XM - Buying Last Updated : 2005-06-22 02:56:30 (966 read) [Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]

Buying an XM Rust Rust is generally not a problem on XM's as the bodies are all galvanised. Poorly repaired accident damage is likely to be the cause of any corrosion. Electrical problems All cars over a certain age have electrical problems due to contacts oxidising over time. Usually, all that needs doing is to separate the contacts, clean them and smear with vaseline or No Crode to help prevent it happening again. Unfortunately, the XM suffered from extra electrical problems early on in its life. Citroen used earthing blocks which proved to be less than reliable, even off the production line. This caused all manner of electrical problems, particularly with the alarm and the hydractive system. The cure for this is simple - replace the blocks with old fashioned connectors and the problem is solved. Hydractive problems When the system was first introduced, there was a noticeable difference between 'auto' and 'sport' modes. In 'sport' mode, the third hydraulic sphere per axle was removed from the circuit by an electro-valve at all times, putting the suspension into a firmer setting. In 'auto', this sphere was only removed from the circuit at times when the computer felt the springing should be stiffer. These first computers were designated as H1. In those early versions, the difference between 'auto' and 'sport' was considerable and if there was a problem, the computer defaulted to 'sport' mode, which made the ride rather harsh. Citroen tried to improve matters. From RP 4859 they altered the parameters to make to make the difference a little less great. Unfortunately, it didn't have much effect and they tried again. Computer H3 appeared on RP number 5539 and solved improved matters even further. The final change came with the introduction of Hydractive 2, whose computer was designated H4. This solved the problems for good. It appeared from RP 5929, which encompassed the very last of the S1 models (dubbed 'Onyx') and all the S2 models. With Hydractive 2. 'sport' mode now switches between comfort and firm, but earlier than in 'normal'. In the last few years of production, Citroen added an extra sphere as an anti sink valve to stop the car from sinking overnight. Unless the car has been modified, we would suggest going for a Hydractive 2 car from RP 5929 onwards. Hydraulics This is undoubtedly the most common question asked about hydraulic Citroens. The common perception is that the system is unreliable, but the experience of most members of the Citroen Car Club is that is very reliable, providing that it is serviced properly. As with all hydraulic Citroens, check that it rises properly when first started. This may take from 10 to 50 seconds. It doesn't matter whether the front comes up first, or the back. Check the Rust Electrical Problems Hydractive Problems Hydraulics Air Conditioning RP Numbers

colour of the hydraulic fluid - LHM. It should be bright green. If it looks dirty, it should be replaced. It should normally be replaced every 30,000 miles. Spheres last for approximately 3 years before they need replacement. Air conditioning S1 cars originally had R12 gas in their a/c systems. This is now banned for environmental reasons. You can either go for a drop in replacement like R416a or you can have the system converted to R134a. Both work well. Conversion will cost more initially, but more a/c specialists deal with R134a than R416a. On older XM's get the a/c specialist to check the high pressure pipe from the compressor for de-lamination. If this pipe de-laminates, it will be *very* expensive for the owner! The writer speaks from bitter experience here. RP Numbers Citroen use a numbering system called RP (Replacement Parts), also called the ORGA number. The RP number can be found on the inside of the nearside A pillar on a right hand drive car (see picture). By using an RP calculator, such as the one at Julian Marsh's excellent site you can find out the day your car was made. In theory, by quoting the RP number to your Citroen dealer whilst ordering parts, you will get exactly the right part for your particular car.

XM Engine & Trim Options Last Updated : 2004-12-08 15:16:38 (834 read) [Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]

Engine and trim options The XM was initially only available in 5 door hatchback form, with estates arriving in 1992. It originally had 5 engine options, including a six cylinder in a Citron saloon for the first time since the Traction Avant in the 1950s: 2 litre 115 bhp carburettor 2 litre 130 bhp injection V6 3 litre 170 bhp injection 2.1 litre 83 bhp 12v diesel (which was never available in the UK) 2.1 litre 110 bhp 12v turbo diesel and three different levels of trim.
In 1993 the CT (Constant Torque) petrol Turbo was introduced. This used a Garrett T25 turbocharger with intercooler which runs with the boost pressure managed by the engine ECU to allow a higher compression ratio for increased torque low down in the rev range, giving the CT great pulling power and increasing refinement, especially when mated with the new ZF four speed automatic gearbox.

In 1994, with the launch of the series 2 XM, Citroen introduced a new 2.5 litre turbocharged diesel engine which gives 217 ft. lb of torque as low as 2000 rpm. Later, with the introduction of a new 24v V6 engine, the XM was offered with a ZF auto adaptive automatic gearbox, whose computer looks at your driving style and selects one of six different gearchange programs to suit your driving style. The wonderful speed sensitive power steering from the SM and CX (DIRAVI) and available on LHD v6 XMs was dropped for UK cars and replaced by a conventional system. For the XM, Valeo made headlights which blended into the cars sleek styling. They were called complex

surface headlights and used a computer to improve performance over conventional designs and in a rectangular shape. The performance proved to be controversial and Series 2 cars had improved performance, but only for left hand drive markets - sales in the UK were judged too poor to justify making a right hand drive version. Series one cars were available in the following engine sizes:

PETROL:
2 2 2 2 3 3 litre litre litre litre litre litre carburettor, 115 bhp injection, 130 bhp injection with catalyst, 122 bhp TCT turbo, 145 bhp V6, 170 bhp V6, 24 valve, 200 bhp

DIESEL:
2.1 turbo diesel, 110 bhp Series two cars were available in the following engine sizes:

PETROL:
2 2 3 3 litre litre litre litre 16 valve, 135 bhp TCT turbo, 150 bhp V6, 170 bhp 24v V6, 210 bhp

DIESEL:
2.1 turbo diesel, 110 bhp 2.5 turbo diesel, 130 bhp
XM - Series 1/2 differences Last Updated : 2005-01-15 14:09:03 (761 read) [Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]

Differences between models The first XM came out in 1989. The car was given a facelift in 1994, known as the Series 2 - with the earlier model becoming retrospectively known as the Series 1. Like most manufacturers, Citroen have a policy of continuous improvement to their products, so there were changes all the time within these two broad groups. Externally, the differences between the S1 and S2 can be seen in the pictures below:

The S1 car, on the left, has black bumpers and door mirrors where the S2 has them painted body colour. The front panel between the headlights is perhaps the most noticable difference - with the S1 having the Citroen double chevron logo offset to the nearside, while the S2 has them in the center of the grille. Many other small changes to the plastic trim panels - such as different mirrors and rear spoiler can be seen, as can a change to the font of the lettering on the back. Inside, the differences are greater, as the two pictures below show:

The S1 dash, on the left, is quite angular where the S2 dash, on the right, is far more curved. Unfortunately, with the the introduction of airbags, the classic Citroen single spoke steering wheel had to be ditched on the s2 cars. This brought the end to a Citroen "trademark", dating back to the DS.
Hydractive Suspension Last Updated : 2005-07-19 08:22:42 (2035 read) [Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]

Hydractive Suspension Citroen's hydractive suspension was first introduced on the XM and is a refinement of Citroen's justly famous oleopneumatic suspension first seen on the Traction Avant as long ago as 1952. It uses a central ECU to control the firmness of the suspension, cutting down roll and sharpening the reactions to the steering, while keeping the ride quality good. At the heart of the system is a third sphere at each end of the car, in addition to the traditional wheel spheres. This is switched in and out of circuit by the computer as required - Citroen claimed in 0.05 of a second. The effect of switching the extra spheres out of circuit is to firm up the

suspension considerably, as the springing is handled by only 2/3 of the gas volume. This gives the system two different modes: normal (soft) and sport (firm). The basic suspension set up can therefore be made quite soft and comfortable for normal driving, with the computer automatically switching to firm mode and back when conditions require, giving owners the best of both worlds: a wonderful ride and superb handling. The microprocessor based control system has inputs from five different sensors: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. gives information on the angle and rotational speed of the steering wheel monitors the speed of movement of the accelerator pedal assesses braking effort measures body movement measures vehicle speed

These help the computer to determine the overall sensitivity of the system. In addition to the height lever present on all hydraulically suspended Citroens, Hydractive cars posess a mode switch. This enables the driver to select the normal mode, or a firmer program - 'Sport'. With the original Hydractive (retrospectively called Hydractive 1), selecting 'sport' simply removed the centre spheres from the hydraulic circuit permanently. This was fine for twisty roads and/or enthusiastic driving, but if there was a problem (and early XMs had more than their fair share of problems), the car defaulted to 'sport' mode which most drivers found too hard for normal driving conditions. However, Hydractive 2 - fitted to later s1 XMs, all s2 XMs, and Xantia VSX and Exclusive specifications - the parameters were changed. Setting the switch to 'sport' keeps the car in normal mode, but makes to the car react and switch to the firmer settings earlier and stay there for a bit longer before softening up again. This can easily be identified within the car, as the switch is labelled 'Sport'/'Norm' rather than the 'Sport'/'Auto' of Hydractive 1. The Xantia brought a further advance, Activa. Based around Hydractive 2, but with body position sensors detecting the amount of roll, a higher volume hydraulic pump fed fluid to variable length links between each suspension arm and the anti-roll bars. This allowed the Activa to maintain a totally flat attitude, even in very hard cornering. As this ensured the tyres were always flat to the tarmac, the cornering capabilities of the car went up dramatically. However, the Activa's ride suffered badly, and the body position sensors often disagreed, causing the Activa to perform a little 'dance' while stationary at traffic lights... At the time of writing, prior to the launch of the C6, the current iteration of Hydractive - Hydractive 3 - is fitted

to the C5 and brings a new feature - automatically variable ride height. At speed, the car automatically lowers itself to increase stability. However, Hydractive 3 on most C5s does not offer the 'Sport' mode of Hydractive 1 and 2 - this is reserved for Hydractive 3+ on the upper models. When it is released, the C6 will not feature a rumoured "Hydractive 4", but will initially use the Hydractive 3+ of the top-spec C5. Hydractive 4 will, when it arrives, probably offer "dynamic levelling". Each wheel will have a separate height corrector and a pair of spheres, with each wheel able to be independently switched between a firm and a soft setting. Separate height correctors will help to ensure that body roll is kept to an absolute minimum - in effect, dynamic levelling, preventing pitch, yaw and roll.
Hydraulic Suspension Last Updated : 2005-03-05 14:58:56 (3021 read) [Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]

Citroen's Hydraulic Suspension Ever since the 1955 launch of the DS, Citroen have eschewed ordinary methods of springing their larger cars because of serious failings with the use of metal springs. The problem The major problem with conventional springs, which are fitted to the vast majority of cars, is that a spring becomes more compliant as the load on it increases. This means that the springing on an ordinary car has to be a compromise between when the car is empty and fully loaded. If the car is empty, the ride is harsh and if the car is fully laden, it sags and the handling is badly affected. This has a bearing on safety. The Solution Citroen came up with the idea of using gas as a springing medium instead of metal. A gas becomes LESS compliant as the load on it increases. Thus the idea of springing the car on gas spheres was born. Each wheel has a gas pressurised sphere on it. Each sphere is divided into two internally. The upper part is filled with compressed nitrogen and the lower with LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Mineralique), an incompressible mineral oil that is pumped around the system by a central pump. By altering the length of the fluid acting as a pushrod between the suspension arm and the sphere, the car's ride height can be adjusted. This is done by a height corrector attached to each axle, which automatically keeps the cars height correct, regardless of load. The fluid is kept in a central reservoir and is pumped around the system by an engine driven, high pressure pump. The LHM also powers the brakes and the steering. So, unlike conventional springs, an oleopneumatic Citroen drives virtually the same whether it's empty or fully loaded. The ride height and the angle to the road (important for aerodynamic reasons) is kept constant. This has the side effect of keeping headlight beams at their correct angle to the road when towing a caravan or trailer which, on an ordinary car, would have the beams pointing dangerously upwards into oncoming driver's eyes. Furthermore, the driver can override the height by means of a selector lever inside the car. He can raise the suspension to cope with poor road surfaces and even minor fords. Another advantage is

when you need to change a wheel - Simply raise the suspension to maximum, prop the car, lower the suspension - and the car lifts the affected wheel making it easy to remove. Other uses are when loading the boot or connecting a trailer. Simply lower the suspension to minimum and you hardly have to lift your heavy load into the car. The common perception is that the system is unreliable, but the experience of most members of the Citroen Car Club is that is very reliable, providing that it is serviced properly. It is really this that accounts for Citroen's reputation for comfort and ride quality. So impressed were Rolls-Royce, that they bought the system under licence to use for their own cars. A question often asked is: what happens if there is a catastrophic leak? The answer is that the system is designed to fail in a predictable way. In the very rare event of a high pressure leak at speed, the first thing that goes is the power steering. This, together with a great big red 'STOP' warning light, immediately alerts the driver that something is wrong. The second thing to go is the suspension. The car's ride will become poor as the body begins to sink. Only finally will the brakes be affected. Two points must be noted here. Firstly, any driver would realise that something was badly wrong in the early stages of a catastrophic leak and that this kind of leak is very rare. The tough American safety regulations recognise the Citroen system as being every bit as safe as a conventional system, if not safer. The one incident of this type that this writer knows of happened to a lady friend in her CX Safari on the M1. She has no technical knowledge whatsoever, but immediately sensed that something was wrong (the big red STOP light and hydraulic pressure warning light coming on helped) and pulled over onto the hard shoulder without any fuss whatsoever. It must be remembered that the system has its own backup in the form an extra sphere called the accumulator sphere. This is purely a reserve of pressure should a leak occur. It also acts as a buffer for the pump. The system has been around for over 50 years, fitted to the rear of some very late production Traction Avants, and to every top-spec Citroen ever since - and is both tried and trusted. If it is maintained properly, it is more reliable and cheaper to run than a conventional system. And, of course, you get the tremendous benefits.

Citroens fitted with Hydraulic Suspension :

Traction 15/Six H (Rear only) H-van (Rear of some vans, usually Ambulances only) DS & ID SM GS & GSA CX BX XM (Hydractive I, later Hydractive II on all UK cars) Xantia (Hydractive II on top-spec UK cars) C5 (Hydractive 3/3+ on all) C6 (Hydractive 4?)

For more information on Hydractive suspension, please follow this link. For more technical information on how the Hydraulic system of the DS works, please follow this link to a reporoduction of a 1950s Citroen publication.