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Car Forum / Citroen Cars / May 2006Dash lights & glow plugs
Just got a 96 Xantia TD with a a few minor glitches, and a Haynes manual with the usual sketchy details to hinder me. First off - aircon "on" light is no more, though the a/c works fine. Haynes says light is integral with switch (yes/no?) and so the switch must be changed. Is there an easier way than stripping half the dash and steering column shrouds as they seem to suggest? Dial bulb behind fuel gauge ditto, and same question. Clock bulb has also gone but I think I can cope with that one! Glow plugs - I think one has gone, as it is a bit stuttery and smokes for a second on firing up. Access around two of the plugs looks almost impossible, and Haynes is no help - any tricks or whizzo tool suggestions to get those plugs out? Thanks for any suggestions/sympathy/howls of derision Tony F > First off - aircon "on" light is no more, though the a/c works fine. > Haynes says light is integral with switch (yes/no?) and so the switch > must be changed. Is there an easier way than stripping half the dash > and steering column shrouds as they seem to suggest? The switch should just pull out from the front. > Dial bulb behind fuel gauge ditto, and same question. Clock bulb has > also gone but I think I can cope with that one! They will need the dash removing. > Glow plugs - I think one has gone, as it is a bit stuttery and smokes > for a second on firing up. Access around two of the plugs looks > almost impossible, and Haynes is no help - any tricks or whizzo tool > suggestions to get those plugs out? Depends on the pump - there's two. One's a pain in the arse to get to the glows behind it, the other's worse. > Just got a 96 Xantia TD with a a few minor glitches, and a Haynes manual > with the usual sketchy details to hinder me. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > changed. Is there an easier way than stripping half the dash and steering > column shrouds as they seem to suggest? As has been mentioned, just pull the switch out. > Dial bulb behind fuel gauge ditto, and same question. Temp guage one has gone on mine (same model). Live with it. the job is a pain if everything goes right... if it doesn't...... IIRC its a steering wheel off job aswell..... this is airbag territory aswell. Its not an impossible job by far but its a bloody light :) > Clock bulb has also > gone but I think I can cope with that one! Its quite likely that its a connection rather than a bulb. Mine was faulty then one day it came on, then went again. i took it to bits. broke the bulb, left it... Glow plugs - I think one has gone, as it is a bit stuttery and smokes for a > second on firing up. Access around two of the plugs looks almost > impossible, and Haynes is no help - any tricks or whizzo tool suggestions > to > get those plugs out? Mine does that after new glow plugs (not cheap ones). its got 130k on the clock. its never got any better or worse. I dont use it as much since a change of job requires me to use my van all the time. I find if the car is stodd over night it smokes a bit in a morning for that first 2 seconds. If its stodd 3 or 4 days its fine!. Rob > Just got a 96 Xantia TD with a a few minor glitches, and a Haynes manual > with the usual sketchy details to hinder me. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > changed. Is there an easier way than stripping half the dash and steering > column shrouds as they seem to suggest? The switch pulls out from the dash with the aid of a thin screwdriver. I would go to your local scrapyard and find another Xantia and whip out another switch. If the switches are not identical you can dismantle them and swap the bulbs over. It's quite easy, if a little fiddly. > Glow plugs - I think one has gone, as it is a bit stuttery and smokes for > a > second on firing up. Access around two of the plugs looks almost > impossible, and Haynes is no help - any tricks or whizzo tool suggestions > to > get those plugs out? Find a local Citroen specialist. Chap I use will change the lot in an hour. I can't figure out how to get to at least one of the plugs if not two cos of the fuel pump.  SignatureMalc "Okay, it works now. Or at least it malfunctions in all the expected ways." - Mark Edwards, asr <snip> > The switch pulls out from the dash with the aid of a thin screwdriver. I > would go to your local scrapyard and find another Xantia and whip out > another switch. If the switches are not identical you can dismantle them and > swap the bulbs over. It's quite easy, if a little fiddly. All that bother for a bulb, you must be crackers, or the bulb must be something very special!... > <snip> > > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > All that bother for a bulb, you must be crackers, or the bulb must be > something very special!... I wouldn't bother for the hazards switch, as it's pretty easy to tell if they're on, but in the case of the A/C switch, it isn't always obvious if it's on, as the temperature of the air isn't necessarily an indication, due to the combined effects of fan, temp and recirc controls. However, it's a power drain (and fuel waste) I can do without. Thanks to all for the guidance - I did try prying the switch out, and all that happened was the outer cover flew off. I'll lever it off again and tug the switch body itself next time! TonyF Turns out that swapping the bulbs isn't much fun, but FWIW, I've discovered you can swap the a/c switch for a rear fog switch or rear screen heater switch (as long as you don't mind the colour change) as the others on the dash have different connections. Next job - finding where the reversing light switch is - it's either not working or has become disconnected, and, as ever, Haynes is useless - one picture and no idea where it was taken from. Another Haynes moan - according to them, my 1.9TD engine has an intercooler mounted on top of the engine, fed with air through ducts in the bonnet insulation. Duh? When - if ever - was that true of a Xantia? Perhaps, one day, the collective experience on this NG could be pooled into a proper online publication. Anyone for WikiManuals? TonyF > > <snip> > > > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > TonyF > <snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > All that bother for a bulb, you must be crackers, or the bulb must be > something very special!... Nah it's no bother. The whole operation only takes a few minutes. I dunno what the cost of a new switch would be but as a s/h one costs buttons and the bulbs aren't readily available [1] it makes sense to do. The A/C switch has a translucent shroud over the bulb which alters the colour I discarded the one on mine as it was blackened. [1] I could find a source, being an electronics engineer, but why bother. SignatureMalc "Okay, it works now. Or at least it malfunctions in all the expected ways." - Mark Edwards, asr <SNIP> > Nah it's no bother. The whole operation only takes a few minutes. I dunno > what the cost of a new switch would be but as a s/h one costs buttons and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > [1] I could find a source, being an electronics engineer, but why bother. Thanks for the advice - a visit to our local vehicular recycling money pit to be arranged then... As well as for the bonnet-stay clip, boot light, door seal.......etc TonyF |
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