come out without too much effort.

Since 1989, having had a BX and two Xantias I know what a b****** of a job it can be getting calliper bolts out. With my present C5, at the end of the first year, I removed one bolt at a time, gave it a smear of grease and replaced it. I do it now as part of the maintenance programme.

So there you are Naylor, you've got conflicting advice for your job. All the best with it. “nope it don't work like that just putting in gear doesn't work the flywheel has to be locked in position ( TDC )” “just above the starter motor there is a hole insert a timming pin or a 8mm drill bit into it then turn engine over by hand untill you feel the bit lock into flywheel. then remove the cener bolt from the pulley” Here’s what Mr. Haynes says, To prevent the crankshaft turning whilst the pulley retaining bolt is being slackened, select top gear and have an assistant apply the brakes firmly. Alternatively the flywheel ring gear can be locked using a suitable tool. Do not attempt to lock the pulley by inserting a bolt/drill through the timing hole. If the timing pin is in position from a previous operation, temporarily remove it prior to slackening the pulley bolt.

Put it in top gear. There's an auto tensioner on the auxilliary belt.

Difficult to say since I don't know how the prices go in SA. In the UK we have Independant Citroen Agents and they tend to be much more reasonable in price. Don't you have them? £500 in the UK would be regarded as far too much for a belt change, even allowing for a new water pump and pulleys.

Haven't done an HDI but plenty of XUD's. You'll need to remove the undertray and the inner wheel liner. Remove the front o/s wheel. Put the handbrake on tight and in gear and undo the crankshaft bolt. It will undo easier if it's done hot. It also has locktite on it so it will be difficult. Make a note of the run of the auxilliary belt before you remove it.

Can't be right! :huh: Dealers don't do that sort of thing. :angry: According to Autodata the cambelt should be changed at 100K or if under adverse conditions it should be 80K. Personally, I would go for the 80K.

Why do you need the brakes when you are accelerating? :) When you have the engine running, raise the bonnet and listen to the clicks of the accumulator. If the clicking is more than about twice a minute, I think you need to replace the accumulator sphere.

Before you rush out and buy Eolys fluid, you should know that there are two types - DPX42 and Eolys 176. The first is used on the early vehicles and the 176 is for the Mk2's and the last of the Mk 1's. You need to refer to the RP number if your car is borderline. If yours is a Mk2, the fluid and filter should last around 80000 miles before a topup is required. The normal running of the engine burns off the carbon particles that get trapped in the filter. That's what the eolys fluid is for. It's the residue of the fluid that eventually blocks the filter. A dealer will replace your blocked filter with a 'cleaned' one but I know of one or two guys who have removed theirs and cleaned it with a pressure washer. Early C5's had a float in the fluid tank and if the level was not allowed to get too low, the 'low level' warning never appeared, so a reset with a Lexia was not required. Later fluid tanks don't have the float. The ecu records how much fluid it has added to the fuel tank and how much is left in the reservoir. Eventually the warning will appear which needs to be cancelled with a code reader.