Консултант за Xantia 1.9 TDi и пр. / Техника / Автомобили / Citroen

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Buying and maintaining a second hand Citroen Xantia TD.

In no particular order.

Regular oil changes proved by full service history are a must. Some engines have suffered early piston ring/bore wear due to missed maintenance, also premature camshaft wear can occur in these circumstances. Keeping to the correct intervals and oil quality will also ensure the turbocharger has a long life.

Two yearly coolant changes will reduce the chances of corrosion related problems in the cooling system. As with all this range of engines the cooling system condition is crucial. A head gasket can quickly fail if the car overheats and the repercussion of this can often be that an exchange head is required at substantial cost.

Hydraulic fluid should be changed and the filters cleaned at three yearly intervals. This is important to keep the various hydraulic components in good order.

Transmission oil used to be changed at 36,000 miles on the older BX models but Citroen don’t give an interval for this now on the Xantia. I would still advise changing the oil given the small cost involved.

Fuel filter should be changed at 18,000 miles. The filter cover can distort allowing air leaks and surging. A replacement cover will solve this.

Some injection pumps on post ’97 turbo diesels have an added level of electronic complexity that may be best avoided if you want to carry out home maintenance.

An air filter is required only every 36,000 miles according to Citroen. At higher mileages the engine may breathe a little oil into the filter making 18,000 miles a better interval.

Glowplugs often fail after 60,000 miles or so. If the starting is anything less than instant/smooth test/replace as required. If the starting is still less than perfect a trick is to turn the key as usual and, when the glowplug light goes out, turn the ign off then on again for a second cycle. In moderately cold weather the first cycle is usually about eight seconds. You will find this second cycle lasts about a further four seconds then the car will start properly. Perhaps as the engines age the ideal glow duration increases.

Timing belt. Citroen have now extended the interval on this engine type from 50,000 miles to 72,000 miles. They also say if the car is used under adverse conditions to reduce the interval to 36,000 miles. I recommend keeping to 50,000 miles for the first change then 36,000 thereafter. As the total mileage increases the belt is likely to suffer more from oil contamination hence a more frequent change is beneficial. Also it gives a greater chance to inspect the tensioner bearing which is likely to be needed by the second or third belt change.

The fuel flow and return hoses can leak behind the engine. As diesel drips down it picks up dirt making it appear like an oil leak. On my own car the return hose split so there were no signs from air in the fuel. Citroen supply the pipe set, buy it before taking the old parts off as it is easier to see how the pipes come apart looking at the clean new ones. The cause of this failure is age hardening of the rubber hoses.

Look out for a constant high idle speed (i.e. cold start position). The earlier car has a waxstat and later cars electronic/vacuum controls. Both can fail.

Clutch condition is very important on these cars. It is a long and fiddly job to change one hence the dealer charge is high. Treat any car with suspicion that has a heavy clutch or one that takes up near the top of its travel. The latter condition can be adjusted out but then sometimes it is hard to get the gears, a sure sign the clutch needs replacing soon.
Hydraulic suspension spheres should be replaced every few years. The time to change them is before the ride quality suffers. The gas will permeate from the sphere over time but the self-levelling nature of the hydraulics will keep the car at the same height. The ride is so good to start with it tends to mask the gradual decline. If the spheres are left too long the internal rubber diaphragm will be damaged and they will be unsuitable for exchange.

Hydraulic accumulator sphere. This main sphere is the one that acts as a reservoir to smooth out peaks in demand but more importantly it is the emergency brake reserve in case of hydraulic pressure failure. Remember there is no direct mechanical/hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and the brake cylinders as with a conventional car. On the Citroen the pedal pressure merely opens a valve to allow system pressure to pass to the brakes, if there is no pressure then there is no stopping power. It only takes a hydraulic pump belt to break and quickly you loose power steering, suspension and brakes. This is when the safety valve/accumulator gives a reserve enough to stop the car. As the accumulator is so crucial to safety it may be wise to change this as a matter of routine at two/three yearly intervals. Some recommend only using a new sphere for this rather than exchange but it is a matter of personal choice.

Hydraulic pumps can often fail/leak at something over 70,000 miles.

Rear suspension arm bearings can fail making the car jerky to rise and the wheels may lean in at the top. This arm is the same design as the BX but seems to last a little longer.

On later vehicles a suspension anti-sink system was fitted as it was perceived customers preferred a more “normal” car that wasn’t flat to the ground in the morning. This means that the suspension tends to operate through a narrow range possibly allowing the height corrector pivots/links to stiffen or seize. It is worthwhile to move the car from maximum height to minimum every week to keep the linkages fully exercised.

Most agree the car is best suited to Michelin tyres if it is possible to keep to these. Front tyre wear can be heavy and cheaper tyres can wear out very quickly. Standard pressures are 33psi front, 30psi rear (laden or unladen). Sometimes the pressure given in bars on the car as 2.3 front, 2.1 rear is misread as 23/21 psi giving under-inflation and rapid tyre wear.

ABS systems can fault due to a variety of connection problems or damage to the wheel sensor wires. On earlier cars the ECU is said to be prone to failure.

The parcel shelf retracting lift cords can fail due to stretching, then it doesn’t lift up with the rear hatch. Many have come up with ingenious ways to cure this but as the Citroen repair kit is around ?10 it is a cheap enough solution.

It is easy to break the brittle plastic screen washer jets when washing the car. They clip just below the bonnet rear edge and only cost ?2.30 a pair to replace.

Plip alarm/central locking receivers in the roof can suffer from circuit board cracks giving erratic operation. I gather there was a Citroen modification to drill a hole in the dome that covers the receiver to avoid any water ingress from the sunroof collecting and causing faults.

Front brake discs will often need replacing after as little as 40,000 miles or thereabouts. Front brake pad wear can be heavy.

Rear brake discs can suffer from corrosion due to lack of use on lightly laden cars.

Underbody corrosion doesn’t seem to be an issue on these vehicles. Paint finishes last well although some non-metallic colours can fade if kept outside.

Do bear in mind the Xantia has been produced through the period of the 1990s when vast quantities of pre-registered cars were stored at various locations and then sold on by dealers with tiny recorded mileages, often as used cars. If you look at one with a suspicious low mileage for the first year or two it may be quite genuine and from one of these sources.

In conclusion if looking for a value for money Xantia I would pick a 1995/96 LX Turbo Diesel with a (mostly) Citroen history and about 80,000 miles recorded. The car will be cheap due to the above average mileage but will have had the all important (and expensive) 72,000 mile service with timing belt, coolant and LHM changes. You should find it will have had the front discs, and possibly the rears, replaced. If you are very lucky it will have recent glowplugs, an exchange hydraulic pump and replaced spheres. It should have an airbag but no ABS. No ABS! Am I mad! Well as cars grow older ABS can be a liability. Mine has just faulted and it could just be a wheel sensor but many say it will be several hundred pounds for the ECU. Also the system gives an odd feel to the pedal and spoils that devastating feeling of braking power on the non-ABS model.