Pulling Out The Evaporator Modem Buster, an exercise of sheer insanity.

Put this wiring harness holder back on heater hoses later and unscrew heater connection.



There's no way the heater box will tilt forward and out like I was expecting... That huge dash frame ... It appears it can be removed.



Remember all the piccies and work in the scuttle before... Well something like this allows access to the nuts. You WILL need a 13mm tube socket.



More mounts in the car. The passenger side of the frame is now movable but the drivers side is still tied down and imovable ...

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 01:54 pm

Bugger... more mounts down low drivers side.




Hmm, in that case the column will need to come down as well.



Along with it's wiring. Note: replace that cable tie later.



The ignition lock wiring can't be unplugged up here, however the hole plastic housing that runs down the subframe can be pulled down, along the column to drop to the floor.



This is getting ridiculous, I've gotta be running out of bits to bloody unscrew ..... Please tell me I am.... How can this be so god damned tedious.



Can't get to the lower mount nut, out with the accellerator pedal (easy, 2 phillips head screws) and hydractive throttle position sensor (fiddly, 7mm nut/bolt where spanners don't like to fit).



Still really tight on the drivers side, and no signs of movement in the frame... I found another bolt in the scuttle.



Still can't move the frame ........ What are THESE.... Bloody threads sticking out of the pedal box. Refer to Peters writeup that I'd thrown aside as it obviously covers the Series I car, not the Series II and find it states "2bolts must be removed under the heater hoses in the firewall, then the frame will move and heater box can be slid out.... So we only have to remove the heater hoses, and two bolts and it'll be out ......

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 01:55 pm

Yeah, that's them ....... Down there.......



Don't try to get your hand down there to feel for the bolts if you have big hands like me .... Something will trap your hand, and it hurts pulling chunks of flesh off your palm getting it back out



Maybe there's access from underneath ....... Yeah right.... Maybe with the V6, but not this where you have a turbo diesel with a turbo charger and wastegate assembly jamned in there.



Maybe if I pull all this plumbing away, oil cooler, radiator hoses, intercooler hoses, etc.... I'll be able to pull the engine mounts off and lay it forward.... Or maybe I have to pull the turbo charger and wastegate off from underneath and get access that way..... Of course it's the very last two bolts that are this @$#@ing difficult.... I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Maybe pulling the inlet manifold pipework will be enough.... Bugger this I'm off to raid the beer in the fridge

seeya,
Shane L.

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 01:56 pm

Inlet manifold off, fuel line, accellerator cable out of the way.



Access is still tight.... "blue language" will be heard echoing from the shed from a great distance. Let me explain, there is still bugger all space, the bolt heads are recessed into the firewall insulation, you can't see them, can barely tough them.... One nut has a hydraulic line running over it's head making getting the socket on very difficult. My shortest (tiny) 1/4 extension bar was too long, using a 3/8ths socket with an adapter made the depth the perfect length.

Now the other bolt you will find unscrews a few turns trapping the ratchet against the wastegate mechanism. So wind it back in a turn and wiggle/jiggle it off.... Damn it's fun climbing under the car to try and find and retrieve dropped ratchets, sockets and spanners from underneath hidden in the exhaust/turbo/wategate mechanisms Now put the 1/4" 13mm socket on and unwind another few turns until you hit the wastegate trapping the ratchet again.... Now the bolt head should be proud of the firewall insulation so get a spanner down there and undo the last few turns. Yes I have no @$#%ing idea how I will ever get these bolts back in :eek:



This is what your removing.



Try and remove more ducting from the heater box...





I tied the dash subframe to the roof and eased it forward as far as I can... It doesn't move far with all the wiring in the way.



The top corner of the heater box still felt to be tied down.



The fuse box will need to come out, the fan housing hits it.



There's electronics screwed to the fan housing ...

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 01:57 pm

Fusebox is in the way, it slots onto the rod arrowed.



Yet another bolt in behind the fusebox onto the heater box.



It slots in using the square nut.



It seems to moving around this point.... Must be tied to the firewall here.



These must bolt the heater box in ...



And another ...



I Just can NOT get these heater hoses off.... Why the $#@$ would they use very strong spring loaded hose clamps, as opposed to simple worm drive clips that you can just unscrew by getting a screwdriver in there. Hopefully I don't need to remove the heater pipes.



Heater box new slides forward, unclip this wiring harness from behind it.



Wiggle forward, it still feels like somethings holding it somewhere ?



This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 01:59 pm

Bugger, there heater hoses appear to tied to the box. I tried everything to get those "fun" heater hoses off... Heated them with a heat gun, I kept pull them the metal part through the firewall.... Those :cussing::censored: heavily tensioned spring hose clamps that you can't release. Only one pair of vicegrips will fit down there to release one of them, but we need to remove both at the same time as they are joined. Fortunatly I found when I moved the heater box forward a little, I could get a stubby phillips head screwdriver down the side of the heater box and release the housing.



Drop out pin from the handbrake mechanism that traps a plastic tag off the side of the heater box housing.



It's still a tight fit and you have to lift/wiggle the dash subframe around, almost get the heater box rotated 90degrees and find the air-con drain is still holding it in... (yeah the one that's been staring you in the face the hole time).... More coolant into the carpet.... again and again....



Remove through passenger door.



That nice soft going foam seal on the top of the heaterbox scratches and damages to the touch, so obviously is now much worst for wear ....



Damn this is a HUGE job. You would have to be bloody insane to tackle this job now you can see how big it is. Far more work than something simple like whipping out a motor and gearbox and changing a clutch...... and rebuilding the motor while your there .

seeya,
Shane L.

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 02:00 pm

Well it appears nothing gets easier .... How the hell does this come apart ... It appear to split into two different directions.... which obviously can't be done. I labelled all the clips with white out pen.



If you remove the one screw through the top of the unit, then pop the two "large" clips off, the whole thing should split in half...





This is a temperature sender by the looks of it ... Remove it so it's wiring doesn't get strained.



Remove the dozens of little clips and split the evaporator housing in half. YES !!! Look at how dirty the lower corner is ... dirt == oil leaked catching dirt................. Bugger it on closer inspection, all that dirt is dry and would blow off with the air hose .... BUGGER !!!!




There is no signs of any oil or leakage anywhere.... After all this work I'll be buggered if I'm gonna put this back together without doing everything I can think of...

Sooooo, I grabbed the UV light globe in the leadlight and blanket to make a miniture dark room..... Everything looks fine....

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 02:02 pm

Until I spot this ....... THAT THERE, that tiny little green dot ..... That's the colour of the system dye.... THAT little tiny, miniscule, easily missed mark is what all this has been for........... Now the really scarey bit.... How much is a new evaporator :confused:

seeya,
Shane L.

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 02:03 pm

Hi Shane

Just had a look at your saga. Got a few 2.5's that I intend to retro fit with aircon and have been collecting bits and information on how to do the job for some time now. Your photos will be a great help so will the tip about UV checking of the secondhand evaporators I intend to use. New are too expensive from Citroen.
As I understand it the dash can come out in one piece without dismantalling as this is how it goes into the car in the factory. The two bolts in the engine bay for the pedal bracket are the real sod to get to particularly on the bigger engined 2.5TD.
Keep the photos comming, at least you get stuck in and get on with the job unlike some of us who just sit round thinking about it.

Best regards

John

Hi John,

this may help then .....


Well I just rang the supply place in Melbourne forgetting that I don't have an account with them, and they don't even list Citroen XM evaporators (though they do have Xsaras and stuff).

So I rang Martin Bray.... He thinks they corrode, not internally as I suggested but externally... When they get condensation on them, combined with muck & dirt it corrodes them out ....

So I went and pull them one out of it's lower housing....So much for needing UV light ....











What a mess.... Hey Roger, yours will no doubt be blocked up with oily muck like this one .... and be corroding through at the pipe joins. I imagine regassing it will not work after a time as it'll pour back out the corroded pipes in weeks rather than months (months will get you through summer, weeks won't !).

Oh yeah, I think Martin Bray is right !

seeya
Shane L.

This post has been edited by DoubleChevron on August 26, 2008 02:04 pm

Hi Shane

I was quoted almost £400 by Citroen for a new one a couple of years ago but only the later type that I wanted to avoid if I could.
None of the ones I have recovered look anywhere near that bad. Most are Mk1 ones with copper pipes rather than the later alloy ones. Looked up the Citroen book time for an XM evaporator change (13 hours for a 2.1TD).

Regards

John

This post has been edited by xmexclusive on June 18, 2008 10:39 am

Hi John,

I have heard the earlier ones are much worse, dis-similar metals means the alloy will sacrafice itself, and it'll rott and leak even more quickly.

I imagine every Australian car has a MUCH worst evaporator than any UK car.... Due to the fact we use our air-con all the time, so the evaporator will be basically wet with condensation constantly.

seeya,
Shane L.

Hi all.

I am lost in admiration for the dedication something like this job obviously requires. Once you have it back together, would it be feasible to add a filter to the heat / aircon air intake to minimise the ingress of dirt which clusters on the evaporator ?

Mike.

Hat off to ya shane! What a JOB!

I guess the rareaty of the cars over there make it feasable to do it, and the heat of your climate!

I think over here, we'd simply not use the air con, or go and buy another car with it working - however, I've not heard of a leaky evaporator in a UK XM yet!

However if they are copper I guess that would explain it.

My 1991 24v V6 has air con, and after a Condenser change, and a gas up, despite a small minute leak it worked for a year, and that included a stand to one side before the gearbox swap ive just done. I can live with that however.

GOOD WORK I HOPE its all worth it when you finish.. and extreamally usefull for us, as we are RHD too...

Rgds
PAul

That's the wee bulb which lights the ignition switch when the interior lights are on. It goes in the hole on the ignition cowling you can see on the right.

Ciarán

This post has been edited by Ciaran on June 18, 2008 02:19 pm