Citroen XM Forum

I knew it unless that cover would have been damaged, yr cam belt shouldn't be visible. No worries But my technical English isn't great though.

Sadly, on any XUD broken cambelt covers are quite common. there's a real knack to getting them off and on again and many a ham-fisted mechanic has broken them - including me

It's not altogether serious as long as the holes are nowhere where any foreign objects can get in, especially stones from the road..

Road stones getting in is a big risk to the auxiliary belt too if the under-wing mudshields aren't in place.. I've seen Xantias with their mudshields missing and seen big dents in the pulleys where stones have got between pulley and belt and caused damage. Belts also suffer too and wear at a very heavy rate...

At one stage I am going to have to find out how to take that cover off in one piece Jim. What's the mileage life of the XUD timing belt [questionmark]

At last the gearbox has oil again! Robert kindly supplied a new one with a magnet which arrived today. So that is only two days in the post. Not bad for Royal Mail!

Little storey.....I wasn't prepared for loads more ATF to spurt out when I took the cover off, so stupidly didn't have a bowl underneath. Because the ar was marooned out in the road, I had no choic but to do it there. So the road got well and truly soaked. Oops. ....know for next time!

So everything went back in with no problems apart from the arctic weather returning. Freezing wind, snow the lot descended. Numb hands instantly. Not nice. Anyway, there i was refilling the gear box with its bright red fluid...I used Jims method of a funnel and clear plastic pipe stuck in the breather hole. Worked a treat too.....But because I live opposite a church, they had a Funeral whilst I was working away. So there I was standing like the Statue of Liberty bright orange funnel in one hand, aloft, with a long bright red tube disappearing into the engine bay. And yes the pression drove past very slowly whilst I was doing this. Must have look very odd.

So then once the car was all filled up and idling away nicely, I needed to move the car forward so I could clean up the mess on the road, a Policeman came over and wanted a word! No I haven't been naughty....we have had two breaking in the street recently, and I happen to see a suspicious person, so they wanted a description and possibly a statement . EEEKKK!!!!

So taken the car out for a drive, all is okay. Smoother and quicker changes. It wasn't bad before, but there is an improvement. All I need to do now, is wash it and prep it for Sunday. Hope it is warmer tomorrow!

Excellent stuff Russ Good old Royal Mail and Robert

I really enjoyed the adventure of doing the oil refill, especially the bit with the policeman. I mean, what's more suspicious to to those who don't know than someone pouring strange red fluid into a funnel with a pipe disappearing off into the engine bay...

New ATF always seems to make a difference. It might be a good idea now to do another change quite soon...

thanks Jim. It was an odd day!

I certainly will do another change soon. Hopefully without any shinanagons!!

When you chaps say "be careful don't loose the magnet in the gearbox drain cap"...you weren't lying. I was given this this morning.......



It was found in the bottom of the bowl of ATF, when disposing of it. It must have escaped from the cap very quickly before I could notice it. I was briefly flummoxed and couldn't understand how my new magnet had escaped from the gearbox. As I made damn sure it was in the cap.
I was under the assumption, being a magnet, that it would stick to the cap. I was quite surprised when Roberts replacement didn't really attach but simply sat in the cap. clearly the prongs on the filter hold it in place.
So good news is, I have a spare, and there was a magnet in there all along. Few! But what a wally!...i'll be more vigilant next time.

Next on my hit list. Investigate why I have a damp drivers side carpet. And try and see what is going on with my gearbox. changing up into 4th seems laboured. it makes a kind of vibrating noise, but quickly fades as speed increases. almost as though its changing up at the wrong speed, even though it is doing so at 50mph. (All other gear changes are spot on by the way) This is under acceleration and with a heavy load. I did find, just letting it gather speed it changed smoothly. Or hahaha...possibly if the brakes are binding and causing it to hold back. It did this coming back from CXM. But they really were binding then. I'm off out this afternoon to take it for a spin unloaded to see if it is any better. Then check doseur valve to see if it is playing up agian...knew I shouldnt have talked to Jaap about it at the rally .
Then dismantle interior. Busy afternoon.

Just as a quick question, i checked the ATF level cold last night. Not driven at all since Sunday evening...it was just and I mean just above 80c max mark. is this too much?

Update on things.

Took the car out for a good drive this afternoon, and it was changing up into 4th with no real problems. Very and I mean very slight and quick BRRRRR sound, but nothing like Sunday. It changed quickly and without fuss every time. So I'm putting it down to heavy load. Also it seems better simply letting it change at its own pace rather than accelerating hard and then it changing. Hopefully it is a characteristic. I Checked the cables ect and they seem correctly tensioned. So I will be doing another change quite soon to dilute the old ATF even more.

My damp carpet.
Well I got to the pipes to the matrix after the drive. I had the heater on ect to get it warmed up and to see if they are seeping coolant. What I found was no dribbles or stains. No crystaliation or rust or tell tail smells. So it seems to me that at least the o rings are okay. No idea about the Matrix itself however. The carpet is all but dried out now, so it has to be something else. So drain tubes are next to investigate. I had a good look underneath the carpet as best as I could. The foam was dry and the floor seemed dry. No pooling water in the sill for example. However I think in time it will need a new front section to the drivers side sill. Admittedly the jacking point is bent over so you can guess what is going on. I took some bad pics from inside the car!





Typical rust spot I believe.
The outside and underneath is solid as far as i can see. I will investigate further... but i think it is trying to rust inside out. Im not really sure what to do with it in the mean time. Whether it is a good idea to treat it with something or leave it.

She's not new anymore ....Treat it Russ and leave the welder idle for another good few years. (I'm biassed, I used to fall through the floor in cars in the past )

Yeah, your right there Jaap. She's getting old! Right I'll get some krust and get it treated for now.