Citroen XM Forum

Hi jorgy

ELIT preceeded the Lexia's a nice hand held test pod which is why Jim likes it.
All these test devices do much the same job for Citroen cars and vans.
Before that there was a big test trolley but cannot remember the name.
And before that discrete test boxes and special leads.
Each generation of test kit will have limitations in the vehicles it can deal with.
I tend to use a Lexia and some home made test boxes and leads.
If the Lexia fails to help or I do not trust its results thats when I go back to basics.

Yes most ECU's have multiple power feeds but very often it is one fuse feeding a number of ECU's with that particular power line.

The logic behind the homemade test kit is simply to use something that I understand exactly what it is doing.
The Lexia can be great but its inner workings are a mystery to me.
You have to take on trust its results which may not specify which components to sort or change.
As an example of my test leads I made one to add switched diodes into the Hydractive II electrovalve feed wires.
Plug that in on a car and with the flick of a couple of switches it was clear if fitting diodes altered the front or rear suspension.
It also told me which VN05N drivers if any I needed to replace on that ECU.
I have been collecting bits to make a similar plug in test lead for Bendix ABS.

John

I am very happy. Very happy.

I replaced Fuse 19 which had blown at some point. I doubt in my ownership actually. And I was not expecting this at all.
The sport light lit up, flicked a bit and went out. Car rose nicely, and the ride is now super smooth and soft again. I took it for a test drive and it firms up in the corners. I cannot believe it. I was expecting the fuse to blow immediately, or for there to be no sport light at all. I think it will be wise to have the ECU read at the X rally if someone is taking a lexia or Elit, just in case there are stored faults. But to me all seems okay. ....... For now

Hi Russ

Congratulations.

There is a real possibility that that fuse blew years ago giving the car a crap hard suspension.
So then someone set about fault clearing by bodging and rewiring the suspension until they got it permanently in soft.
Some people found the XM suspension harder that CX and DS suspension.
They paid to get their XM suspension modified.
Drilled out or changed spec spheres and altered wiring can be part of learning the history of an XM that has been through a few enthusiastic owners.
Some Indy's even catered for that particular market sector.

John

Thanks John, I was so relieved, almost couldn't believe it.

To me it seems softer than before it was all reconnected, but that's probably because I have just been driving it in sport mode.
It is an extreme fix what happened to it, just because of a blown fuse. But there we go, I doubt I'll never know the real truth why it was bodged.

Hi Russ

If the suspension now has no significant faults the ECU will slowly get cleared of all minor fault records.
If the light on start up ceases to come on that is the time to get the ECU read and cleared.
If you can make a note of any stored faults and the date.
That information can pinpoint which component to repair or replace.

John

Will do. Good idea John, thanks.

Happy days indeed. I wish all troubles were so easily fixed, just a 2 penny fuse!
Very glad for you because a good citroen with neglected hydraulics isn't a good citroen to drive after all.
I must see to it my ECU get's it faults cleared soon now but that Chinese Lexia drives me bonkers, I am just not able

That's great Russ!

Russ, fantastic news

Thanks all.