1996 VSX estate 2.5 diesel

[CJS]

183k miles, cloth no AC, previous owner from 1998 had dogs so interior not spotless like my others, recent new 2x rads and heater matrix, new towbar fitted last year never used. Passed last MOT fine.Twickenham. Again.

As discussed at length in the SED thread, we still have the thorny issue of this 2.5 stuck in my garage with its backside in the air. Three days of MOT fettling including welding a sill end, then suspension on high to get the back end off stands and it blew a pipe over the back axle. I can't lie on the garage floor, drop the exhaust and subframe to repipe this, I really can't. I will be able to get it down so the suspension is stuck on low.

Does anybody want to take it away or should I break it keeping the new rads, towbar, strut tops? If I break this one then the moment of truth for the SED can be (only) delayed as the short term plan for this one would be to park it where the SED has been the last four years.

I'm not a latecomer destroying the stock, I've kept some rare high mileage stuff going for decades but I need to hand over the reins.

Chris

[xmexclusive]

Hi Chris

Can you be a bit more specific about the position of the rear pipe failure or green mist location.
I have pipe and flaring tools.
Have done a few 2.5 rear axle leaks over the years.
These days I drop the three exhaust rubbers so it drops down giving access over it.
Then loosen subframe bolts on drivers side, remove passenger bolt dropping frame jack supported that side.
That gets you space to get to the pipes.

If you want a hand then PM me a post code and I will see if I can help out.

A word of caution about breaking with limited space.
My experience is that XM bits do not sell easily or quickly.
Once you start the space is tied up until you finish.
It is great to be able to pass on valuable bits but personal commitments should be your priority not saving XM's or bits.

John

[White Exec]

Good advice. Best to find a home for the car as it is, in the circumstances.

[CJS]

Good advice. Best to find a home for the car as it is, in the circumstances.

Would love to, hence the post. However, you can see how difficult it is shifting all that is the rare SED for £300ish within 275 miles of me. At the moment I have put too much effort, many hours, into cleaning and emergency piping the SED not expecting any payment but now looking like it has no future anyway. Should have put the effort into the 2.5.

John, I am Twickenham TW1. I have the small 3.5mm Pleiades tool which I used for the SED repipe where the single larger pipe was good, although very little pipe left unless the SED is to come apart. Are you saying the exhaust doesn't have to come off and you can still acccess enough while laid on the floor rather than on a lift? On the SED I took the exhaust off, that also got complicated because I undid the lower side of the rear mount and the bolt sheered, had to go to Kent to find a scrap mount.

I haven't looked since it happened, I was so disgusted. Problem is it is really coming out so will waste a lot of LHM fault finding. But I will go out this afternoon and see what I can see.

As I have explained to friends, at least you can mend these XMs. I walked past a C4GP the other night, went back and warned the driver that he should get the injectors checked because I could hear the chuf-chuf-chuf you get when the tiny bolts securing the injectors work loose. This VSX could go, then the V6, I get an Espace for £5k and the engine goes bang after a week.

Chris

[CJS]

Exhaust dropped John, easier than I expected, to give a good view of the top of the axle. Pipework on an anti-sink is a rat's nest! All needs replacing really, but that would be okay over time. Leak is between axle and fuel tank, can only see the resulting very fast leak even with suspension on low. I will try to drop the subframe later. Do you normally find the rear mount lower (upward) bolts come undone okay, unlike the SED which sheered and the mount was wrecked. Or better to undo the clean bolts in the boot?

Where is a good source of 3.5mm pipe quickly, if I do it? I have barrels and nuts. What about the larger pipe if that is shot - am I right in thinking it goes under the passenger seat and isn't too long a run - quick source of that as I only have the 3.5mm tool?

How do I fully release pressure on an anti-sink? When I replaced the front spheres, the rest are waiting to be fitted, pressure didn't release even though I thought I had followed the rules.

Sorry this is turning into repairs not sales but I'm still open to offers. Don't forget two brand new £80 each Michelins!

Chris

[xmexclusive]

Hi Chris

Plenty of recovered or new pipe here.
Also have access to a 2.5 rear sub-frame, removed but fully piped so can measure and make up pipe ready to fit.
Have some joiners.
If replacing the odd pipe do not bother to pressure release.
It only leaks when you run the engine.
It will be no different while you replace the pipe.
Bolts usually release without problems.
All the pipes run up the passenger side.
With the wheel off and that side of the sub-frame supported on a trolley jack you can lower to get full access to the top pipes from the wheel arch.
Never had any problems with bolt shearing.
If you are short of LHM steal some from the SED after the leak is repaired.
With the drivers side bolts loosened support the sub-frame wheel off.

My aim was help repair not purchase.

Will send PM.

John

[CJS]

John,

Thanks for all the above and I have replied your PM. I understood you were offering to help rather than buy. I just wanted to keep the door open to anyone who wanted to rush in and buy a grounded moon and back mileage 2.5 estate! Even if this 2.5 went, I am left with four insured cars in the family (all at my expense) and I don't commute. Eccentric? Daft? Living the dream?

Chris

[kingp]

Hi Chris,

If you decided to break it i would have a few bits off it

[Dieselman]

I would release the nuts from inside the boot for the subframe rear mounts, I have had issues with seized underside bolts.

[CJS]

So, this 183k mile P reg estate with cloth no AC.

I can understand the upset when I was close to scrapping the oldest known SED, safely now with Ray and hopefully will live again if the body isn't hiding anything too nasty. However, is there any historic importance in a fairly tatty green 2.5 estate? Inside dirt more of an issue than paintwork, although paintwork not brilliant.

I was good, after the SED went to Ray and motivated by John I ordered 25 feet of cupro nickel 3.5mm as my stock was very low, I didn't order 25 metres because I couldn't conceive of me wanting to do 25 metres of repiping. Also ordered 20x pipe nuts with the larger head. I've gone under this car today, still up on stands, and I think every pipe on the back axle needs replacing including the coily feeds to the brakes. I could get away with fixing the leak still to be found by dropping the subframe but even with an MOT I would want to repipe the whole axle area very soon. I may still fail the MOT on the parking brake, discussed elswhere and then I would replace the at-wear-limit discs, pads and fit the new foot to equaliser parking cable. So I get an MOT. Neither LCD display works at all, left never has, I've had the Z axis tape staring back at me for ages. Then I get to fit the new (recon) Amtex spheres that are also on the shelf. I can also weld the spare carrier together and find/make a spare carrier hanging bolt to replace the one that was frozen / twisted when I bought the car and had to be wrenched through the boot floor. After all this I still get a fairly tatty 183k miles VSX that's worth what? £500?

Or I remove the two new rads and heater matrix, two new Michelins, put the new spheres instead onto the lovely and rare V6 Exclusive Estate which is now cheaper to fuel but is begging for spheres, remove the never used towbar I fitted last year. Other bits to come off as required, but as discussed for the SED I can not fully strip in my domestic driveway.

I went to a Christmas reunion yesterday, people I worked with 20 years ago. Chap my age (49) no longer with us, very sudden. I spend my time going from car to car, next is Z3 that needs new cat and front discs, then V6 where I have to drill out a rear ABS sensor. Even if this VSX goes I still have four insured cars requiring lots of attention, I don't need this one I am afraid. Despite three days spent on it for MOT before it blew a pipe. Looks lovely underneath, but sadly not over the rear axle where I hadn't been since I bought in 2011.

Options
1. Somebody arranges taking away, not on your average truck as it will be low. Money wanted as there are bits I could sell. New owner break it or repair it.
2a. I'll break it, to a limited extent
2b. Edit to add, make available for a very limited time on my drive for others to take stuff that I can't / won't remove.
3. I'll repair it, not seeing it. I bought the pipe bits but I just don't think it is worth the effort because of the work that follows. Yes, some of it is normal wear, but I can't help thinking what I actually need is a C8 or Grand Espace.

Thoughts? Better as a donor?

Chris