Citroen XM Forum

/////

[quote="VSX-Turbo"

• Power steering is heavy and notchy
• Brake pedal is a bit hard and the pressure doesn't stay consistent
Air being drawn intot eh fluid via the pump suction pipe would be my first thoughts.
• Left hand rear suspension seemed a bit intermittent
Could be a duff sphere. Try bouncing the corners of he car. Could be the rear hydractive solenoid, so fit diodes to the ECU as a precausion.
• The "hand" brake pedal goes really very high when I let it off. If I was lanky, I'd be fucked.
Might be normal. Check if the stop is missing.
• Drivers window doesn't work
Broken cable. Pushbike cable will do as a new one.
• I think the rear drivers side door lock might be intermittent
• Passenger window seems intermittent in the up direction 
probably the nylon clip at the bottom of the glass is broken. Easy job.
• Blower doesn't work (apparently intermittent) 
Connection fault.
• Sunroof retracts slowly (comes forward fine)
Lube it.
• The gears are in there somewhere. Stick is quite vague and so is the clutch
Check the linkages. Clutch one is a bit odd. The clutch cable has a self adjuster which needs the pedal to fully retreat and relax the cable to allow the collett to grip. Could be slipping. Drive it and see.
• Front bumper is sagging on drivers side (scrapes one one corner at least too)
Bolt missing or bumper support corroded.

I was apprehensive at first because of the steering and brakes but the more I drove it the more I liked it. It's cool as and proper comfy too. It's got both dealer plates, dealer key tag, all four keys and history up to 2001 too so it was certainly looked after by it's first owner. Had about 80k miles in 2001 which is when I suspect the first owner sold it. I'm the fifth and the guy I bought it from probably didn't do much with it so I'll try and find the second and third owners to see what they did with it.[/quote]

The list of problems is short, sounds like a decent buy. Sort the issues and make it ride like it should and it will be a keeper.

An exciting buy, Matt.
Nothing on your list that hasn't been written up here, and sorted . . . Always a first, though!
High priority, especially in Scotland, is rustproofing of cavities and underside: then it will stay good.

////

The hissing noise while the steering is straight ahead is normal because your car has an FDV, which diverts fluid to the steering or main hydraulics as required.

Dieselman wrote:The hissing noise while the steering is straight ahead is normal because your car has an FDV, which diverts fluid to the steering or main hydraulics as required.

Yup, though I never had this issue with BXs which also have an FDV. Blipping the throttle usually clears it for a short while. I do this in traffic as it annoys me, though I probably then sound like a right impatient sod...

Notchy or lumpy steering.. Siezing up uj joint just above the pinion valve.. Uj swappable without removing the rack but the steering colum needs to come off...

Bother. Any hope in getting grease at it or is it too late?

Do check there isn't air circulating in the LHM first (dip the reservoir with a small container) - this has been reported as accompanying notchy steering. Easy check.

/////