Save an original Olympique Blue 1989 XM

[SteveLP]

G137SAU - RP4785

One of the earliest left running.



Due to work commitment and lack of time and lack of SORN space to keep it I need to find a new home for this beauty of a car.
It runs really well - did 500 mile round trip in it last week.
It also has a fantastic interior in excellent condition.

It does however need some work to pass the MOT (due in one month). Including a front gaiter, a front tyre and the exhaust. It also possibly needs a front wheel bearing doing (or this may be the strut top or just something else loose).

It also has some underneath rust, though not enough to fail the MOT on. This possibly would become a problem in a couple of years time. This is the car that Mouseflakes did some good welding on, it is just the other bits that are wearing thin.

The car is almost 22 years old , so it needs some looking after!

So if this hasn't put you off then please PM me with an offer or questions. I'm not looking for very much money.

Cheers
Steve





See all the pictures here:
http://s402.photobucket.com/albums/pp10 ... ue%20Blue/

[andmcit]

Hi Steve, how much of the exhaust requires renewal; it's not the manifold is it!?
Do all the lekky bits work still? Which gaitor is it - ns rack by any chance...

Andrew

[robert_e_smart]

Ohhhh,

I was talking to a friend of mine this evening who wants a 2.0 8V manual Xm.

Shes just a wee bit younger than my 2.0 Si, her RP# is 4777.

[SteveLP]

Hi Andrew

Looking last night. Exhaust is just a standard hole and I think I've even got a spare.
More worrying is the diagnosed excessive play in the wheel bearing. i think that this might actually be the nearside strut mount top giving up the ghost as it certainly moves around a lot more than is normal (and is higher than the one on the drivers side!).
Andrew: Is the 1989 strut mount top and later mk1 strut mount tops interchangable? I noticed that they have different numbers on the parts catalogue.
All electrics work just fine!
Clutch can be a bit jerky in first.
Still need to check the gaitor.
Cheers
Steve

[robert_e_smart]

Is the 1989 strut mount top and later mk1 strut mount tops interchangable?

Yes, they are. I had to change the strut top on my own G plater last weekend as the rubber was starting to seperate in the inside of the strut top. I replaced it with a strut top that came from a '94 car.

Is the wheel bearing making any noise?

[xmexclusive]

The book says: New suspension cylinders can be fitted to early sphere supports however the fitting of new type sphere supports to an early suspension cylinder is FORBIDDEN. Within the above rule types may be mixed on a car. Change date is shown as from October 1991.
Ref: technical Bulletin XM9 No.11 dated 31 March 1992.
Seals in strut head change in size and physical position which is why one combination is ok while the other combination blocks the fluid vent hole.

For the record:
The Mk1 electrovalve change was sept 1989 RP 4700. If a late type electrovalve is fitted to an early car the hydraulic pipes to the front and rear regulators must be changeds as well.
ref: technical bulletin XM9 No. 3 dated 31 May 1990.
Dashpot restrictors move from the pipes to the electrovalves.

The anti-jolt function incorporated in the suspension ECU since March 1990. ECU's not interchangable. Green/white then Black/white plugs.
ref: technical bulletin XM9 No. 5 dated 31 May 1990.

Sorry Robert your new strut head might have fitted but you should have changed the strut as well.
You now have a flow restriction on one side at the front of the car. Might well not notice until the instant that it matters.

John

[SteveLP]

Hi Robert.
I'm now convinced that you need another 1989 car for spares.

[robert_e_smart]

I'm now convinced that you need another 1989 car for spares.

You know what Steve,

There is a lot of truth in that. I have been trying to get some of the locals to buy it, have a bit of fun out of it for a couple of years, and sell it to me! How much T&T does it have? I really like the colour, and it has only been a month since I last bought a car, its about time I bought another!

Thanks for the info John.

On Sunday it did a 230 mile journey with no trouble, although I did think it was odd when I first drove it, I put that down to it running BX spheres and not being used to driving it. I'll change the strut over tomorrow to keep everything to spec. At some stage John, when finances permit, you can add an early series 1 strut head to the refurbishment scheme.

The Mk1 electrovalve change was sept 1989 RP 4700

What was the change here John? Is it a change from a single electrovalve to a pair, or a modification of the single electrovalve?

[andmcit]

I have an early strut top!!! So that's it the end of the only early blue SEi known
surviving in the Uk?

You cant seriously consider buying it just to scrap Robert surely? That's criminal:
all you seem to be doing at the moment is gut or £upsell everything you get and
whilst that may be the sad reality of life these days it saddens me to read it here
on an owner enthusiasts model specific forum for a car that with modest work
could be a keeper. Sorry for the rant but I'm losing track of the dying cars.

What sort of price are you talking Steve? I've just had one of my early s1 2.0i's
stolen and this could nicely fill the void.

[xmexclusive]

Hi Robert

The mod was to the single old style electrovalve.
As stated the original XM had dashpot flow restrictors in the feed pipes from the electrovalves.
Then they changed the design to incorporate the restrictors into the electrovalve body.
Fit a late type single electrovalve in an early car without changing the feed pipes and you get 2 sets of flow restrictors in each feed.

John