Citroen XM Forum

I suppose if the T/C was poorly engaged it would of fretted on the two cutouts that engage with the oil pump inner rotor and eventually chewed them out, maybe, but it is the T/C outer case which engages with the oil pump, if the T/C support bushing failed then the nose of the T/C would wobble about on the inner rotor and overload it i guess, the oil pump isnt designed to carry lateral load, its just made to spin.
Sticking valves is a big possibility but why they stick is the question, worn bores? contamination? weak or broken return springs? blockages in the valve block body?

What does your oil look like? still crystal clear and bright red?

D

not sure if you have ever delved deep into one before Matthew but in case your interested....
Here is the oil pump
CIMG2569 by Deanxm, on Flickr
And here you can see how that inner rotor is driven by the torque converter, its a pretty robust driveline as you can see
CIMG2573 by Deanxm, on Flickr
I would say the pump ate something that didnt agree with it and got scored all to whatsit but then i didn't see it and i'm a garden shed no-nothing.
I understand how frustrating this is but its best to speak to your specialist and see what they say.

D

I would concur that a fault in the valve block is most likely to cause the symptoms described. Are the symptoms now consistent, or changing each time the car is driven?

An expert should be able to more or less pinpoint where in the valve block the fault is, by studying the symptoms.

Many thanks Dean and Mike and those comments and photos of the oil pump gave me some reassurance. I have not dropped the oil out as yet but hopefully it might still be fairly clean with no obvious clutch slip. The drive is still much as before after the further valve block tweaks and I will find out exactly what was done. Once I have spoken to the mechanic on Monday I shall report further. It is certainly annoying about the box as the engine runs really smoothly and the suspension also now floats nicely after fitting recharged spheres. Thanks again chaps and have a good Sunday. With regards, Matthew T.

I have just spoken to the gearbox mechanic and explained the position. My understanding is that only faults with the valve body, pump and governor can cause the issues I am experiencing. As the valve body was temporarily switched earlier and then removed, tested and found satisfactory, it just leaves the other two components. The original pump has been replaced due to slight scoring and I now have very strong reverse gear. Our conclusion is that the governor must be faulty, either a broken seal or mechanical issue, so that is my next port of call! Fortunately I have a spare box and new seals and will change the complete unit. With regards, Matthew T.

Interestingly I have just removed the governor on my spare box in the garage and there are three rubber seals and no metal outer ring and I wonder if that is correct? Regards, Matthew T.

Any further comments and/or suggestions in relation to the governor would be most welcome and here are some photos of my spare with the mysterious three rubber seals. I hope to investigate further on Thursday as the weather forecast is good! Regards, Matthew T.

Sorry Matthew, short on time and baby in one hand but that is wrong, i would guess that the end seal which should be metal has a worn ring land or bore and a rubber seal was substituted to help solve the issue rather than sleeving the bore (if thats poss) or replacing the governor body, what is the mileage of this donor box, guessing its high?

D

when you remove gov, check the valves (one or more0 are not stuck in the stroked position

Many thanks Dean and of course I quite understand the need to prioritize the baby!! Interestingly it did not appear from the heavily seized gearbox access cover bolts and cog outer securing bolt tabs that the governor had been removed before, so perhaps the additional rubber seal is just a factory mod/bodge! There are no signs of wear on the governor body and the bore felt smooth. As I recall the box came off a 'L' reg. 2.0i turbo with about 100K and I will certainly check the valves on the other governor body when removed. With regards, Matthew T.