Xantia front brake bleeding

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
RichardW
Forum Treasurer
Posts: 10812
Joined: 07 Aug 2002, 17:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars: MK2 '17 C4GP 1.6 BlueHDi 120
'13 3008 1.6 HDi GripControl
x 983

Xantia front brake bleeding

Post by RichardW »

Anybody got any tips? Looks like the bleed nipple was put in the most inaccesible place possible on the caliper! Taking the handbrake cable out is the best option I have thought of so far...
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by RichardW</i>

Anybody got any tips? Looks like the bleed nipple was put in the most inaccesible place possible on the caliper! Taking the handbrake cable out is the best option I have thought of so far...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Not sure why everybody says the front bleed nipples are so difficult, I didn't have any trouble doing them at all...(in fact it was something of an anti-climax after reading all the comments here saying they were awkward)
I don't actually remember if I took the hand brake cable off or not, (I think I did) but if you do, thats easy too.
Just make sure the handbrake is off (wheels chocked of course) and turn the lever arm that the cable end hooks over with a pair of pliers, unhook it, and then pull the whole cable through the housing by grasping and pulling at the locknuts, which prevents the cable sleeve from pulling out of the locknuts if its a bit loose. (Like it is on one side of my car)
I found having the steering straight ahead was the easiest position to retract the handbrake cable. Don't try to pull it out of the wire guide loop, its not necessary.
Then I just used a small ring spanner and the right size hose. It probably helps if your hose is nice and flexible as a stiff hose will probably hit up against an obstacle.
When refitting the handbrake cable you may have a little bit of difficulty in threading it back through the hole in the housing if the little rubber boot on the cable is worn or damaged, one of mine needs a bit of fiddling and jostling to get it to pass through.
10 minutes work per side at most. I actually find getting the b*#%$^y wheel back on by myself more difficult than the actual job...
Regards,
Simon
user_3150
New User
Posts: 302
Joined: 04 Jan 2016, 00:01
Location: nowhere
My Cars: This is a dummy account added to fix some orphan posts.
x 1

Post by user_3150 »

I agree, mine was easy, I didn't touch the hand brake cable but they may have fitted diffrent calipers over time. I just slid a ring spanner onto the bleed nipple then pushed on a small bit of hose and bled it into a jam jar.
citronut
Posts: 10937
Joined: 29 Apr 2005, 00:46
Location: United Kingdom east sussex
My Cars:
x 92

Post by citronut »

you dont usuly have to touch the cables to bleed the brakes,they are very easy to get to as they point forward out of calliper
regards malcolm
Mads
Posts: 107
Joined: 26 Aug 2003, 15:33
Location: Copenhagen, DK
My Cars:

Post by Mads »

Just did mine (97 Estate). Ring spanne + 20inch tubing + jar, very easy.
RichardW
Forum Treasurer
Posts: 10812
Joined: 07 Aug 2002, 17:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars: MK2 '17 C4GP 1.6 BlueHDi 120
'13 3008 1.6 HDi GripControl
x 983

Post by RichardW »

The nipples sure don't stick out the front! H/B cables out is going to be easiest I think. Thanks for the description Simon, I know about disconnecting the H/B cables, just did the pads and discs this weekend (didn't bleed the brakes, as I was suffering bleeding finger after I hit it with a hammer[:(!]). At least I got the disc screws out easily, the discs weren't rusted to the hubs, and I had no troubles with the caliper bolts. Must mean that bleeding the brakes is going to be a mare[:o)]. Running Hydraflush at the moment, so need to run it through the brakes really.
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by RichardW</i>

The nipples sure don't stick out the front! H/B cables out is going to be easiest I think.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yeah, I wasn't sure what Malcolm was talking about either, perhaps there are several versions of the calipers, as I was reasonably sure (just going by memory) that the bleed nipples on mine face backwards at a 45 degree upward angle and are tucked in behind the hand brake cable, in which case removing the handbrake cable would be the easiest way...
Regards,
Simon
Post Reply