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Feb 21, 2013 17:01:17 GMT
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Been doing a few bits and bobs as and when time allows I changed the oil, the old was BLACK! The filter also appeared to have been fitted by a gorrila, took two screwdrivers hammered through the case and bent one of them :roll: either way it has a new filter and nice clean oil now, I will do frequent oil changes over the first few thousand miles to clean up the internals. I took advantage of some late sunshine to clean up the enigne bay a bit, hoovered half of a sycamore tree out of the scuttle and vents it came up quite nice really I had a good look under the back end whilst it was in the air, spare wheel carrier predictably is vitrually non existant, but the floor and rear subframe is in good condition, I will give it a damn good scrub and underseal as the weather improves. I sorted out the dot matrix, got nearly all of the segments working but both bulbs are blown so need to order some new ones. Took me ages to find this screw under the alarm light Between hospital and midwife appointments today I managed to get the struts dropped down enough to scrub, rust cure and then heavily waxoyl the strut tops. They are actually very solid, just the rubber condition on the drivers side is a little concerning, I have a plan for this though In consideration of the temperatures out there today, I had the cans in near boiling water for 30 mins to thin it out, even so as soon as it left the nozzle it solidified. After a little think I got my workshop hairdryer out and went to town It melts very fast with that and seeped into all the nooks and crannies Finally I have made a start on refreshing the trim, the rubber is in pretty poor shape, having accumulated quite a lot of ingrained dirt and subsequently lichen. I initially took a scouring pad and some hot soapy water to remove the surface dirt and growths, then took a cloth and some thinners to the stubborn bits - Then once clean and dry I gave it a coat of boiled linseed oil and left it to dry, it looks like new now So I am now just waiting for the rear window mech, some nice weather to do the rest of the bodywork and my wife to give the interior a damn good clean! Oh does anyone have a rear chrome trim strip? I am not too concerned about the condition as quite a lot of the trim is corroded, I think I am going to remove it all and paint it. Hope you are all well. J
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Feb 21, 2013 17:08:44 GMT
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Stunning work, that engine bay looks spanking!
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Sierra - here we go again! He has an illness, it's not his fault.
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Feb 21, 2013 17:42:46 GMT
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Thanks buddy, the picture is terribly over exposed, I will get a better one tomorrow Still needs further deep cleaning I think I am going to get filthy at the first warmish opportunity and scrub / wash the rear floor, ready for waxoyl / dinitrol and underseal
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Feb 22, 2013 18:31:10 GMT
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we have a 12 months ticket Few issues identified but nothing serious, it is not warming up properly at the moment, I think the thermostat is stuck open, no real hardship apart from the waste of new glycol! There is also a rather significant oil leak at the back of the engine, only noticable one it was hot and sitting on the ramp! Looks like it is the cam cover gasket, all down the back of the engine and dripping at a considerable rate I took this picture just after it recieved it's award Other than that I have cleaned all the door shuts (filthy!) sorted the washer jets, although they have wires going into them, are they heated? I also fitted a pair of upgraded rear speakers too, even though I still don't have a head unit I took out the rear mounts , this was less than easy again due to the standard Citroen hidden screws there was one on the far side of the speaker next to the window under the speaker cover. Once this was discovered it all became much easier, I soldered up an adaptor so I could use the standard loom connector and from there it was just simple fitting Stock - JBL - And in location - With the covers on you can't tell they are there More tinkering tomorrow, I will try and get some more bodywork done if the weather allows J
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Feb 22, 2013 19:56:36 GMT
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That's come up a treat, amazing what a bit of tinkering can achieve.
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Feb 22, 2013 21:11:51 GMT
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Looking forward to reading more about what it's like to run and maintain one of these. The XM is one of my favourite modern cars (if I can remember when they were new, it's modern...) but not sure I'm brave enough to own one though due to my relative lack of mechanical skills.
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Feb 22, 2013 22:33:41 GMT
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If you keep on top of the basic maintainance then they are actually quite reliable and cheap. No springs to break, the dampers / struts are aircraft quality so able to go on for 100's of thousands of miles. The spheres need a check / re-gas every 5 years, a £250 task is they ALL need replacing. The main thing is to find a clean rust free example that has been looked after, they don't like neglect. The 2.1td like mine has an 800 mile range on a single tank! I just love driving it too, the Mk2's are very refined and quiet inside, they also have the most comfortable seats of any car I have ever been in
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Last Edit: Feb 22, 2013 22:35:59 GMT by Blown_Imp
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Feb 22, 2013 22:43:42 GMT
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Awesome car. Great to see it bring properly looked after. Can't wait to see it finished...
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406v6
Part of things
Posts: 11
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Feb 24, 2013 10:15:01 GMT
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Great to see one of these getting some love. Excellent pics of the repairs.
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Feb 24, 2013 12:04:55 GMT
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Yup they do have heated washer jets also have low washer fluid sensors front and rear.
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Feb 26, 2013 17:12:25 GMT
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Been busy again Today came with a visit from the post man (lady) with a thermostat, cam cover gasket, and a stereo I got outside and it had stopped drizzling, so started to make progress with cleaning the interior, it was filthy :roll: Looking like this in most places - A clean toothbrush, cloth, lemon cleaner, and a vacuum were all utilised to free the velour and carpet from crumbs, tobacco, and other assorted detritus. The result is rather pleasing I have yet to fit the stereo as the adaptor and link cable to connect the steering wheel control has not arrived, it should not be long. The cambox gasket looked like a relatively straight forward job, just the inlet manifold off, socks in the inlet pipes, cam cover off etc. The bolts came out fine, it was clear that the gasket was at fault, can you tell which bolts came from the back! Cover off - The original gasket was heavily compression set, it was not proud of the surface at any point, rubber gaskets require 10-15% compression to seal effectively. Everything was then cleaned and put back together, the new gasket was around 2-3mm proud of the surface, with a total depth of 6mm, the compression limiting bolts leave around 1mm between cover and head. Next up was the thermostat, easy I thought, I pull off the hose undo the three bolts and, oh, no thermostat? I come on here and do a quick search, hmmmmmm looks like it is at the BACK of the engine not the front. And so the swearing started, that is a vile vile job, I have no photographs due to being filthly, cold and generally very bad tempered! After one and half hours of bending myself into more and more impossible shapes to reach bolts, the job was done. I started the car back up, No oil leak No water leak And temperature now rising up well past 60 degrees Winner! Hopefully tomorrow will bring the connector and I will be able to fit the stereo. One more picture, I have only done half the paint on the car, but you can tell which side has been done :lol: More soon
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Feb 26, 2013 22:19:26 GMT
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Well done on getting the thermostat changed. These things are sent to try us! The interior looks to have cleaned up really nicely too. Good work, very nice car.
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Feb 26, 2013 22:34:30 GMT
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I somehow missed this! Nice work Dude and it's great to see you behind the wheel of an XM again. I test drove one in '92 when it was a few years old (Mk1 with cloth and all the gadgets) and I loved it. I've always hankered after one ever since. I think I'd probably go for a Mk1 (if there's any left) because I LOVE the dash in them even if they are more prone to hissy fits in the electrics dept. My dream would be an estate, with the diesel....but somehow as a Mk1. (I know, I know...) Anyway, great work so far, I always love reading your threads and seeing the levels of detail you put into everything. I'm really looking forward to seeing the progress on this. Oh...and please say Hi to Mrs Imp for me.
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Feb 26, 2013 23:04:29 GMT
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Mk2polobloke, thanks! It sure did clean up well, the velour is almost untouched, just two cigarette burns on the drivers seat, thats it! Although one is in the middle of the back rest, interesting technique Thanks MysteryMachine, I am loving it already doing mega MPG on short journeys, once it gets on the open road it will be brilliant. 5th is 27mph/1000rpm so nice lazy cruising, and it is very quiet once moving although a little tractor like at idle The Mk1 Estate did come in diesel form, and there are plent of diesel Mk1's around as they are the more desirable and so saved from oblivion more often. If you want one, get one soon as they are starting to appreciate, with suprising speed too www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C365575do it Michelle says hi
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10mpg
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,253
Club RR Member Number: 204
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I LOVE these cars, well done for looking after this one, always fancied one myself, along with a CX safari and a DS all the 'proper' big Citroens...
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The Internet, like all tools, if used improperly, can make a complete bo**cks of even the simplest jobs...
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gt
Part of things
Posts: 136
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Feb 27, 2013 12:23:53 GMT
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it's looking good, can i ask what compound are you using on the paint and are you doing it by hand ? i changed the thermostat on the one i had it's a pig of a job and most of it is done blind, i did mine on a freezing cold day and the car was cold, i thought all the water was out until i pulled the stat and all the freezing water ran up my sleeve.
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Feb 27, 2013 12:29:32 GMT
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Thanks James...that one you linked to is very tempting (although being skint means it's well out of reach ) Just out of curiosity (and apologies if this takes your thread off track) but what are the differences between the Mk1 and Mk2? The sort I fondly remember, and subsequesntly have a fair degree of lust for, are the ones with the squarer more quirky dashboards like this: I assume that's one of the big tell tale signs of a Mk1? But what else is different? Again, apologies for the tangent...
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Feb 27, 2013 19:36:15 GMT
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Hi MysteryMachine, Yeah as you say the one above is Mk1, bodywork wise the mk1 grill is assymetric, the wingmirror on the passenger side is totally useless, and they have a large rear wing. On the interior they have the complete cover on the stereo / cubby hole, wrap around dash, and the monster glove box that opens with a gas strut (99.9% of the time has failed). This one went for just over £500 recently - www.club-xm.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4439Abysmal fuel consumption aside, looks like a lovely example
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Feb 27, 2013 19:53:57 GMT
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GT I am compounding using both arm and hammer (see random orbital!) Like this one - With one of these - Mostly on flat panels, anything more complicated and I am just doing it by hand, difficult to get the compound to break down properly but it is worth it. This is the stuff I am using -
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Colonelk
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,740
Club RR Member Number: 83
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Feb 27, 2013 20:00:01 GMT
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God I love XMs. Also, can I interest you in cleaning my Monza's interior? hahahahah! Its been stored in a barn for 6 years with the window open......
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