Citroen XM Forum

When I was loosening up the carpet in preparation for the welding I noticed that the carpet and the soundproofing was damp, I assumed it was water possibly getting through a corroded bit of the floor but now that I've had it back from welding I'm not so sure. The whole driver's side carpet is damp and the soundproofing very damp, the metal underneath is also wet. The carpetting on the side of the console feels a little damp too.

This is on a 1995 S2 2.5 - what could this be, if it was the heater matrix wouldn't that leak water into the passenger side or am I thinking of the 2.1 here? I don't use my air con as it doesn't work as in doesn't blow cold, never has since I've had the car although climate control works fine. However it has been on a few times where its been a short while before I noticed it was on & turned it off.

It's going in to a Citroen specialist for timing belt etc changes tomorrow I daresay he would be able investigate & tell me what's causing it but I'd probably get hit with a bill for that so would like to try to find out what the cause is before tomorrow morning.

I removed the scuttle cover to see if it was leaves causing a blockage, and sure enough it was full of dead leaves around the vent that draws air in. I've cleared it out now and made sure rainwater can go down the drain holes. It was all bone dry though, not at all wet so I'm not certain this was the cause.

While I was there I noticed the wiper motor was covered with a nylon type cover, I think it's meant to protect it from the weather but not done a very good job as the wiper motor casing is absolutely rotten, the metal crumbles to the touch. My wipers have always been a bit sluggish this could well be the reason why. Does anyone have a spare motor in good order, and do you need to remove the whole wiper linkage or can you remove the motor by itself? And if so can you get these motors on other cars such as Xantias as the only scrap XM I know of is about the same age and possibly in the same condition but there's plenty of newer Xantias in the yard.

The damp drivers side carpet does sound like the heater feed pipes seals may be leaking.

Do you have any more info on this, how do I test this and where are these pipes & seals located?

Pic of the wiper motor!

Remove the under-dash panel and look at the connection to the heater matrix.

I have had water ingress due to failure of the door seal. When its raining check the front inside edge of the door, see if there is any water running down it. I have had leakage there due to the seal along the top of the door frame coming unstuck.

Peter

My money would be on heater matrix / matrix O ring seals failure, followed by blocked scuttle drains letting water over the heater air intake. You would almost certainly have noticed, I guess -- but it's also not uncommon for them to let water in around the aerial base too.

Your wiper motor picture epitomises to me the frustration I have with car makers -- they make a generally clever, effective piece of kit and then go and spoil the overall picture by a complete inattention to detail or finishing in various, usually out of sight, spots.

Mike.

I got my car back from CMS Citroen Specialist in Bexhill after having all the belts done (timing, balance & aux) and I asked him to check out the dampness. He says the water doesn't feel oily and doesn't think its heater matrix. He thinks it was most likely the blocked scuttle drain hole which was recently full of leaves.

Funny you should mention the aerial, I was stupid enough to tie a flag to the aerial around the time of William & Kate's Royal wedding and it pulled it out of it's anchor so water could have been getting in through there. Keep meaning to replace the aerial but not sure what to expect to find when I remove the light fittings. The aerial looks similar/identical to the ones on Xantias, ZX's, 306's from the outside but not sure if they are the same underneath. The one XM in the yard has a mondeo squashing it on top so no chance of getting THAT one.

On a side note, I have to say that I have found CMS to be a very professional outfit and very knowledgeable with reasonable labour charges. Craig's a nice chap too. I feel quite happy having somewhere reasonably close to sort out the more complicated issues on my XM. Craig has a lovely DS Pallas too, I think he mentioned his particular model being only 1 of 13 left. He has a XM as well.

The Aerial from a Xantia will fit your Xm. But new aerials and bases aren't that expensive from Citroen either. I bought one last year. It wasn't expensive.

Here are a couple of pictures to show you how to remove the aerial and what to expect. There is a metal cap over the bottom of the aerial base covering the nut, pull it off with pliers. The nut is 8mm.

Hi Endorfin

If your car has aircon then checkout the drain tube from the heater box.
This tube is found in the centre console just under the radio.
It Is supposed to pass condensate out under the car into the chassis tunnel over the top of the exhaust pipe.
Pipe is a push fit rubber tube with no clamp. XM's have a history of this tube detaching.
Condensate water is clean and pretty pure and if leaking will soak the foam under both front footwells.
To get an idea of water volume from a/c condensate a car standing engine running will produce a noticable pool.
Enough to make you think you have a coolant leak so trapping this water in the car will keep the carpets wet.

John