Citroen XM Forum

She moved under her own steam for the first time I have had it, suspension all works.....well ....that is one little thing before ripping its heart out.
Engine jet washed

Good to hear the cheat worked.
You should now be able to perform a few other jobs and shake down tests, with absolute certainty that the engine fault is diagnosed.

I'm pleased you persevered and didn't succumb to the desperation to break the car, it is in very good condition.

If you do decide to swap the engine ensure you notify DVLA of the new engine number, otherwise, if the V5 is ever rescinded and then the car put back on the road again, it would attract a Q plate.

I would just rebuild either the existing, or new head and swap it over, to keep matching numbers.

Again Gents, many thanks for all the assistance and comments/suggestions......most valuable and helpful.

I had a chat with a friend (and very experienced XM worker) last night, he had been reading these forum posts and contacted me....

He insists I should NOT remove the engine.....he is another one saying I should remove the head without removing the engine .... he insists that by using a good quality (oil & pressure safe) oil cooler braided rubber hose and good screw clips to sleeve the oil return pipe...which he says is the only problem with doing it that way.......other than needing a engine lift or "two big strong Yorkshire lads, to remove it after that.

Thoughts ?

At the moment and taking into account the generally fantastic bodywork condition of the car I wonder if the "need" to do all the additional protection treatments etc to the engine bay is really a big requirement......I am tempted to move down the road towards removing the head, fitting the head etc from the replacement engine (which has recently been off/skimmed/gasket).....if I then get into trouble, give up that plan and remove the engine (the only losses at that time would be a few hours and a few extra bits removed.

I've taken heads off with turbo and manifolds on. Although I've also lifted zf4 Hp18 auto box's too albeit that did hurt.. And wasn't the cause of what happened to me but was very close to the initial discovery.. And was discovered by lifting something and it wasn't car related either..

Your taller then me iirc.. But I've no idea of the remaining physiq of you.. But think that as you are not refitting the same head it doesn't matter if you drop it as its being replaced. You may need to swap exhaust manifolds though oh one other real can't be done thing is the drivers side exahaust to manifold spring bolt.. They are an impossible one. What I'd be tempted to do is spot weld the bolt to its home in the manifold because it just turns and you can't get there to hold it..

6ft 4in
Been working with cast iron radiators for the last 2o years ....
VERY strong friend just up the hill.

Just completed a very short test run, gearbox changes very smoothly.....(but nowhere near up to temp)....up and down can hardly tell it changes other than the engine noise (bag of old hammers but I am to "they all sound like that Sir") and the rev counter dropping.

Impressive.

Cleaning the undersides before starting work. Looks like it is good and rust free under there

Looking very tidy and corrosion-free under there, Alasdair.
Waxing time!

That looks to be in great condition, well worth saving.

In the picture of the turbo support bracket there is a bolt missing. Have you removed that?
Note the block coolant drain to the left of the support bracket, behind the driveshaft.

The bolts for the turbo to exhaust swivel can normally be undone by fitting a spanner on the bolt head and a socket and looong extension over the subframe, onto the nut.
A impact gun works well for these, but if really rusted, slip a hacksaw blade between the hydraulic pipes and subframe and cut through the bolt.
If you remove the drive shaft, and possibly the coolant bypass pipe, you might be able to undo the turbo oil return instead of cutting it.
There is no pressure in the return pipe, so if sleeving just ensure the sleeve is oil resistant pipe.

You have an engine crane, so lifting the head/turbo/manifolds as one will be easy.

If you need better vertical access the bonnet can be hinged vertical after removing the plastic scuttle trim and the bonnet gas struts.
Note there is no latch at the vertical position, so ensure the bonnet is tied or supported to keep it secure.

Jack the car up and support on stands, perform all the underside work to free the turbo/exhaust, rotate the engine to the timing marks and pin it, then slip off the timing belt.
After that it's a case of remove the cam box and head bolts, then lift off.
The engine mount has to come off, so you need to support the engine, which may also need to be pulled forward with a strap.

Removing the engine would take a lot longer, as they were posted in from underneath along with the subframe and all pipework, etc.
The subframe won't allow the engine out from below and the diesels are a tight fit, so Afaik, cant come out without the front of the car and all radiators off.
With the engine out you also need to consider how to torque the head bolts without the engine moving.

On your test drive you noted the engine being a bit noisy...that is due to the auto gearbox. The engine is more loaded with the auto and the 4HP18 using road speed, not engine load, for it's low load change points, makes the engine rev higher and buzzy.

Taking advantage of the dry weather, the seat mounts got rusty due to wet carpet so I have sanded, treated with Hydrate 80 and will paint later. The brown stuff is all that is left from the rotten insulation stuck to the back of the boot carpet....