V6-sei project.

[Dieselman]

Do you know if that is also true for the ML5T used with the ES9?

Approx. 2.2 litres. Recommendations have the quantity listed as 2.1-2.4 litres, Haynes says 2.2 for the 2.5Td, which is the same gearbox.
I would need to check the actual Citroen manual to be more precise, but that figure should be good enough.

New oil is always going to be better than old oil. People often neglect gearboxes and final drives, but the oil is under a lot of stress, which is why it is EP (extreme pressure) rated.
I recall one of my cars having filled for life differential, which I noticed had become very slightly whiney on over-run. New oil and it was back to being perfectly quiet, due to the oil film then keeping the gear teeth from making metal to metal contact.

[Dieselman]

I really enjoy reading your posts Dieselman and the more pictures the better, at least I like to look at them!

Can you explain why you modified your dipstick? Has someone replaced the dipstick with a newer one without realizing that the oil capacity is different?

Thanks. I enjoy reading other peoples posts...hint, hint... As far as pictures, it used to be called "Top shelf reading"

I modified the dipstick as the bulletin shows a reduced oil quantity after Rp 5201 and although the sump is slightly changed, the depth and volume, are not. The later engines have a lower oil volume, as a result of the dipstick being longer.
My 1992 V6-24 has the longer dipstick, so I assumed it must be Ok, hence feel comfortable in performing the mod to the earlier dipstick.

I think there must have been too much oil in these engines increasing the propensity for leaks and possibly oil foaming.

[xantia_v6]

Do you know if that is also true for the ML5T used with the ES9?

Approx. 2.2 litres. Recommendations have the quantity listed as 2.1-2.4 litres, Haynes says 2.2 for the 2.5Td, which is the same gearbox.
I would need to check the actual Citroen manual to be more precise, but that figure should be good enough.

I just found the Citroen service guide, https://mega.nz/file/LlwB1AiY#XCET5Cmo3 ... Zx5bhYtHgE and it says 1.8 litres for the ML5 transmission on the XM V6 and and 2.2 litres for the MG5 in the 2.5 TD.

Note that on the ML5, the fill plug is on the rear face of the differential housing (above the subframe) and is very difficult to reach.

[xantia_v6]

Other service booklets covering different years of XM:

1990: https://mega.nz/file/npx3yISK#tZLhjSPbI ... 8kIcsVAGh4
1992: https://mega.nz/file/WxhhUQrY#Xe32gvorF ... pC2xIB6fHM
1995: https://mega.nz/file/vtwFgaBZ#KpgXJewrL ... r0hhMwiYA8
1996: https://mega.nz/file/28hHFJLa#WtB1g_-qC ... uob1aIwFAE
1998: https://mega.nz/file/LlwB1AiY#XCET5Cmo3 ... Zx5bhYtHgE
1999: https://mega.nz/file/ygpFwaSB#lRjUZSWTv ... _oWNC-U6hQ

[Dieselman]

@Xantia_v6
Thanks for those Citroen Private car books, they will be very useful, I'll list them all in the Self Help Files, section. I had forgotten how useful those books are, they have everything relating to the cars covered.
We do already have the 2001 Citroen Private Car Book, for Series 2 Xm,...listed in the hydraulics section, as it is mainly used for sphere type and pressures viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10270#p127560

Apologies for giving incorrect information, I was short of time so decided to use the Total oil selector as a reference, which does list the correct gearbox, just the incorrect volume. Total are the company that supply Citroen, so one would have thought their communication was accurate.

[Dieselman]

I just found the Citroen service guide, https://mega.nz/file/LlwB1AiY#XCET5Cmo3 ... Zx5bhYtHgE and it says 1.8 litres for the ML5 transmission on the XM V6 and and 2.2 litres for the MG5 in the 2.5 TD.

Note that on the ML5, the fill plug is on the rear face of the differential housing (above the subframe) and is very difficult to reach.

If the fill plug proves too difficult to access, either unscrew the reverse light switch, or, my preference, would be to pull out the speedometer drive and fill via that orifice.

[Dieselman]

Another job done to the V6, refit the headlining which was very mouldy and had come loose all over, especially after brushing and vacuuming.

I washed and re-installed the original material, which was a mistake. It is incredibly difficult to mold it into the front section of the headlining and using the original material meant there was no spare to allow it to push into the corners tightly. To do this properly one needs to make a mold to clamp the material in position, then hold it there while the adhesive fully cures, otherwise the material pulls loose.
If attempting this again, I would start at the difficult part and work backwards to the easier, mainly flat part.

You wouldn't believe how much work has gone into this, for Me, this isn't at all enjoyable. If anyone has tips on how to do this, I'd like to hear them.

From the passengers POV, it all looks fine, but I can see I might redo this at a later date, there are more pressing issues to deal with.
I have washed the mould off the interior plastics, which have come up well, cleaned the tailgate electrical connectors and Gnd points, which are behind the interior plastic section at the rear.
I also took the opportunity to raise the sunroof cassette on it's clamps, so the glass section now sits level with the roof skin. They tend to sag in the clamps and this one was low, not helped by being piled up with junk for decades.

[Dieselman]

Time to stop the coolant leak.

The V6 makes radiator replacement a bit awkward, but You can squeeze the radiator out if you remove both sidelamps and the bolts behind them that go into the wings, remove the four bolts that hold the plastic nose module to the top of the inner wings, then prop the whole unit forwards using wooden blocks.

The radiator drain was blocked solidly and didn't flow even when fully removed, so I removed the top hose and faced it down into a bucket under the car. This system was originally pretty empty, however I filled it with antifreeze mix recently and intend to refill with more antifreeze, to keep collecting any further corrosion in the system, then will perform a full flush at a later date.

Undo any radiator hose clips you can, tie the top hose out of the way, then unclip the radiator top spring clips and lift it upwards and off the A/c condenser and out.



The original Citroen clips were still on the lower and oil cooler hoses, so I removed the oil cooler hose at the cooler and lifted the radiator out to gain access to remove these.




At which point I was able to see just how badly affected the wiring loom binding was and the scale on the oil cooler spigot.
I have already applied binding tape to the loom here.




A bit of binding and loom tape wrapping later. The oil cooler hose spigot needed a good clean and de-scale. Vinegar, mini wire brush and scotch-bright pad sorted that.



You have to swap the lower hose clips and temperature switch bung over from the old to new radiator and this new one had an additional spigot, which I blocked using an M6 bolt and some epoxy glue.
I cross filed the end threads of the bolt to make it act as a tap and cut threads into the plastic, then removed it and added the adhesive, before re-fitting it.
I cleaned up the temperature switch plug and copper washer, then used silicon sealant to ensure it sealed well. I've left the radiator empty overnight so the sealant cures, before being subjected to water and pressure.
The wiring loom is tethered to the lower hose.

Note, I tied the radiator spring clips back to the bonnet catches, to ensure they didn't catch the new radiator fins, or pipes.
When refitting the radiator onto the A/c condenser vertical locators, you need to splay the radiator clips using a flat bladed screwdriver.

To have enough clearance, lower the radiator into the engine bay by the side of the dipstick tube, then move it over in front of the tube.
Fitting the lower hose is real fiddle from above, but there is just enough space.

Extra spigot on new radiator.



Radiator fitted.
Worm drive clips aren't perfectly round, but will be fine for these hoses and I already had them. You need to ensure you use clips that can be removed readily, otherwise will need to remove the complete nosecone to undo the radiator hose clips.

[Dieselman]

A couple more jobs ticked off the list; Fuel filter and glovebox.

Before starting the fuel filter change depressurise the fuel system by accessing the fuel delivery unit under the back seat, disconnecting it and then running the engine until it stalls.

The fuel filter resides on top of the rear subframe on the right hand side.

Looking up you can just see it. I had already moved the exhaust heat shield and removed the fuel pump aluminium heat shield, but you can see access is tight.



Remove the spare wheel carrier and things improve somewhat, but you will be working blind at some point. I didn't want to remove the exhaust for two reasons; A. time, B. this exhaust is corroded together at the centre joint so it would mean removing it right to the front section.

To access the filter, unclip the rubber band retainer from the subframe edge, by pulling down on the metal clip.



The car still has the original click-clips, so reach round and unclip these. You can't see the front one (pump feed) while doing this. Be prepared for a good cupful of petrol to leak out of the filter.



Refitted, including click-clips and aluminium heat shield. The rubber mount has a section for the hose to clip into and a locating stub that fits into a hole in the subframe, which is a bit awkward to align.



Filter type. Note direction of flow. The front hose is feed, the rear one is to the engine.



Next task, the glovebox.

The open latch was broken off, the gas strut was flat due to being installed upside down and the complete box was sitting above the dashboard edge. These are awkward to clip in.

To remove the box open it and remove two screw at the front edge and two at the rear, then lift the rear edge upwards and rotate the complete box forwards and ease the front edge over the latch mechanism. Be careful, it's easy to break the latches off.
For better access to the rear screws, unscrew the upper gas strut mount to allow the lid to open a little more.

I changed the gas strut ensuring it was installed the correct way, which is always rod down, to lubricate the seal.



Due to this box having been fitted on top of the dashboard lip for at least 25 years, it was really awkward to fit properly, but eventually it was clipped in both sides.
The outer side was just a case of using a plastic trim tool to slide it in, but the inner side was a challenge.
I resorted to using pliers through the lamp aperture and an Allen key as a wedge against the underside of the dash skin lip. With a bit of twisting the two parts clipped together properly.

Inner edge



Outer edge



Replacement opening latch fitted. No need to remove the latch assembly for this, just push the pivot pin out in the up direction, fit the new latch, push the pin back in.



It all seems to work...

[Dieselman]

When I first acquired the car there was some bad staining down the left front wing and bumper. I initially through this might be paint, or peeled lacquer, but after washing the car realised it was limescale from the outside tap that was in the garage the car was stuck in. The tap had dripped water onto the car, which had solidified.

I don't have a picture of how this was after washing the car and it sitting in sunshine, but it was very unsightly, so I decided to tackle it.

Picture from when the car was delivered, but not washed, doesn't really show it on the wing, but it does on the bumper. The white is limescale, not dirt. The wing looked similarly bad after a wash.

I used white vinegar and a soft cloth to remove the scale, scrubbing it into the bumper texture with a toothbrush. See pictures.