1998 XM - 2.1td - Steamy Windows!

[CitroJim]

Ahh! The good old thermostat!

Hateful job!

Agreed Only a French design could put a thermostat there but if you think that's bad then spare a thought for the same job on an ES9. It makes the 2.1TD thermostat job look like child's play.

Well done James. Another day of excellent work

[Dieselman]

I thought the thermostat wasn't too bad a job, as long as you use a 1/4" drive socket.
Why is it only rising to 60c, it should be 85c?

The reason thermostats are on the return hose is to ensure there can't be an air lock.

[jonathan_dyane]

I thought the thermostat wasn't too bad a job, as long as you use a 1/4" drive socket.
Why is it only rising to 60c, it should be 85c?

The reason thermostats are on the return hose is to ensure there can't be an air lock.

You must have more delicate hands than I!

I took the OP's post to mean that temperature wouldn't rise above 60 being the reason he changed the thermostat, and that on doing the job the temperature now rose to a normal level...

[Peter.N.]

Its not so bad the second time Difficult as it may be it makes the cooling system almost fool proof as you can't get air trapped in the head, which is why you very rarely hear of a 2.1 head failure, which can't be said of the 1.9 with the thermostat in the head.

Peter

[turbo_imp]

Maybe they are not as silly as they seem That makes perfect sense, have the system divider at the lowest point to enable the air to rise up, preventing locks

DieselMan, as Jonathan said the thermostat had failed leaving the system open and always flowing. This meant that the temperature would not rise any higher than 60 degrees and was actually cooler than that when moving. It now reaches 80-85 quite quickly

[Dieselman]

My Cobalt car wasn't even making the gauge move at all when moving. I originally thought this was why it was misting up badly.

[turbo_imp]

Well I have re-acquainted myself with the wonders of oleopneumatic suspension, it is just fantastic! I found myself laughing as I floated over bumps that I knew were there from previous journeys, and ceased to exist in the XM

Listening to French hiphop whilst wafting down the M1, winner!

The only issues found were severe fogging of the windscreen and a non working washer jet.

The fogging could be only one thing, heater matrix
I did some research and it looked pretty simple compared to most cars, and one guide said that nothing needed to be removed including the steering column, only one way to find out! I ordered an ebay special matrix for £35, which arrived 24 hours after the order :O and cracked on with the task.

I am only small so I did not take out the drivers seat, did not remove any steering components, just the side panel, lower binnacle, and an electrical connector mount. The result -



Treasure found -



Matrix was removed and the fault immediately became clear, the seal between the end cap and the matrix was compromised leading to weeping and a steamy screen!



The new matrix came with foam AND o-rings, I cleaned the pipes and then bedded the o-rings on sealant and then popped the whole lot back in again. It is a tight squeeze past the column and associated brackets, but if you are brave it is quite possible. new matrix -



All in all the job took and hour and a half, half the time of the bloody thermostat, only on an XM!

On the bodywork front, I have FINALLY finshed claybar / compounding / waxing the bodywork. The culprit of the appalling scratching all over the flanks was found -



Car wash the lazy so and so's!

The result after a bit of back to black is as so -











Looking good

Just need to finish up the stereo (steering wheel link cable not working) and fit some other rear speakers, one of the ones I fitted seems to have a popped cone

More soon guys

J

[jonathan_dyane]

Looking superb! Excellent job.

[robert_e_smart]

Excellent result! All you need now are some nice Etoile Alloy wheels and new number plates to finish the look!!

If you are ever bored after you finish with this car, you are more than welcome to a cheap holiday in Ireland to do some work on my fleet!

[russ92xmsed]

Fantastic job James. It looks brilliant.

I know about car washes, my last car was washed by the previous owner in these dreadful contraptions. Every panel was heavily scratched. It took three separate coats of T cut and polish to get it back to a good finish.

Whippet quick on the matrix. Nice one!