Xantia rear brakes

All the sticky threads from the Citroen and Activa forums have been relocated here at least on a temporary basis.

Moderators: RichardW, myglaren

imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Xantia rear brakes

Post by imperial21 »

Hi Everyone
A problem i have noticed on my car is that the rear pads are only using about 1/2 the disk , anyone know what s wrong ?? I am going to replace the discs and pads anything else i will need to do ???
Thanks
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
citroenxm
Posts: 8061
Joined: 30 Dec 2004, 23:10
Location: Somewhere in North Wales, Anglesey
My Cars: M reg Xm S2 2.1td Auto Exclusive. 269k and rising
L reg XM S1 V6 12v Manual SEi
L 94 XM 2.1 TD auto total resto

2008 Peugeot 207 Sw 1.6 16v hdi. 217k and rising
2010 Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 8v HDi 161k and rising
x 70

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by citroenxm »

hi.. yes that sounds like the very common "caliper corrosion attack syndrome"

when you get yur wheel off look at the caliper and you may find it sitting at an angle towards the front bacause alloy corrosion has taken hold between it and the arm...

be extreamilly carefull removing the caliper bolts.. do them a bit at a time.. get the caliper off remove the corrosion by tapping it off apply grease or simmilar.. fit new disks and pads job done then have the car on high suspension and bleed the air out (one man job too with the help of a bar) you may notice the pad wear at an angle...
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project

A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
User avatar
Lighty
Posts: 1103
Joined: 07 Jan 2012, 16:53
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars:
x 34
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by Lighty »

Spot on, wait till you try doing a C5 [-o<
http://www.marklightfootltd.co.uk
Dacia Duster 1.5 dci
Renault Twizy Technic
Citroen C15
Citroen Ami
citroenxm
Posts: 8061
Joined: 30 Dec 2004, 23:10
Location: Somewhere in North Wales, Anglesey
My Cars: M reg Xm S2 2.1td Auto Exclusive. 269k and rising
L reg XM S1 V6 12v Manual SEi
L 94 XM 2.1 TD auto total resto

2008 Peugeot 207 Sw 1.6 16v hdi. 217k and rising
2010 Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 8v HDi 161k and rising
x 70

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by citroenxm »

i have.. i nearly added above that this problem continues onto c5s but on them the caliper actually damxeages the disk!!! and the disks are bigger and much more bloody expensive too!!!
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project

A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
Online
User avatar
CitroJim
A very naughty boy
Posts: 49448
Joined: 30 Apr 2005, 23:33
Location: Paggers
My Cars: Bluebell the AX, Polly the C3 Picasso, Pix the Nissan Pixo, Propel the duathlon bike, TCR Pro the road bike and Fuji the TT bike...
x 6137
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by CitroJim »

As Paul says, it's a job you need to attack with great care. Wire brush the exposed thread ends where they poke through the trailing arm and soak thoroughly in Plus Gas and wait...

Before even trying to remove the bolts, remove the pads and replace the small 8mm pad retaining bolt. This bolt will keep the two halves of the caliper tightly clamped together when you come to remove it. Otherwise they'll fall apart and possibly the O ring between them will be damaged or lost.

Then gently go at the bolts with a long breaker bar using very gentle but steady pressure on the end until you feel a bit of movement. Then stop and go back the other way. Keep on to and froing on the bolt until the movement gets bigger. Don't try to rush it. Take your time and go in baby-steps.

The risk of shearing the high tensile bolts is always there. It may seem counter-intuitive to use a big breaker bar on them but it really does help so long as the pressure is steady and gentle. Trying to yank them loose using a short bar is almost guaranteed to shear them and they you really are in a world of pain.

Have some new bolts on hand and then you know the old ones will come out OK! Part No. 96 172 064.

This was the sate of Rattiva's:

Image

Once the caliper is off, you'll find a build-up of aluminum oxide both on the caliper and the trailing arm:

Image

Image

It's hard and will need cold-chiselling and then scraping off!!!

Grease the faces very well when reassembling.

You may find the disc itself is beyond re-use. This was Rattiva's and had to be replaced as the rust was far too well established to clean up:

Image

The C5 is a 'mare I believe as they use Loctite over the whole length of the bolt. Some say heating the caliper with a blowtorch helps soften it...

Please go very carefully with the job as a sheared bolt cannot be drilled. Your only hope is to MIG a nut on what's left and try to extract it that way...

With care it can be done...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by imperial21 »

Thanks everyone for the replys, Jims thats great for the pics i am quite nervious to do the job because if anyone will break it, I will !!!
My discs look like jims, I am keen to do the job asap as i will be towing my caravan soon !!!!
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
User avatar
Xaccers
Posts: 7654
Joined: 07 Feb 2007, 23:46
Location: Milling around Milton Keynes
My Cars:
x 184

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by Xaccers »

Buy a set of replacement bolts and that should stop yours breaking according to Murphy's law :)
1.9TD+ SX Xantia Estate (Cassy) running on 100% veg
1.9TD SX Xantia Hatchback (Jenny) running on 100% veg for sale
Laguna II 2.0dCi Privilege (Monty)

DIY sphere tool
citroenxm
Posts: 8061
Joined: 30 Dec 2004, 23:10
Location: Somewhere in North Wales, Anglesey
My Cars: M reg Xm S2 2.1td Auto Exclusive. 269k and rising
L reg XM S1 V6 12v Manual SEi
L 94 XM 2.1 TD auto total resto

2008 Peugeot 207 Sw 1.6 16v hdi. 217k and rising
2010 Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 8v HDi 161k and rising
x 70

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by citroenxm »

you will feel a massive difference when the rear brakes are working.. the rear end on the black td xantia i had kept lifting right up when breaking.. then when i fitted pads and disks and sorted the calipers she didnt lift and the brakes were stronger too
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project

A very sad...
1994 XM 2.1 d auto
User avatar
Lighty
Posts: 1103
Joined: 07 Jan 2012, 16:53
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars:
x 34
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by Lighty »

I would suggest a close inspection of the rear brake pipes before you start, as these are sometimes quite corroded, and may snap if disturbed .
It is far easier to source spares before the event than after.
http://www.marklightfootltd.co.uk
Dacia Duster 1.5 dci
Renault Twizy Technic
Citroen C15
Citroen Ami
Online
User avatar
CitroJim
A very naughty boy
Posts: 49448
Joined: 30 Apr 2005, 23:33
Location: Paggers
My Cars: Bluebell the AX, Polly the C3 Picasso, Pix the Nissan Pixo, Propel the duathlon bike, TCR Pro the road bike and Fuji the TT bike...
x 6137
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by CitroJim »

imperial21 wrote:i am quite nervious to do the job because if anyone will break it, I will !!!
Just go easy and gentle and you'll be fine. Give yourself plenty of time to do the job and don't try to hurry the bolts out. Soak the ends really well in Plus Gas and get some Plus Gas sprayed around the edge of the caliper where it touches the trailing arm in the vicinity of the bolts. The oxide is porus and will allow the Plus Gas to soak in and do some useful work.

Use only Plus Gas. WD40 is useless for heavyweight jobs like this.

And as Xac says, avoid Murphy's law by getting a set of new bolts... Note that hatch and Estate bolts are different. The Part No. I've quoted is for the Hatch...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by imperial21 »

I am finally getting close to doing the job, I wondered what people thought of me using a wire brush attacment on the angle grinder to clean the mounting & brake caliper ?
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
Online
User avatar
CitroJim
A very naughty boy
Posts: 49448
Joined: 30 Apr 2005, 23:33
Location: Paggers
My Cars: Bluebell the AX, Polly the C3 Picasso, Pix the Nissan Pixo, Propel the duathlon bike, TCR Pro the road bike and Fuji the TT bike...
x 6137
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by CitroJim »

imperial21 wrote:I am finally getting close to doing the job, I wondered what people thought of me using a wire brush attacment on the angle grinder to clean the mounting & brake caliper ?
Won't work. Tried it on a caliper using a bench grinder with a wire brush on it. The oxidisation is so hard the brush doesn't touch it.

A sharp cold chisel is the very, very best tool for the job.
Jim

Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by imperial21 »

DAM !!! I was hoping for a quicker way ! I considered an angle grinder with a grinding disc but i thought it may not be flat afterwoods, A fried suggested a die grinder on it.
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
Online
User avatar
CitroJim
A very naughty boy
Posts: 49448
Joined: 30 Apr 2005, 23:33
Location: Paggers
My Cars: Bluebell the AX, Polly the C3 Picasso, Pix the Nissan Pixo, Propel the duathlon bike, TCR Pro the road bike and Fuji the TT bike...
x 6137
Contact:

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by CitroJim »

Sorry!

A good cold chisel is very quick at doing the job and likely quicker than messing around with grinders. With a die grinder you risk taking big lumps out of the soft alloy of the caliper...
Jim

Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
imperial21
Posts: 346
Joined: 26 Aug 2010, 21:16
Location: sunny south, Poole Dorset
My Cars:
x 1

Re: Xantia rear brakes

Post by imperial21 »

Ok, In that case its a grinder for sharpening the chiesel !!! Thanks Jim
1999 Xantia exclusive 110BHP !! Now RIP !!
2002 C5 estate 110 hdi, Happily sold on !!!
Post Reply