Dean's Activa/XM/V6 and now Talbot blog

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 19 Aug 2010, 21:48

I need to change the belts on mine. I'll do that over the winter. I'll be taking mine off the road next week, with being a bloody poor student again.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 19 Aug 2010, 21:53

robert_e_smart wrote:I'll be taking mine off the road next week, with being a bloody poor student again.

Which one of your fleet are you going to use then Robert, the 2.1TD?

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 19 Aug 2010, 22:03

Well the XM project, i really dont know about that now........... the trouble is im trying to live the life of the retired rich when in fact im working, working some more, coming home and working and still poor

like everyone else i guess.
Im thinking now do i just fit my alarm system to it and make the engine bay look stunning and live with it for what she is, which really is a beutifull executive car that will return near 40mpg on a good run and in many ways is superior to the xantia.......

Speaking of xantia, yes i know i need a seem guage technicaly but ive got the feel for it now and i just do the belt every 15k miles, when you do 3k a year it doesnt come around often

No pictures as yet because i just have not had thee time in daylight hours but i will get some tomorrow if i rmember.I think i know why the steering wheel is horrible, the leather trim is missing off of it for some reason...so i will pay a visit to the local scrap yard i think for that and some strut tops too, i think £140 each is a good price for them but i cant afford that so i will have to find some good s/h ones.

Are you being forced into being a poor student again or is it by choice Robert ?
D

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 20 Aug 2010, 08:57

Its through choice Dean.

I'm going to do a PGCE for a year, to train to become a secondary French teacher.

Teaching is something that has appealed to me for a long time, and now is the best time for me to do it. I am sick of being seen as a cost to a business, with all businesses wanting to reduce costs, or getting a good return on their "investment". I want a bit more stability in my life, and its time for me to grow up a bit as well. Now is the best time for me to do the PGCE, I have no commitments, no dependents, and my current job isn't very secure. Worse case scenario, in a years time I have to get another s**t job like the one I have.

In preparation for having no income, I have rationalised the fleet a bit, and have only been driving the 2.1 Xm, and sorning all the other cars to reduce expenditure and release capital. The exception being the Activa this month, because I wanted to drive it properly incase I need to sell it in the future.

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 20 Aug 2010, 17:47

Well good luck Robert, i have much admiration for those who master another language, especialy when i never quite got the hang of my own

its just a shame you will have to take some cars off the road to do it.....

D

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 20 Aug 2010, 19:15

Thanks Dean,

I miss the CX the most, but needs must and all that. If I can get through the year without having to sell the Xantia I'll be happy. Its the only car I have that I would sell if it came to it. The others are keepers, and I need the TD for using.

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 20 Aug 2010, 20:34

I dont have the ebay pics but this is where i am so far.

CIMG2994 by Deanxm, on Flickr

D

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 20 Aug 2010, 21:18

The car looks a million times better with the legal number plates.

Did the boxes off goodies arrive yet Dean?

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 20 Aug 2010, 21:29

Yes thanks Robert they came today, im going to get the glove box and steering cowling in there and some bump stops on it then get the cam belt and tensioner changed and i may insure it sunday, will have to see how much time i get.

D

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 27 Aug 2010, 20:55

work is still underway on the xm at the moment but i came home to find the Activa was steamed up today, it hasnt done it before now with all this rain we have had.
I had a feel of the carpets and they were dry, stuck my hand unde3r the drivers carpet and that was dry but under the passenger side was soaking wet and there is no smell of curry/burning electrics now so im not sure it is the matrix, the coolant level is well up and strong with antifreeze and the water under the floor smells a bit mouldy, not at all sticky antifreeze so now i wonder if it is the matrix thats leaking, i will get some nice black mastic when the xm is back to full health and seal the crack in the scuttle trim and see what happens from there.

D

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 30 Aug 2010, 17:23

Hi Dean,

Thats almost classic scuttle leaks you have there

There will be gallons and gallons of water soaked into the foam and you must remove the carpets and dry them out. The septum poses a problem as it cannot be removed. prop it up with blocks of wood and get a fan heater in there to accelerate drying.

Don't replace the carpet until you are sure the leak is fixed and pray for rain. It's the best test.

I've used green food dye in a watering can in the past as a test in the past.

Another cause of the leak can be a duff windscreen seal right in the corner. Look at the edge of the screen and if the laminate has gone milky right there then that's it. Damp has got between the layers of glass and attacked the laminate.

It's vital, when you remove the scuttle panel to reaseal it, that the lump of soft mastic is present just under the screen edge. It directs water running down the A pillar and door gutter safely out of the way of the heater intake...

Have a look at this picture and you can see the lump of mastic and an additional bead I placed at the edge to help seal a screen that had indeed let go right in the corner.

Are you going to CXM this weekend? I have a new Ram Bush for you and if you will be there then it will save me posting it...

Deanxm · Unread post by **Deanxm** » 30 Aug 2010, 19:43

thanks for that Jim, i will be there sunday, maybe get there sat evening but it depends how long im stuck at work for but i will be there yes.
Thanks for the photo i think i can see hwta your on about but im sure all will make sense when i start the job.

The XM is still out of action and for the first time in 7 years is REALY trying my nervs!!!!! got it all finnished last night and had a scoot up and down the drive as i couldnt get hold of the insurance company till 10am today to swap it for the rover i sold, all was well but the brakes were full of air, unfortuanatly my usual plentifull lhm supply had been run down so i thought i would leave bleeding them till next week when i could pick up some of the green again, got it all sorted today and decided i would take it out to see if the rack was ok, fired it up and drove down the drive and the stop light came on with low pressure warning, i just thought it was air in the pump feed untill plumes of white smoke came pouring out from under the bonnet

Return pipe burst on the rack and lhm is everywhere, it pumped the resovoir dry in seconds and now my drive is stained to buggery

to rub salt in the wounds insurance wanted another £70 to put the xm back on the policy????? which means in 6 weeks my insurance has gone up 25%!!!!! not bad work if you can get it, oh and when i stopped into halfords i was surprised to see they sell LHM, even more surprised to find its £11.80/litre!!!!!!!!!!!!1 its only £4.80/litre from citroen for pukka total stuff!!!!!!!!!!!

oh and i found a rust hole inside the wheelarch too which irritated me as there is not even any rust colour on that car..........its been a bad weekend

D

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 30 Aug 2010, 20:08

Oh dear Dean

Not a good day at all

Trouble is, there is a lot of volume of LHM int he PAS circuit.

No help really but I found a great detergent that will shift the LHM stains a treat. It's the Swarfega Oil and Grease Remover in a small red can with a picture of a driveway on the can.

It's yellow gloop and really does work. I accidentally got a big LHM stain on my neighbour's drive the other week and that removed all traces of it. Luckily, they were away on holiday when it happened

I know what you mean about insurance. My lot charged me £17.50 when I told them I'd transferred registrations between two cars

Dick Turpin is alive and well and working in the insurance industry!

Sounds like he also works in Halfrauds! These days I get all fluids in bulk and it does work out cheaper. It amazes me how LHM gets consumed when you run three of 'em...

It'll be great to see you at the weekend. I'll be in my red Activa, N2XAN.

It might still be a two seater model if I'm not content the leaks are sorted. Bang goes me winning the concours

Hope all goes well for the rest of the week Dean

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 30 Aug 2010, 20:37

CitroJim wrote:It might still be a two seater model if I'm not content the leaks are sorted. Bang goes me winning the concours

Put some brown paper on the windows, sorted

red_dwarfers · Unread post by **red_dwarfers** » 30 Aug 2010, 20:55

I've been playing around with polishing the Xantia this afternoon, quite pleased for the most part. My paintwork up close isn't all that fantastic due to the millions of stone chips and few dents, now it shows

At least it looks much better from a few paces

If we do have Xantia concours at this one, I may enter out of curiosity.

I hope the other white S1 Xantia hatch at the DSM turns up to the CXM as his was almost showroom condition. I'd like to take a photo and add it to my collection of photos that include at least two white Xantias

I'm not doing too badly with that actually, averaging 1 photo a year at the moment.

LHM cleaning tip noted.