Hi all
I need some advise before i take my car to the garage , id ask my hubby but he doesnt drive..and cycles everywhere!!
I have citeron xantia 97 p reg turbo diesel 1.9.( mother in law gave us 2 yrs ago )
Have a few problems, starting splutters and chugs and vibrates?? for about 2mins kicks out blue smoke then once started is ok.. unless i leave it ( overnight)
Also my cd player and clock have stopped working > could this be connected to the starting the car>? a fuse or something?? any idea where the fuse box is as i don't have a manul.
Also... i think my radiator has gone.. as temp gage is going to 110 for a small journey of say 15-20 mins. im filling the rad up and some i think is coming from the overflow and every day i have to top it up and use about 4 litres ( 2 big pop bottles full )
SO i know the poor thing is probarbly one its last legs( and i know it needs a good service not had one since last year) and also i was told i need to change the air filters as well which may help ?? but can not afford a 'new' car so going see whats wrong with it and see how much it would cost.
Any tips or advice would be great thanks.
Subject line tweaked to reflect age, engine and problems.
Edited by Pugugly on 01/03/2008 at 10:47
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The water / coolant loss is either an external leak (from a split / hole in the radiator or a hose somewhere), or the cylinder head gasket has failed. The latter would also cause the chugging / poor starting. If it is coming from the overflow tank (where you fill it up) then it is 99% certain to be the head cylinder head gasket.
I would expect that to cost £500 minimum to fix, and the best cure might be a replacement, reconditioned engine. Sorry to be pessimistic but it sounds likely that's your problem.
The CD player and clock could be a fuse, no idea where the fusebox is, sorry.
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Thanks for that :( looks like i may as well look for a 'newer one ' then.!!
Im still gonna take it and just see.
noclue.com
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What happened during the recent cold snap?
If you're putting four litres of water in it every day, then it's probably got no anti-freeze in it to speak of. If it's left out in the open overnight, then it probably froze, and that could cause all sorts of problems.
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I do put antifreeze in thou if its been leaking thats gonna be gone now.. oh goodness .. cars a pain!
Thanks for the info thou and i have my fingers crossed the local garage dont give me a huge huge bill.. ???
noclue.com
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 01/03/2008 at 14:16
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This car certainly doesn't sound on top of the world, particularly regarding the coolant loss issue. Have a good look at the radiator first and if it's badly corroded near the bottom then its likely to be the rad that's at fault. Cost of replacement is between £150 and £200. Also check all hoses and connections. If all seems fine on this front and coolant is being lost via the expansion tank filler cap/overflow then yes head gasket failure seems more than probable. Take it to a garage and get it checked, possibly be means of a 'sniffer' test whcih would confirm HGF.
Regarding the starting/smoking issue, a HGF would cause poor starting and rough running, but usually results in white smoke as opposed to blue, as was the case when the head gasket in my 1994 306TD (same engine as your Xantia) gave up the ghost. Blue smoke sounds like the turbo oil seals and/or valve stem seals have failed which would result in the engine burning oil.
I was quoted between £500 and £700 for a replacement HG, so I decided to bite the bullet and fit a replacement engine from an accident damaged 306, the cost of which was £575 supply and fit.
The malfunctioning clock and CD player is probably nothing more than a blown fuse, but is the least of the car's problems!
Martin
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