Just got a Xantia and I love it, but I have some questions

[Mkalic]

Hey guys! I'm a Xantia newbie, got one october last year, 1994 1.8i SX. It's my first 90s car and my second Citroen (first was my lovely Xsara 2.0HDI Exclusive). I like it a lot and have been fixing a lot of stuff with the help from posts on this forum like, water collecting in the footwells and boot, bad remote key fob, leaking heater matrix, small electric problems etc. Today I started removing the headlining which was horrible, everything was falling apart. The previous owner tried sticking the headline back on with glue and a syringe. Needless to say, it dodn't turn out well. The fabric sagged, and the glue made holes and spots in the fabric.

So to cut to the chase. After removing the headliner I noticed in the back, that there are two hoses on the roof, one thin and one thick, one I'm sure is for the rear washer, but what is the other thicker one!?

Second thing, after all the soaking carpet I had to deal with I'm a bit paranoid about water ingress in al the usual places. So after inspecting the cowl panel for leaks I noticed a crack, or is it? So the question is, does this plastic come in two parts or one single one and mine is cracked?

Be gentle guys, this is my first project car.

Pics included

[CitroJim]

Welcome to Xantia ownership You're in the right place here as there's a lot of knowledge... I've had many of them over the past 20 years.

The thick pipe is the sunroof drain. There should be two, one on each side. they often detach at the sunroof gutter and can cause leaks above the headlining. Maybe why it was originally removed? Check they are clear - they exit in the tops of the rear wheelarches and can get blocked with mud.

The windscreen scuttle (cowl) must be firmly bonded to the screen to prevent water running in and gathering under the footwell carpets. It's all in one piece but very fragile; hence why they often end up cracking.

Leaks past the panel are much worse in Right Hand Drive cars and much less of a problem in a Left hand Drive car like yours. It's still a god idea to ensue it is well sealed against the windscreen and that crack is repaired.

Leaks in a Xantia can cause lots of electrical issues due to wiring connectors in the footwells becoming corroded when they get wet. You are wise to ensure all stays dry.

[Mkalic]

Hey Jim! Thanks for the warm welcome!

But it doesn't have a sunroof, did they install it anyway? There was evidence of a leak after I removed the headlining at the pipe joint. By the way, the pipe comes out of the front left pillar, goes to the back, along the boot edge and into the right rear pillar, weird.

Guess I'll remove the scuttle and fix it up.

Yeah, I know about the leaks, both connectors under the footwell were horrible, had to snip quite a few wires and solder them directly. Did loose my "automatic rear wiper" after the repair.

Thanks again Jim, have a good one!

[xantia_v6]

Is that pipe perhaps a fuel tank vent headed for the charcoal cannister?

[Mkalic]

Is that pipe perhaps a fuel tank vent headed for the charcoal cannister?

Does look like it's going to the fuel cap yes

[wheeler]

Is that pipe perhaps a fuel tank vent headed for the charcoal cannister?

Surely not running inside the car??
Would need to go from engine bay, inside the car then back out again to the fuel tank?