The Beast Still Lives!, Starting the XM after a lay up

In a fit of enthusiasm I decided to start the XM and move it off the gravel front garden and onto the drive. After a few basic checks I stuck the battery on, gave it 2 goes on the glow plugs and it started in less than 2 seconds on the key. Boy was I impressed, it hadn't been started in 3 months. The engine settled down to a nice steady tickover within seconds. Apart from the light smell of frying (it's on biodiesel) all was well. As far as I can tell the passenger mirror has stopped working but apart from that and the headlamp washers everything else works, even the sun roof and dot matrix!

After moving it I decided to connect up the Lexia to see what that had to say about the car. It wouldn't communicate with the mirrors and a few other systems but the engine came up with a clean bill of health. The Lexia did flag a fault with the heater mixer flap pot being open circuit, I didn't realise that the basic heater setup would use such a thing. I'll have to have a look through the files and find out more. The next thing I fancy doing is connecting it up to the Lexia for a test drive so that I can check out the boost and injection figures.

Even the cat had a good look around it.

Steve.

Is this the one you re-built the engine on then Steve?

D

Yes that's the one, the silver 2.5 estate. I'm thinking of putting it back on the road.

Steve.

Go on, put it back on the road, its sounds a good one

After the money, time and effort you put into it, it must be a lovely car to drive.
Thought you had sold that when you got the C5.........................couldnt bring yourself to do it could you .
Get it back on the road, you know it makes sense

D

I have one on SORN at the moment, I use it once a week to take the dustbins down to the farm, seems to be keeping it in good fettle.

Peter, your drive must be miles long!

Xms dont seem to mind standing a while, mine often stands for a few months before i go to use it again, usually over winter. When i come to use it again it fires up straight away, a quick check over of the fluids and usually an oil change and its ready to be in use again.

One year it did 600 miles between MOTs, not sure how we did so few miles in it that year, but it always starts first time after standing a while. Its getting much more use of lately though. However, its currently resting as the salt is out in force!

Steelcityuk, how does your C5 compare to your Xm?

Its only about half a mile there and back but I start it up and bring it down to the house, then sort the bins out and take them down. I try and run it for about 10 minutes which is enough to bring the battery up, bearing in mind it has an alternator not a dynamo

The biggest pain I experience with swapping Xm's on/off the road is the calipers seize up
even when the car is parked with the handbrake off. With the best of intentions, I can't
exercise every one and drive it even if there's a mile long private drive like Peter's to use
where a lot spend their time at the barn nice and dry in slumber. The floating caliper with
it's uneven wear/pressure is a rubbish design after years of being used to the proper way
with the Cx set up which never causes any seizing up issues!

Andrew

I guess the C5 is just what a modern Citroen needs to be in the age of 'Germania'. It drives just like any other large saloon, just jump in and turn the key and it's ready straight away. As soon as you open the door the car adjusts it's ride height without the engine running. The brakes are powerful and the power steering never feels heavy or sluggish. Aside from the ride it could be any large saloon. The ride is comfortable and consistant, usually passengers comment how nice a ride it is. However my C5 doesn't have hydractive 3 so theres no switching between modes. I can see why taxi drivers bought them in droves.

By comparison the XM to me is an enthusiasts car, got to wait for to get ready, the steering can be a little heavy until it's woken up fully, you have to keep up with the odd jobs to keep it sweet. However the XM is very unusual in it's looks, there's more room inside (eldow room), the seats are far nicer and the dot matirx is so sublime.

Did people ask how the XM compared to the CX I wonder or the CX to the DS?

Steve.

I am curious about the comment that the Lexia diagnosed heater electronics issue. The Prestige seems to be stuck in demist (which actually is luckily the best mode the be stuck in). I suspect a stuck flap, there is also the bit of ducting that has obviously come loose and fell out thru the flap above the pedals, but I also suspect and it has been suggested to me that there is an electronic fault with the motor driving the flap that that changes the fan pattern.

OK I didn't know what a Lexia was, but I can use google so I know now and see I won't be buying one for myself anytime soon.

If I make a home made fault code reader (I bought the bits last year but never got round to it yet), will that be sufficient to read off such codes related to the heater electronics, or do I need to take it to someone with a Lexia or better.

btw the garage guys started the prestige up after standing since late july, they didn't mention any issues with starting, its always been great for that since I had the starter motor replaced in 2000ish, and I didn't skimp on the battery last time it was replaced. Battery was a bit flat when I got it back (just about moved the central locking) but after 15 miles or so its fine again.

I'm not sure that a generic code reader (think that's what you mean?) can diagnose such faults? Some fault codes are manufacterer and car specific so whether they could be read by such a device I don't know.

The great thing about dealer tools is the extra functions they have such as being able to give live sensor readings, adjust fueling & idle speed and also activate most relays/valves/etc. They can also be used to code parts to the cars - this being more important with modern vehicles where even the injectors need to be coded to the ecu.

If you can find a club or forum member nearby with a Lexia they may be able to read the codes for you far cheaper than a dealer.

Hope that helps.

Steve.

Tim

The flap motor you are after is on the drivers side of the transmission tunnel right up inside the dash, you can just get to it from the drivers foot well, mine stuck a while ago and i took it off, gave it a wiggle and put it back on and it has been fine ever since.
The ducting that has fallen out is more than likely for the crotch vent thingy under the steering column, is it a short rectangular bit of duct with a slight angle in it? if so, it is easy to put back in.

D

Thanks Dean, I did TRY and see about getting up there from the drivers footwell once, but was worried I might accidentally disassemble something I would be unable to disassemble, plus I am not as flexible as some. Maybe when its warmer.

Amen to that !

Mike.