Citroen Xantia (1993 - 2000) - 98 1.9 loss of power when towing or going up hill

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Wed 23 Dec 2009 18:53
98 1.9 loss of power when towing or going up hill - xantiamark
pls help i think my xantia should be pulling and towing better than what it is at the moment.
its an estate 1.9 turbo diesel,120.000 miles on the clock and in the time ive owned its been serviced,timing belt and auxillary belt been done too.i dont abuse it and like to keep ontop with maintenance ect.
last night i was asked to tow my fathers mazda to his house(flat battery) about a 2 mile journey and my xantia seemed to stuggle to me?could only get into 3rd and 30 mph. i know these cars are renowned for towing caravans etc so was a little worried?
if any one could give me any advice it would be greatly appreciated!
oh and read on here regarding taking up slack on the accelorator cable as it joins the pump in the engine bay,i noticed when i had the accelorator pedal full depressed inside the engine i could still move the metal arm another half inch so ive altered this and now dont have as much play in the cable,probably be able to get 90 to 100mph now not my usual 75mph.
dont know if this would help with my towing problem?
oh and also when going uphill it similary doesnt have the power it should,seem to have to drop it down and rev alot harder?but hopefully adjusting the accelorator will help this?
sorry to waffle on just trying to give as much info as poss.
thanks and merry christmas!!!

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 24/12/2009 at 00:15

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Wed 23 Dec 2009 19:02
98 1.9 loss of power torque when towing or going u - Peter.N.
Sounds as though you could have lost the turbo boost. There should be a small rubber pipe going from the pump to the intercooler, this senses the turbo pressure and increases the fueling accordingly, they can perish and fall off, usually the pump end. That would be the first thing to check.
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Wed 30 Dec 2009 16:17
98 1.9 loss of power torque when towing or going u - macavity
Probable turbo failure, if loss of power. One of the typical early symptoms of a turbocharger problem is a hazy blue smoke being emitted from the exhaust tailpipe whilst the engine is ticking over.

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Wed 30 Dec 2009 10:53
98 1.9 loss of power when towing or going up hill - xantiamark
sorry for the late reply,thanks for the advice,chcked the pipe and all pipes seem all ok.took car to my mates whos a mechanic and he thinks the catalitic converter may be blocked so gunna try knocking it out see if that helps,if so i'll then get a new cat for the exhaust.
if anyone has any other ideas theyd be much appreiciated.thanks again for the help !!!
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Wed 30 Dec 2009 11:48
98 1.9 loss of power when towing or going up hill - Peter.N.
Tha cat is a distinct possibility but not one I have experienced as none of my XM's have them.
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