Early SED - a new chapter
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:38 pm
XM SED Manual
RP4873 14/03/90
Registered 03/05/90
Purchased 10/02/94 128k miles
(clocked by dealer to 60k, part of my negotiation, thought I was going to get roughed up)
Current mileage 177766 plus 68k approx 245k
No MOT
I can't get decent pictures where the car is parked, exterior video
[youtube]0iswOIcrts8[/youtube]
and interior
[youtube]NncQcu9iJMU[/youtube]
I was 27 when I bought this car, I'm 50 next birthday. Nothing in my life has been more constant, be it houses, women or freelance jobs. This car and I are as one. But the time has come to say goodbye, it is difficult even writing this. After too many years playing with cars and working long hours I am very lucky to have a two year old daughter whose early years I have already missed more than I would like. If I had room to store this SED until I had more time, I would do so. In the meantime, it has waited four years for me to do some simple fettling which is a waste of a good car. I have too much to do and not enough hours, already more cars than I can drive and I work from home anyway. There is a Porsche 928GTS tucked up at our house in France, I never drive it. That house needs work too, this house needs work. It just goes on.
I came to this XM from my first Citroen, a BX19 diesel, and have always been impressed by the comfort and performance with the turbo on song at motorway speeds giving the car more go than you would expect from a 2.1. The fully loaded (if not fully working) interior is a world apart from the basic models. I find the early hatch very well balanced compared with the later estates that I have.
The head gasket was replaced by me in 1994 and again by a supposed specialist in 2001. It has had various minor bits along the way such as track rod ends, drop links but importantly the front strut tops were replaced (one new, one nearly new) not too many miles ago although it will be some years ago.
If anybody wants to give this car a new life, there will be some works required but there is no point detailing those if nobody is interested. I Waxoyled under the car before every MOT, underneath is about as clean as you will get. The last major job was to repipe over the back axle but then the car would occasionally drip water from the back of the engine, suspected hose, I bought a 2.5 estate while I investigated. Then I got a very large project to work on which I couldn't turn down, then we had a baby etc.
I started the car on Wednesday for the first time in a couple of years, albeit with a wire to the starter solenoid as I know the wiring to the solenoid isn't great (ignition switch was new, believed okay). Having primed and done glow plugs twice, it started first turn and rose up after sixty seconds. The car ran in the driveway for an hour then over the next couple of days I did some cleaning which shows the doors having paint in really good condition although the lacquer has gone on roof, bonnet, front wings, spoiler. Inside is incredibly clean, I've had the same floor mats in place since 1994.
I can't take decent pictures in the small driveway where the car is parked, so I made a couple of videos on Friday. When I set the suspension to high, I walked round the car then noticed "Hydraulic Level" warning message and LHM from the scuttle drain. Yesterday I removed the scuttle trim for the first time on this car and found it is one of the pipes to the brake doseur, not the doseur itself which is leaking. Annoying, but as noted above most of the pipework on this car has spent years covered in Waxoyl so this is a localised issue.
Clearly it needs to be transported. Is anybody interested in
- giving this SED a new life
- breaking it more slowly than I will if there are no takers
I can give far more detail of current issues (some sill welding required) and previous issues (dent lower rear nearside door etc) if required.
Her indoors has a C4 Grand Picasso which is an ideal mummy wagon. Because we now take so much stuff to the French house I should probably get rid of all XMs and have a C8 or Grand Espace but their engines are fragile and nothing beats that feeling of watching your car rise majestically off the ground after a rest.
Thanks for reading. I need to move quickly on this.
Chris
RP4873 14/03/90
Registered 03/05/90
Purchased 10/02/94 128k miles
(clocked by dealer to 60k, part of my negotiation, thought I was going to get roughed up)
Current mileage 177766 plus 68k approx 245k
No MOT
I can't get decent pictures where the car is parked, exterior video
[youtube]0iswOIcrts8[/youtube]
and interior
[youtube]NncQcu9iJMU[/youtube]
I was 27 when I bought this car, I'm 50 next birthday. Nothing in my life has been more constant, be it houses, women or freelance jobs. This car and I are as one. But the time has come to say goodbye, it is difficult even writing this. After too many years playing with cars and working long hours I am very lucky to have a two year old daughter whose early years I have already missed more than I would like. If I had room to store this SED until I had more time, I would do so. In the meantime, it has waited four years for me to do some simple fettling which is a waste of a good car. I have too much to do and not enough hours, already more cars than I can drive and I work from home anyway. There is a Porsche 928GTS tucked up at our house in France, I never drive it. That house needs work too, this house needs work. It just goes on.
I came to this XM from my first Citroen, a BX19 diesel, and have always been impressed by the comfort and performance with the turbo on song at motorway speeds giving the car more go than you would expect from a 2.1. The fully loaded (if not fully working) interior is a world apart from the basic models. I find the early hatch very well balanced compared with the later estates that I have.
The head gasket was replaced by me in 1994 and again by a supposed specialist in 2001. It has had various minor bits along the way such as track rod ends, drop links but importantly the front strut tops were replaced (one new, one nearly new) not too many miles ago although it will be some years ago.
If anybody wants to give this car a new life, there will be some works required but there is no point detailing those if nobody is interested. I Waxoyled under the car before every MOT, underneath is about as clean as you will get. The last major job was to repipe over the back axle but then the car would occasionally drip water from the back of the engine, suspected hose, I bought a 2.5 estate while I investigated. Then I got a very large project to work on which I couldn't turn down, then we had a baby etc.
I started the car on Wednesday for the first time in a couple of years, albeit with a wire to the starter solenoid as I know the wiring to the solenoid isn't great (ignition switch was new, believed okay). Having primed and done glow plugs twice, it started first turn and rose up after sixty seconds. The car ran in the driveway for an hour then over the next couple of days I did some cleaning which shows the doors having paint in really good condition although the lacquer has gone on roof, bonnet, front wings, spoiler. Inside is incredibly clean, I've had the same floor mats in place since 1994.
I can't take decent pictures in the small driveway where the car is parked, so I made a couple of videos on Friday. When I set the suspension to high, I walked round the car then noticed "Hydraulic Level" warning message and LHM from the scuttle drain. Yesterday I removed the scuttle trim for the first time on this car and found it is one of the pipes to the brake doseur, not the doseur itself which is leaking. Annoying, but as noted above most of the pipework on this car has spent years covered in Waxoyl so this is a localised issue.
Clearly it needs to be transported. Is anybody interested in
- giving this SED a new life
- breaking it more slowly than I will if there are no takers
I can give far more detail of current issues (some sill welding required) and previous issues (dent lower rear nearside door etc) if required.
Her indoors has a C4 Grand Picasso which is an ideal mummy wagon. Because we now take so much stuff to the French house I should probably get rid of all XMs and have a C8 or Grand Espace but their engines are fragile and nothing beats that feeling of watching your car rise majestically off the ground after a rest.
Thanks for reading. I need to move quickly on this.
Chris
the bug has bitten well and truly!