BX rear strut trauma

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ohms69
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BX rear strut trauma

Post by ohms69 »

It's amazing how bad luck always comes together... I was only thinking last week how well my trusty BX had been running when right on cue failure!! The fuel pump gave up on monday, meaning the car was out of action for 2 days... fortunately I had a spare Bosch pump which was duly fitted and we were good to go again...What a magnificant upgrade over the Lucas!![;)][:)]
SO Wednesday arrives and the dreaded stop light comes on being the concerned BX owner I am, I stopped to invetigate... LHM was being sprayed out of the rear suspension cylinder at a rate of knots.[:(]
Thursday arrives and I removed the rear sphere to investaigate. The rear strut is for want of a better word, Bo**oxed! And to make matters worse the hydraulic feed has now snapped also(due to my butchery of the sphere no doubt)[:(] To make matters worse, I can't unscrew the union from the strut and can't for the life of me see how to withdraw the srut from it's mounting. I've remoevd the clip but still it will not budge. Anybody got any ideas for removing the bugger???
Also, does anybody know how much the hydraulic lines will be the to hear side rear strut??
Thanks chaps[:)]
G4EIY
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Post by G4EIY »

Hi Ohms 69,
From memory, you can get a mini hack saw in the gap, cut off at screwed connector just below the hex, the strut can then be removed.
Then use a vice on the bench to hold the projecting thread of the connector, and gently work the connector out using anti and clock rotations, worked for me.
That's assuming the ali part of the strut has not perforated..
Cheers
DLM
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Post by DLM »

As noted above, withdrawl of the cylinder isn't possible until you've sorted out the hydraulic feed so it's no longer obstructing movement of the cylinder - which pulls out towards the front of the car.
Then remove the G/D-clip at the base of the strut piston. Once the G/D-clip is pulled out the strut piston can be withdrawn by (gently and carefully) grasping the rubber boot at the pivot end and pulling it back towards the sphere end. Look out for the felt washer that comes out too, though you won't see this AFAIR until the rubber boot has been uncoupled, assuming the boot clip is still capable of being undone.
Once disengaged, the piston can be withdrawn towards the front of the car by angling it downwards at the G/D-clip end. The complete cylinder can then be removed, withdrawing towards the front of the car.
Apologies for any inaccuracies, as it's a while since I've done this, but at least you've done the sensible thing and removed the sphere, despite the damage. Sphere feed pipes are about £5 from GS&F, if I remember correctly.
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

You certainly dont have to apologise David [:)]
If someone knows how to fiddle with the BX rear struts - it's you [:D]
Rob Marshall
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Post by Rob Marshall »

so what's caused the strut to fail? Corrosion?
ohms69
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Post by ohms69 »

Sorry for the delay in answering. From what I can see corrosion has caused the cylinder to split, hardly surprising considering the amount of bloody salt thrown down on the carriageways! [V]
The boot clip is off and the G/D clip is out. I haven't got time to mess with the car at the moment so it's going to be a while before I get it up and running again.
On a plus note I've had to purchase a replacement car and found a rather nice 405 TD estate for sensible money. A very nice drive, and a superbly well sorted chassis easilt outhandles the BX...I think this could mark the end of my hydropneumatic exploits...Time will tell!![;)][:)]
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