Citroen XM Forum

Just to report I collected the refurbished auto gearbox earlier today and it does appear that a very thorough job has been done. There were actually two main faults, namely a heavily burnt out clutch and damage to the oil pump internals, which I assume might be related. The pump was replaced with a refurbished unit and the torque convertor and valve chest were also sent away to specialists and various bushes, seals and gaskets replaced. I hope to reattach the engine and box tommorow and with luck also reinstall in the car! It will probably take a couple of further sessions to fully rebuild and test. With regards, Matthew T.

Looks like the oil pump was damaged when the T/C failed, low oil pressure would allow the clutches to slip and burning them out in no time.
Sounds like a job well done.

Thanks for the confirmation on the heat shield too, Matthew, i will modify mine and re-fit it.

D

It sounds like your decision to perform a full rebuild was the correct one. If there was enough metal swarf to ruin the oil pump, it must have been significant. I suspect the filter was blocked as well, again causing oil starvation and low pressure. That damage wouldn't have been detected if you hadn't gone for a full strip down.

having done this work and replaced the flex plate should ensure a long life going forwards. Having said that, you may get bored not having to keep hauling the engine and box out multipe times.

Excellent news!

Thanks chaps and just to confirm there was not excessive metal debris in the gearbox and no noticeable deposits on the filter with fairly clean oil, although when the box was stripped fall out from the clutch plates was apparently quite extensive. It certainly was the right decision to fully strip the box despite the expense and I think the pump may have been missed last time.
Yesterday I managed to reunite the engine and gearbox and reinstate other components ready for lifting in hopefully next weekend. I certainly do not wish to be repeating the exercise any time soon!
With regards,
Matthew T.

Nice bike you've got there Matthew. I didn't have you down as a MAMIL...


For the gearbox, make sure the oil cooler is in good condition and working. Hot ATF cooks gearboxes quickly.

I thought someone might comment on the bike Will that is my wife's modern retro Pashley! The gearbox specialist I used also strongly recommended professional flushing of the radiator and water cooler which I can confirm has been done. With regards, Matthew T.

Not good news I am sorry to report!! After a long session last week I reinstalled the engine and box that all went quite smoothly and then risked a few short test drives around the local lanes. I do now have both forward and reverse gears but there are minimal changes and the gears seems to be all over the place, often slightly struggling to pull away in something other than first gear and certainly no change up into fourth. After checking and resetting the kick-down cable with no alteration, my next thought was that the valve block might be faulty and after some effort I was able to install a replacement from a spare known working v6 gearbox, but again without any apparent improvement. I have also dropped out the oil that was only slightly discoloured with no debris noted. On the last occasion I drove there was also some slippage on acceleration which is a further worry as the clutches may now be toast! I have sought advice from the garage who would ideally like to drive the car and suggested possible valve block faults. My own theory is that a lack of system pressure may be the cause, which would explain both the absence of correct changes and slippage, but I would welcome other comments/explanations. As mentioned above, there was an earlier burnt out clutch and the pump I am assured was replaced. I am now faced with a further possible removal of the engine and box, which is a tad distressing given the works involved! The only consolations are an increased familiarity with the challenge and the perculiarities of this car, plus I have made various other improvements along the way such as replacement of the spheres. With regards, Matthew T.

Oh nooo! I'm so sorry to hear it's not working properly Matthew after all that work and expenditure. Surely the chaps that did the work should be looking at it again.

Many thanks Russ and the gearbox will be going back to the garage in due course, when I can muster the strength and enthusiasm for a second removal! I am sure that it will be worth the effort in the end as the car otherwise has great potential. With regards, Matthew T.