Citroen XM Forum

Hi guys.
I recently purchased Brads 2.0 Auto Prestige which is a 1992 model and quickly covered 1000 miles with it without a bother. My only concern was that the auto box was not changing as smooth as I would like and it seemed to be loading the engine a bit while sitting at the lights stationary while in Drive.
Then after a couple of weeks the head gasket suddenly gave up allowing water into no. 1 cylinder. I expect that the gasket gave up with old age and lack of use over a prolonged period and then some heavy use. The gasket problem does not worry me but I wonder if anyone could advise me of how difficult it would be to convert it to a manual gearbox car and would I have to use the gearbox of a series 1 car. If I managed to locate a donor car I think I would have all the necessary parts but are there any complications. Would I have to change the ecu's or are there wiring differences.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is my first XM so I have a bit to learn.
Thanks
Mike


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Im dooing just this on a late series 2 xm v6 24v auto.. check out my block called "A conversion" in the members car section and you will see what will be needed.. its quite involved though the pedal box does not need to come out as a unit just move out to work round it.
Ive got pedal boxs out of early cars here.. yours will be linkage not cable .. so there will be the need to weld onto the subframe a pivot point for the change cables.. or a subframe swap. The next thing would be clutch cable .. theres a special bracket behind the engine where the cable comes through to the engine bay. Im not certain if they are bolted or what. Again some here. The only thing to locate would be gearbox.. however being a n/a non turbo engine iirc the be3 gearbox was used which is far more common in xantias. I dont have one.. only diesel ones. . I could supply supply the clutch and gearbox engine mount where the cable passes through to the release fork.

Best thing first have a look at my blog. Another thing to consider if the box actually performs and changes gears correctly but is keen to change up in auto or almost stall comming to a stop it may be worth dooing the goverenr seals. Which arent hard and isnt even an engine or box out job..

Also the engine needs to be running correctly, even with the old fully mechanical boxes if the engine isnt delivering the power it should, the way it should the gearbox can become most unhappy.
The torque converter stall seems a little low on these however and it does labour the engine a bit at idle but with everything ok it shouldnt be rough feeling or have bad shifts, the box does not slur its changes through and the shifts are fairly sharp.

D

Thanks for the helpful information. There's plenty to think about. My engine was running very well prior to the gasket trouble.
The gearbox had the habit of under normal driving of changing 1 / 2 and 2 / 3 when expected, but the 3 / 4 change came at a speed about 3 mph more than the 2 / 3 change. Also when floored in 2nd it peaked at about 80 but wouldn't change up to 3rd until I lifted off the accelerator.
Maybe I'd be better off considering having my auto box renovated or fit a second hand replacement. Do these gearboxes have software controlling their operation like present day autos.
Again thanks for your help.


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Nope.. its a completely mechanical operating and controlling box..

im no expert but it sounds like the gearbox is getting confused about road speed, make sure the kickdown cable is adjusted correctly but i think it will be the regulator seals that are failing which is a simple enough job providing there is no wear in the bore.

D

I would agree about the change points being wrong due to the governor seals. The gearbox relies on hydraulic pressure to change the ratios, so if the seals are leaking, the pressure will be incorrect.

As far as the rest of the gearbox goes, if the different ratios engage solidly, without slipping, then the friction side of the box is OK.

Thanks guys for the info. The gearbox is changing without any slippage although it can be a little jerky. I've never had any reason to work on an auto box as all my hobby cars are manual.
I thought I'd never use an auto but when I bought my 407 v6 hdi (C6 type engine), it took a while to appreciate an auto, but now 8 years later I really like it. From your useful comments and helpful information I am now convinced that I'll get my own box sorted when I get a chance to investigate it fully. At least it will be easier to sort and far less expensive than it would be to sort the 407.
Anyway I will have to sort out the head gasket first. I hope there aren't any nasty surprises when I take the head off.


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May be a little corrosion on the head where the little water gallery recesses are but I've got spares if you need one, the engiines are very tough though, can't see it will be anything other than a gasket.

D

I always keep my 2.0litre prestige and 8v in N @ the lights.