7th Jan 2009, 06:46
I have an N Reg Citroen 1.5 AX diesel with 29,000 miles.
I have had it about a year and am very pleased with it, however starting has got progressively worse in recent weeks. My friendly mechanic has replaced the glows, but advises that (like Rob in 2002) there is a compression problem. This week with the cold snap, it won't start at all, even though the battery sounds fine.
My mechanic does not have the tools to do the inlet valves clearance in order to resolve the compression problem.
Does anyone have any suggestions. I live near Milton Keynes.
Jim.
8th Apr 2009, 10:22
I have owned a 1.4 diesel for 13 years. I bought it at 19,000 miles and it now has 200,057.
It has been so reliable that I picked up another 1993 model with only 23,000 miles on the clock because I am so pleased with the car.
No problems at all, most of the bulbs are the originals even. I have changed the oil and maintained things on a regular basis; cambelts changed every 40,000.
There is still not a car on the road today that matches the AX's fuel consumption. The first car averaged around 63, but this newer one has averaged 68 mpg over the last 10,000 miles.
Parts are cheap and plentiful, change the oil and filters regularly, and most importantly keep the water /antifreeze ratio/s up.
No central locking to go wrong, no power steering to go wrong, no fancy electronics to go wrong, just simple economical motoring.
Its light body with high gear ratios equals good fuel economy, there is no performance to speak of, but it will maintain 70 on the motor way and eventually keeps up with the traffic on main roads.
28th Jun 2017, 15:41
Replying years later - lights dim on dip - it may be your dip beam elements have gone in both bulbs so you only get high beam or sidelight - try new bulbs - AX are fantastic Citroens.
14th May 2008, 03:41
This is a very good car. It is easy to repair if you know how, parts are reasonably priced.
The suspension is very comfortable, but need more maintenance than other cars (worn out bushings, tired bushings).
The spare tyre is a pain, so need to keep the tyres in good condition.
The carburettor is very simple, but dirty intake system can easily clog the fine air bleed system, giving a jack rabbit ride.
The cooling system need careful preventive maintenance.
The clutch is rather hard.
The gear linkage and the other cables need regular lubrication.
Watch out for headlamp lens sealant failure - misty and dim headlights. Can be repaired easily.
The other areas that need attention are - electrical bulbs, cables, sockets, power window, drive-shaft, loose seat mountings.
If you know nothing about maintenance, or do not have a mechanic friend, stay away.
Otherwise, be pleasantly be rewarded with one of the best small car of the late 80's, early 90's era.
I love my AX 1.1 Gasoline :)
KRM, Malaysia, 2008.