Citroen XM Forum

Cor blimey it's freezing out there today. It's even snowing a little here.
I'm not even going to attempt to do the pipe today, far too cold. Plus I need to buy some brake and clutch cleaner to clean it all up.

Other things, I fixed the clock. Stupid plug had fallen out the back ...Must of happened when I gave the dash an encouraging thwack!
All fixed. Getting quite good at removing the dash binnacle now.

As it is slightly warmer in the car, I might do some interior tidying..... Feed the leather ect.

Want spring and it's warmer weather to arrive pronto. Not fair thought a corner had been turned!

I work in an overheated office all week Russ so it's nice to get outside and out in the bracing cold when I can.. I don't mind as long as it's dry. Can't stand rain and wet

I put the kybosh on any further outdoor work this afternoon as it has started raining and snowing here...

Did some diagnostics on the climate control problem though...

Great news on the clock!

Nice one Russ! Don't worry, it'll be warmer soon....

Those hoses should be replaced by all XM drivers by now, given the age of them all. Me included but too cold and too lazy..Holiday crap (weather was awful even though not as cold as here.) Driving Chevrolets, Hyundais and Fiats made us instantly wonder why people buy these things. Dreadful is the only word that comes to mind

The sun...unbelievably...is trying to shine through. ...So I might pop out in a mo and do some more.

I hate stuffy offices too Jim. Always end up with a raging headache. I make sure I'm near an open window all the time when I work. It is fresh out there, but too cold to do pipes!...just not in the mood either.

Sorry to hear about your holiday Jaap. Not what to expect from Spain. Mind you those duff selection of cars would not help matters. Although I would have thought the fiats would be okay.

Had a car day today. Much warmer and sun shining too.

So I did me pipe. Quite straight forward to do. The clip was a bit of a mare. Clever design, just need the right tool really to unclip and refit. So unfortunately I had to resort to cable ties instead. But I still have the original clip to be refitted by someone who can!
I'm a little confused however. The strut end just presses agianst the strut and the clip helps seal it. Is this right as I found no sealing ring or anything else to suggest the pipe plugged into some sort of connector.
you'll have to bare with me on this...inexperience showing

Some pics of the old pipe. It had really gone. It was hard and crispy up by the small black pipe and very split all the way down. I tooks some pics of the pipe, rather than the process of changing it as that, for you lot anyway, is rather small job!!!









I put it all back together with no apparent issues, gave it a clean & topped up the LHM... and this afternoon I finally sorted out my windscreen wipers!!!!
So Will, if you read this, they are back to where they should be!



The drivers side took me ages to bend back into shape. Everytime a put it back on the spindle and tightended the nut up it would lift the wiper arm up...so I was left with a hovering wiper balde. Not good. Anyway all fixed now.

And then I found this under the car.



Please someone confirm to me it is a rubber gromet from one of the spindles of the scuttle panel and not a sealing washer on the pipe I have replaced?!! it is not greasy or oily.......


So many thanks to Paul, Ken and Chris for a quick diagnosis...Paul for helping confirm the new part & Jim for cleaning fluids

That grommet is one of the plastic scuttle retaining rings.

Good to see the wipers back where they belong, it make such a difference to the look of an XM.

Pincers are the tool for the pipe clip, but I have used pliers and a small screwdriver before now.

Thanks Will. It does look a lot better doesn't it!
I just couldn't get the clip to fully fasten annoyingly. I had about 8 pairs of pliers of all sorts of heads, but wouldn't play ball.
I thought that grommet was from the scuttle. Must have escaped when I took it off earlier. Phew!

It's hard to describe how to use the screwdriver, but basically use the shaft as a small fill piece to press the inner clip back to allow the outer to slide over it.

Pincers work best.

I see. I'll try again. I think it was difficult because the pipe kept moving around!
With cable ties holding it ...might be better. But it is secure for the time being.

Because I have hijacked Graeme's post on Central locking...Very sorry Graeme ..., i've moved my mystery to my own blog...but hopefully there is some interesting information that will be useful, back in Graeme's post.

After John suggesting checking the wires going to my mystery circuit board...which we think is an old CX or BX receiver, and hence should be a hard code device which needs a specific coded key plipper for it to work...or so i understand .....hopefully i can work out to see if I can fit a receiver that will work.

So this afternoon I did just that and there are 4 orange wires running to the circuit board. And a 5th that is in the same bunch of wires, but loops round and disappears again back into the roof with a pale blue wire.
You can see everything in some pics I took.

This mess of a board, still had power running to it. It must of touched one of the metal strips in the light panel, as it suddenly sparked. So I thought...NO, not having this potentially sitting up there sparking away. So I have cut it out and removed it. I made sure however the wires were colour coded and are now taped up sitting in the safety of the space where the receiver should be. Strangely the wires from the circuit board are White, Red, Black and orange, and they were soldered onto the original 4 orange wires that appear from the roof. So from this they must have been Live, Earth and two others.

Anyway pics below...


The connections


4 orange wires and the 5th which loops round....


...and disappears with this pale blue wire.


So I hope this is good news, meaning maybey I can fit a proper Citroen soft code reciver. but something tells me this might be too easy...