Our new baby, silver '94 XM 2.0i SX auto estate

[ekjdm14]

My car has the lid intact and popping it open & closed each time it's started is a PIA so I think if it broke, I'd leave it!

Yeh strange thing is, despite the unit still being connected and the red light flashing away happily with the key out, we don't have to put the code in so guess it's been bypassed some other way (the technique I know of was to enter the code then unplug the box with the ignition switched on) or could an S2 have a transponder key with code pad simply as a means of shutting off the alarm if the remote failed?

[citroenxm]

My 24v S1 H reg XM does this. I think its a sign the ecu has had the coded lock removed..

[ekjdm14]

That could explain the "Codebusters" card in the paperwork file, although that card has a code written on it too, maybe the radio code The car has certainly had plenty spent on it over the last 6 years or so, including a top end rebuild after (presumably) a snapped cambelt in 2010 (bill included 8 valves) so the head gasket has been done less than 50k ago, a good mileage for me since it's not ready to go anytime soon with luck, and it's not so recent as to be potentially a mucked up job with anything waiting to drop off....

Off to scan the handbook & service book now to learn more about service intervals and how everything works (i.e. front fogs, can't find the switch anywhere!)

[citroenxm]

I dont think sx models had front fog lights.. even though the front indicator/fog lamp is a double unit you may find the fog side of it has a black in there...

[djg]

Going back to the codepad lid, I also had the same problem, not the hinge but the lock. I'll readily confess that I didn't even think about replacing it. I simply cut the closest corner of the lid, forming a triangle opening that makes it very easy to lift it with my thumb. Not exactly stock, I reckon but I got so used to it that I'm always surprised when the question of the lid comes up in the forum and I need to force myself to remember that it wasn't created that way...

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[djg]

The foglight switch should be among the other switches in the row above the heater controls. Leftmost on LHD but I'm not sure if RHD is mirrored or not.

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[ekjdm14]

Ahh guess the front fogs don't exist then, I'll have to have a closer look at the lamp units and see what the score is but it did look like there were bulbs in there yesterday The opposite of our ZX which has the switch & all the wiring, but no lamp units since the front bumper has been changed for one from a lower spec car (and the dimpled black plastic been horribly sprayed with silver to "match" the rest of the car, it looks hideous and is flaking off.) one for the future that, and replace the front bumper with correct item, new N/S wing & new indicator units with outer lenses intact if we can find any that haven't dropped off yet. Got rear brakes to do today, fun fun fun

Back to the XM though, hoping to get a chance to upload the photos later & weather permitting will start stripping the interior ready for welding

[ekjdm14]

Wow takes a while to upload pics on here, anyway heres a couple of photos of our XM estate, and the damaged heater/vent/keypad bits we need to sort to get the interior up to scratch.

Not sure if just the direction lever on the passenger side vent can be replaced or if the whole vent unit will need to come out and be swapped for a good one, same with the fan slider not sure if just that could be changed but then again the heater control panel is loose presumably damaged anyway so a complete good panel may be the way forward there.

One thing I have noticed from shunting the car round to do work on the ZX is that the auto gearbox selector is different from "normal" auto selectors in that there is a "detent" between D and N, but not between 3 and D so one has to press the button in to move from D to N which is inconvenient, usually the "gate" allows free selection between the two. It's something I may look into changing with a dremel at some point seeing as we have a spare shifter now with just a seized cable, as it would make more sense to my mind from a practical point of view to not have to press the button every time we want to get neutral at a long traffic light etc.

I understand there are two schools of thought on selecting neutral or not, I'm of the view that selecting neutral is advantageous or rather that it's benefits outweigh the risks of wear to valves.

[Dean]

Oooh that's better, she looks good.
Shifting will work the valve block, not shifting will not, heat buildup is another issue but I guess it depends for how long you are stationary as to what you do.

D

[citroenxm]

Dash vents can be changed on their own. I dont know if I have any.. most to almost all my stuff is mk.1 stuff..

eventually ill get through the stock and sort it all out...