Citroën Xsara
Robust PSA two-litre naturally aspirated engine with timing belt. Good refinement and adequate power. Timing belt change every 120,000 km is critical.
Punchy Xsara
136 hp naturally aspirated in the lightweight Xsara — decent performance and a benign character. The most sensible powerful engine for the Xsara.
Engine Weaknesses 6
The 2.0 16V is an interference engine with a timing belt. Belt failure causes piston-to-valve contact and total engine destruction. The 80,000–100,000 km replacement interval is frequently ignored by previous owners.
Symptoms: Loud knock on cranking, engine stall, valve-to-piston impact, compression loss on individual cylinders
The EW10 head gasket fails at high mileages between oil galleries and coolant passages. The engine loses oil pressure or coolant enters the oil circuit; consequential bearing damage is possible.
Symptoms: White smoke, emulsion on the oil filler cap, coolant level drop, overheating
The water pump is belt-driven and should be renewed at every belt change. If the pump fails between intervals, overheating results. Bearing and seal failure common from 100,000+ km.
Symptoms: Coolant loss, overheating warning, squealing noise from the engine area
The hydraulic tappets in the EW10J4 are very sensitive to oil grade. As tappets age, using the wrong oil grade on cold start prevents the valves from opening correctly. Result: compression loss, misfires, fault message 'exhaust emission anomaly'.
Symptoms: Rough running immediately after cold start, stumbling at low temperatures, exhaust emission fault code, improves after warm-up
The electronically controlled thermostat on the EW10 can stick in the open position so the engine never reaches optimum operating temperature. Increased consumption and engine wear are the result.
Symptoms: Temperature gauge stays below 90°C, poor heater output, increased fuel consumption, rarely overheating if stuck in closed position
Sagem ignition coils in the EW10 are considered unreliable. Individual coils fail and cause misfires that can damage the catalytic converter if the spark fails. Denso coils are recommended as successors.
Symptoms: Stumbling and power loss, engine check light, fault codes P030x, irregular running especially under load
Vehicle Weaknesses 5
On the Xsara the electric thermal switch for the radiator, which should activate the cooling fan when water temperature rises, frequently fails. Without timely fan operation the engine risks overheating.
The Xsara's braking system receives poor marks at MOT inspections: wear and insufficient braking performance are frequently flagged. Handbrake and footbrake performance in particular stand out.
Oil loss at the engine block is a classic Citroën problem that was not resolved in the Xsara. Typical is oil seepage upper right on the engine block from a leaking head gasket — should be checked before purchase.
At 12.8% of all Xsara vehicles presented at the MOT, lighting defects are flagged — the single most common fault. Blown bulbs, corroded sockets, and failed headlight adjusters are typical causes.
The air conditioning on older Xsara models regularly loses refrigerant through aged seals. On vehicles over 10 years old annual top-ups are often necessary. Air conditioning compressors can also cause problems.
