SM owner saying hello

[Dieselman]

It's good to read your first impressions are favorable.

[Charles M]

Thinking about it, it's the first older car I've taken on the M25 after picking it up without there being some horrible crisis.

That's a good start!

[CitroJim]

That's an excellent start to XM Ownership Charles

[Rommel]

Notice how Jim says "an excellent start to XM ownership".....clearly expecting and enticing you to buy more!

Very glad to hear that you are enjoying it, congratulations.

[Dieselman]

Thinking about it, it's the first older car I've taken on the M25 after picking it up without there being some horrible crisis.

That's a good start!

LOL. A good start indeed.

When I bought the mandarin one, I drove it 180 miles back from Horsham after it had been off the road six years. The clutch slipped on steep hills and the suspension was solid at the rear, but just like Lassie, it came home.

[Charles M]

Oh yes, the M25 has taken a terrible toll on my old cars, to the point where I seriously do not like to use it, such are the bad memories. The Allard overheated and cracked the engine block. The poor old SM (whose engine fans had been disconnected after the alternator had been repaired) stalled all the way round on a horrible jammed & ot bank holiday with me sitting with the (working - didn't in the winter) heating on full to keep it going, while my Cosworth Mercedes overheated and stalled all the way round (in heavy traffic). So far on a hot day with a reasonable amount of stop start driving, this one is as cool as a cucumber and the air-con works perfectly.

My first real thing is trying to get kickdown - it has good torque in the right gear but it does move up the gears quickly and doesn't really kick down. Any tips?

It definitely needs a bit more boost and fuelling. Having said which, I filled it up today as the little yellow reserve light had come on. Crikey - it's the first tank in living memory that has cost me over £100! Time to get the old veg oil plans moving.

[Dieselman]

That tank will go a reasonable distance before it needs filling again. I did 320 miles cross country last Sunday on 1/3rd of a tank.

For the kickdown it sounds like the gearbox load cable on the injection pump is too slack. The normal complaint with diesel auto XM is that they hold the low gears too long as the governor is speed sensing, not load sensing.
From memory, the cable should be just relaxed at idle position.

[Charles M]

Found my local huge Indian superstore doing 20 litre tins of veg oil at 89p per litre. That beats paying 140p at the garage and no mess with brewing the biodiesel.

Loving the car, it is so exceptionally comfortable. Few knocks and rattles, but for an N reg beast I've seen far far worse.

[Charles M]

Just came through an hour tailback on the M25, temperature hardly budged to 90. First older car I've bought in a long time to do that!

What should the idle speed be - mine seems to idle at just over 900, which seems a little high.

[robert_e_smart]

That's about right for a diesel.