94 td xantia

cheshire61 · Post by **cheshire61** » 14 Jun 2005, 21:31

just noticed a small water leak from either the rad or the intercooler cannot tell which one as both together don't want to take them out as afraid of getting an air lock in the system when refilling i know theres a bleed valve but in the manual theres something about the way you have to fill the system any ideas more than welcome

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 14 Jun 2005, 22:17

The intercooler won't be leaking water....

Chrispy · Post by **Chrispy** » 14 Jun 2005, 22:20

It wont be the intercooler....that's just air, with perhaps a bit of oil from the turbo. As for the radiator, not sure on that one. There may be a lot of squeezing the pipes to purge all the air out when re-filling.

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » 14 Jun 2005, 22:20

Radiators are a common problem. I have replaced a few. There should be no problem in filling. There is the vent to the right hand side of the engine (from memory). Do not forget to have the heater on the hot position. One one occasion I had to 'scrunch' the heater hoses to ensure proper venting. Last rad from a local supplier in Chester here was £75.

Post by **RichardW** » 15 Jun 2005, 00:49

Bleeding is easy enough. Getting the bottom hose off the radiator can be taxing - they tend to weld themselves on!
Once you have changed the rad (tips: 1. remove the hoses to the intercooler first - you'll never get the rad and intercooler out with them in place, 2. Put the front on ramps it helps with the bleeding), undo the bleed screw cap over the RH engine mount. Add the necessary antifreeze (the Citroen stuff for preference - also available from GSF for half the price! - to preserve the matrix as much as possible!), then top up with water - you will get to the top of header tank before the water comes out the bleed screw. Now make a header tank - I just used a mineral water bottle with the bottom cut off, shove it in the header tank, and continue to fill till the water comes out of the bleed screw. Close the screw and start the engine. Prop the throttle open to get about 2k rpm, and have a supply of water ready. As air comes out of the system into your header tank, keep it topped up - watch out for loads of air when the thermostat opens. Keep running the engine till the fans have cut in and out twice (this takes AGES!). Switch off, remove the header tank and allow it cool a bit. Refit the proper rad cap, and take it for a run, keeping an eye on the temp. Any remaining air will come out, and water will be lost from the system until it reaches the level it likes. No need to have the heater on whilst bleeding as there is no valve in it.
Another Xantia job that should take 20 minutes, but takes 2 hours!

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » 15 Jun 2005, 05:04

If your heater is not switched to the hot position then you are isolating it from the venting process, one of the highest points in the system? I still suggest that you should squeeze hoses to eliminate air pockets, especially the heater hoses and top hose is adviseable, apart from the normal venting.

j_roc · Post by **j_roc** » 15 Jun 2005, 06:03

A tip if you are also changing the thermostat - to aid the prosess of removing airlocks, use two asprins to hold open the thermostat and after half a hour of being submersed in the water they dissolve. And as mentioned squidge the hoses to disperse the airlocks, have the heater set to max (hot) and try (if you can) to have the car on a slope - facing upwards, as this also helps to disperse the air round the system back to the header tank where it is released out into the atmosphere. Also dont forget if you fill the system without the engine running RECHECK THE LEVEL WHEN YOU START THE ENGINE. Hope this helps.