Citroen XM Forum

Having read the comments in your screen-grabs reminded me that the owner I acquired the car from told me it was indeed capable of the official V-max, so Shaun isn't the only one to have given the car a good caning.

I know they are. I tried mine once.. but backed off at 140 and she still wanted to go.

Amazing!

All the time I have owned this car I have thought there was some raspy exhaust sound on initial start, but couldn't detect if it was blowing, or not.
I was performing a pre-MOT check and jacked the car up using a beam as a support, when I heard the exhaust note suddenly deepen, so investigated.

The flexi section on the front pipe had broken free for about 90% of it's circumference. This had obviously been cracked previously, but hidden by the worm drive clip holdings recovering braid on.
I welded the crack back onto the collar, but the concertina metal is so thin and had holes in, it was impossible to MIG weld the single thickness pleats.

Here's where the fun started.
I wanted to get the job done quickly and as the pipes into and out of the flexi section are different sizes, rather than ordering some pipe and a flexi, decided to have a new one welded in.

This section of pipe runs from the front manifold to where the pipe humps over the front subframe. The fittings at each end are both angled, have to fit exactly and the length is critical. The manifold connection is a bolted flange, with no adjustment possible, the rear is a ball and socket, but has to fit precisely.

I marked a pair of alignment lines down the exhaust in situ and had the part made (cost...cough, cough, cough )

When I tried to fit the pipe did it fit....





As the pipe had now been altered in length, measuring to get an accurate length was very challenging and required a number of fitting attempts, bolt up to front manifold and mark off, undo and bolt to exhaust and mark off, make allowance for the amount of droop and rotation, etc.
There is literally no margin for error, clearances are only 5mm.

It's one of those jobs you either need to tack the new flexi section in situ, or make a temporary jig to ensure absolute accuracy.

Incidentally, the bulge in the pipe to the left of the flexi section in the first image, is a catalytic converter.
This car was registered less than one month after the requirement to have Cats... There are two larger ones behind the subframe.