Damn Failed MOT

[Dieselman]

Good to hear there is some progress, but if you look at the wiring diagram you will see there is only one relay for both headlamp Dip beams, so if one is illuminating, the problem has to be after the relay, either the cable, the bulb, poor connection, or the Gnd.

The Gnd for each side is shared with the main beam lamp and the sidelamp, so if they are working (especially the main beam), then you should be able to assume that is sound. Testing is always a good idea. The Gnd points are m1 and m2 respectively, so each side inner wing Gnd point.

I suspect you disturbed the contact onto the Dip beam bulb which then caused it to work.

The side repeaters will be bad connections at the actual unit, or the bulb itself, which is common on cars that have been laid up.

[Southerneruk]

I find that odd as well, I was behind wheel messing about with those plugs and sockets to indicator stork when that light decided to come back on, the wing indicators I am falling on the same side as you on those things, they are not a good bulb to use because of those contact points on the bulb, put it all back together today and book it in for a MOT,

Put it all back together for the MOT today, thought I give it a check over, and the dip beam not working again, so I push the wires under steering wheel, and they came back on, it is the ignition switch playing up. I still take it to the MOT just to see if it passes or not and find out what else is wrong

[Southerneruk]

It passed MOT today, with the same advisories notes

[Dieselman]

Good-o, it's on the road now.

Were able to source a strut top, or did you repair your existing one?

Just deal with the welding this year and sort the oil leak in due course. If the oil leak is the back of the engine the cam box cover seal would be a known leak point.

[Southerneruk]

Ah, I have wondered where that oil leek would be.
I bought one from that French company, but they are not the same, it is Citroen replacement from another model where It's not just the strut cap that is change you also have to change the strut as well, the replacement design is higher, and also the depth is deeper, if you replace both sides and don't do the strut change also the car is lower in the front. So what I have done was just replace the one strut cap and let the anti-roll bar pull the car level, I am now talking to another company that says it has the old design in stock, but before I buy I going to make sure they are the same as the originals

[Dieselman]

That sounds incredible that they are not the same as the originals. Do you have any pictures?

I assume you don't simply mean the strut top is for the later, larger diameter, strut rods.

[Southerneruk]

When they stop making the strut top for XM, Citroën garage look for alternatives, these come from another model and because of the differences the strut had to be change also.
I do have pictures on the PC

GOPR0951.JPG

you can see the differences

GOPR0956.JPG

GOPR0957.JPG

[Dieselman]

That is just the skirt length, which was made longer to stop the gaiter coming off. The real reason the gaiters drop off is because the rubber is failing and the skirt goes out of round, thus the gaiter unclips.

As long as the tapered hole diameter is the same as the original and the height from the metal baseplate to the top of the strut top is the same all will be well.

I don't suppose you noticed whether the internal peening has four depressions, or ten? The design of the cast head is the earlier four depression one, but I believe these to be Meca Place ones, which afaik, have the later ten peening's.
The units are made in two halves, the upper cast part and the lower pipe/bonded rubber section, which is for ease of manufacture and means each part is universal, for right or left units. The pipe is then peened into the upper casting, at which point the unit becomes a right or left unit. Early four peening ones were known to come apart, so additional peening's were added.


If this is a Meca Place one, it does appear an accurate reproduction and delivery must have been quick. How was the ordering/payment process?
My belief is these are made by 3Rg, who made a poor copy of Xantia spheres. Meca place must have held them to better standards for Xm ones.

It's a long time since I've seen a UK Xm suffer such bad rubber tearing. Was your car run with flat spheres?
You could have the old one refurbished as there appears to be very little metal plate corrosion, which is the most common type of failure in the Uk.

[Southerneruk]

Every thing is the same, apart from the height, when you measure the depth of the strut hole, this is where the problem is, normal drive is OK, but when you put the height adjuster up to high the strut piston is very close to popping out, this is why the longer strut is needed, it is OK on normal and low, the anti-roll bar will keep it level and going in a straight line. They are nearly touching the bonnet
Those are the French Meca Place ones I am now in talks with

Theo Kerger
CXM du NORD - www.cxmdunord.nl
Folgeren 4
9207 AB Drachten - The Netherlands

They XM strut mounts cost €160 excluding VAT a piece. Shipping will be €35 to the UK. there is €80 deposit which gets returned when your old one arrives for refurbishment
We have a rubber moulding place here in Southampton
Martin's Rubber Co Ltd
30 Orchard Pl,
Southampton SO14 3PE
02380226330
https://www.martins-rubber.co.uk/ must have a chat with them and see if they would repair strut tops

[Dieselman]

The measurement to the skirt is irrelevant, The important measurement is the strut top casting to the car body suspension turret.
Can you please measure from the metal base-plate to the top of the strut top, or the underside of the strut top casting to the metal base.
Do you have any pictures at normal ride height and maximum.
The sphere must be touching the scuttle if the strut top is too tall.

If so, that seems a fundamental quality issue. If the top casting is too high, you could add a spacer above the metal base to lower it back down to the correct height above the suspension turret. This would need to be a complete ring to stop water being thrown up from the road-wheel.
If the casting is set too high it will affect maximum height as the piston will run out of travel, but even that will be marginal.

Are the Dutch ones new, or refurbed?

Q&K Classic Citroen are cheaper than that for ones refurbed using rubber, though one member complained they were very slow to dispatch and one was a very early, four dimple type, the other was a ten dimple.