Hey

[dixsaraster]

Hey dudes,

I recently bought a '98 Citroen Xsara VTS from another member on this site which for the first few weeks was utterly glorious but has developed an issue:

It recently died on me in the middle of an intersection, started back up and died within 30 seconds, started and ran for a few minutes and died again for quite some time.  When I next managed to get it going it was only running on three cylinders.  I've found which cylinder is not running and have checked that it isn't just a coil pack, when I have some tools available to me I'll check the spark plug; what should I be looking at/considering?

[you wont get parts for it mate]

coils fuel pump or maby consider a toyota...... Welcome to the frustrating world of french motoring!

where are you? some good mechanics around if you cant get to the bottom of it.

[Pee Dubbaya]

Sorry to hear that your first experience of French car ownership has hit a speedbump so early. Im not aware of the car or who you bought it off, but unfortunately you have to take the bad with the good. It sounds like you could have any number of problems, likely to be electrical of some description I'd say. Ecu, sensors, air flow meter, coils, ignition module take your pick. You could check out 306gti6.com for lots of problem & fix stories on the same engine, but tbh your best bet is probably to take it to someone with a Peugeot/Citroën diagnostic computer and get fault codes read.
Where are you located?

[dixsaraster]

Haha cheers both of you!  The guy I bought it off is a good friend and it was absurdly cheap so I can't really complain.  I live in Newmarket and have been told Bishops is good with French cars and is nearby so maybe I'll try limp it up there, unless there's somewhere better?  I'm pretty keen to have it back up and running, it's so choice.

[tufnut]

Call up and see me anytime @bishops the only issue we se with xsara vts is normally the coil packs.

[Mungous]

This must be Phil's old green one? Cool car.

[dixsaraster]

Correct!  When it's going as it should it's utterly incredible.  And the exterior has so much...character...

[Mungous]

Yeah it used to live just up the road from me before Phil got it - I used to drive past and consider making a lowball offer for it. Then my wife would slap me.

[dixsaraster]

I'm glad you didn't!  I got it for a confusingly small amount of money.

[01yle]

Could be carbon built up on injector?

[m100]

Wont the car have an ODB2 port which would offer some help tracking down the problem?

[puggy21]

hey mate welcome , how are you getting on with your issues?