ZX towing

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Tue 2 Apr 2002 17:42
ZX towing - Gavin Deane
I've had a search and I don't think this has been asked before ...

My ZX (97P 1.9TD) handbook says I must fit an air deflector under the engine before I tow anything - presumably for extra cooling although this isn't made clear. It only applies to the 1.9TD engine, but when I asked the local Citroen garage quoted me £150 to fit it and said it had been a couple of years since they's done one of them.

I have towed a glider to Spain and back over the Pyrenees with no temperature problems at all, but these trailers are narrower and only slightly taller than the car so are nowhere near as draggy as a caravan, for example.

Does anyone out there have experience of towing with this engine in a ZX with/without a deflector?

Ta very much
GJD
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Tue 2 Apr 2002 17:48
Re: ZX towing - Ian Cook
Gavin

Yes I do. I had a 96 ZX TD Estate and successfuly towed my caravan many miles with it. I never did anything about the air deflector and there was never a trace of overheating. I only towed in the UK, but I did tackle some serious hills in the summer.

As a matter of interest, I also towed with a ZX D, including a trip to Scotland. It grunted a bit going up Shap on the M6 (no turbo, of course), but otherwise it was fine.

I think that unless you're going to tow in blistering heat at altitude you can forget this deflector.

Ian
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Tue 2 Apr 2002 18:17
Re: ZX towing - pete
The air deflector sounds like a waste of time to me , giving overcooling in the cool months when not towing?
Some times a oil cooler is recommended this makes much more sense , the oil temp on my A4 gets quite hot when i tow so i pull in to cool it and the turbo when this happens (after about 2 hours air temp/speed depending).
If you feel it needs it you could fit a dash mount switch to operate the cooling fan direct ,but in practise i wind the windows down and put the heater on full, but even then i can't remember when i last had to do this in England , it very rarely gets that hot.
I would tow as it is and just keep a constant check on temperatures.
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Tue 2 Apr 2002 18:28
Re: ZX towing - ChrisR
Keeping an eye on temps in a ZX can be difficult. Most of them don't have a temperature gauge, just a warning light to tell you that the head gasket is about to let go. The manual fan switch sounds like a good idea to me.

Chris
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Tue 2 Apr 2002 21:49
Re: ZX towing - peter
I have got this mental image of how did the glider get thro the tunnel? Didnt the cable get caught?
But on second thoughts maybe you went by boat.... :)
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Wed 3 Apr 2002 10:27
Re: ZX towing - Gavin Deane
Thanks for all that. I'll leave things as they are. There is a temperature guage so I'll keep an eye on it.

GJD
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Wed 3 Apr 2002 10:27
Re: ZX towing - AndyS
Would it be sensible to look at fitting an Oil temperatuer gauge if one is not already fitted?
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