For new owners of the BX TZD.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 07 Apr 2005, 15:46

So you have just won the auction and the bid was laughable.
You now have three months ticket or so to get your new car up together.
Viability: Rust in the front wheel arch is not a killer. Doors dropping off is. Likewise, rust in the rear door shuts, where the wing welds to it mean that this is a short life car. Prepare to break it for spares when the MOT runs out, Spend nothing. There are plenty of other BXs around at this time.
As you know, neglect of the cooling system is the Achilles' heel of this car. Wet carpets are a clue to a failed heater matrix which must be fixed. It isn't expensive to do but it will take a day or two.
Head jobs, done properly at home cost around £200 once you've been skimmed and pressure tested. I've done one and I would rather not do another. Cars without any water leaks or losses from the header tank are much to be preferred.
Start spending here.
Steam clean the engine bay. I mean it. You'll be safer, and the job will be easier. Best tenner you'll spend. That's a promise. The family's washing slave will appreciate it, too.

Drain the cooling system and remove the radiator. Inspect it for swollen transverse pipes, and if you have any, then scrap the radiator. Buy new. if not, reverse flush it with the Garden hose, drain it and fill it from the kettle to check for cold spots. If you find any, new rad.
Your rad was ok! Great. Buy deionised water, antifreeze, radiator cap, thermostat, fan switch and a new bottom hose. The latter is known to collapse internally, killing the engine. That will be the head gasket insured and it is always the first job to do on a Tizzydee. Read the instructions for bleeding the system carefully
and you should have no further problems in that area.
So now it will stay running.
Lazy starters are a doddle to pull off and a good strip and clean works wonders so don't spend here unless you have to. Spend it on a good battery instead! While you are at it,
Pull the wiring to each glowplug and measure to the engine block from the disconnected top of the plug. More than an Ohm? Change it.
Then it will start easily and smoothly.
Change the oil, air and fuel filters and the oil itself. Stick a couple of pints of petrol in a full tank of derv to clean the injectors.
That will keep it going. The cam belt will break when it feels like it but it isn't expensive, Just a fiddle to fit. Take the car to a garage to get the bottom bolt undone first and then do it up tight.
They are loctited in and can be a pig to do. Some may even snap but it is most uncommon. If it does, then you were born under a bad moon and the Hellhound is on your trail.
Now it starts and should stay running. Lube the front struts internally. Every BXist should know this one by now!
Prepare to spend fifty quid or so on the rear arm bearings, and easy DIY job. You'll need a 24mm Spanner for each end of the big bolt. Given time, do Alan Smith's mod to include grease nipples.
Assume that you will break bleed nipples on the calipers when bleeding the brakes. You need the right socket and some luck. Read Alan S on the subject. New disks and pads ciome out at under £50.
I'm inclined to do this as a matter of course.
Drain the Vulcans' blood and replace it with Hydrorincage. this job costs around £40 including the new LHM you'll be using in 2,000 miles time. THen change all five spheres and the pump drive belt..
Now it will work as it should. Once you get to here, you have spent
what you need to make the car fit for years more service. These are the essential jobs but nothing else should cost too much to fix.
I maintain that it costs about £500 to get a BX right. THen, with routine servicing, it will last a long time.

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 07 Apr 2005, 16:17

My TZD has just passed its second MOT test with me, zero faults! I am a little worried about the beginnings of corrosion in the rear door shuts though, my last one was bad in this area and was basically made up of bits of welding , I intend to heavily coat this one with Zinc paint before it develops any further, next task is to replace the FDV...yes the STOP light has started flashing on right turns again?? I cannot believe all (FOUR!)of the pumps I tried are tired so I will dive into the parts bin and try another FDV
Stewart[;)]

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 07 Apr 2005, 18:24

And don't forget the most important diesel BX job of all to ensure its future survival: fit an aftermarket temperature gauge kit!!!!
Mine has just last week been through another MOT[:)], needing just an exhaust middle section, but it so nearly didn't make it when a hose went. It was only the increase in temp on the gauge as I was chugging along the M11 that warned me- without the gauge, the coolant would have gone, closely followed by the head at motorway speeds[xx(], which has probably sent more BX diesels to the scrapper than rust ever would!!

Post by **martyhopkirk** » 07 Apr 2005, 18:32

Got some bad news for you Tom - its not got an MOT (Yet!).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... RK:MEWN:IT
Is the one I won - which is still fairly cheap (IMHO).
This is the one i let pass me by - partly on account of how far away it was...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... RK:MEDW:IT
Though it did have an MOT (and half an exhaust...)
Mind you, I live in hope.....
Already got the aftermarket temp guage, ready to fit....

Stinkwheel · Post by **Stinkwheel** » 08 Apr 2005, 02:16

So where do I stand on a 17RD that has done 210,000 miles with a knackered clutch, needs spheres and also rear arm bearings? And its got a cracked windscreen. But it was taxed and tested when i drove it home. Its not now though. Does the 30 quid sound OK? It doesnt loose any water though

Jon, cheque will be in the post for the arm tommorow, sorry for the delay, Had a tiresome week.

ScottFromNZ · Post by **ScottFromNZ** » 10 Apr 2005, 06:19

Interesting comment about putting some petrol into the diesel to clean the injectors. Is this a common method and how successful is it compared to the traditional bottles of Wynn's, Redex of Millers?

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 10 Apr 2005, 15:07

Works like a charm and is cheaper, too. Several people have found it out by accident, having put in a little petrol before realising their mistake.

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 11 Apr 2005, 19:14

Hi Tom
Thanks for putting this together, it's more or less exactly what I need as I struggle to retain the respect of my wife and friends in the face of breathing life back into an aged BX.
However - you mention that rust on the rear door-shut is a killer - gulp! I spent J100 getting the rear off-side door shut/wing join welded after the rust had gone through. Is the car still not worth working on? What can I do to establish how knackered it is and whether it is worth further investment of effort and money? Should I simply cut my losses and look out for another?
Worried... [:(]

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 11 Apr 2005, 19:26

Parrafin makes a good injector cleaner too- thats what about 99% of a bottle of proprietry injector cleaner is usually made up of!
I wouldn't worry too much about rust in the rear door shut Oscartoo- mine had some and a good poke around with the traditional screwdriver proved it to be very localised, and, remember,anything is salvageable with a mig and a bit of plate!!

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 11 Apr 2005, 19:37

Hi Bodger
Thanks for your reassuring words. How long have you had yours?
O

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 11 Apr 2005, 20:22

About 4 years, it just refuses to lie down and die!!

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 11 Apr 2005, 20:34

Thanks for that I feel happier!