Newbie here, need advice and some odd bits

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joss
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Newbie here, need advice and some odd bits

Post by joss »

I have 'rescued' a ZX 1.9 D leader estate (white) from my boss's garage where it has been sitting since October 2005! New battery and it started up fine. I have given it its first wash - although it has been kept dry it has been stored near the sea and got coated in wind-blown sand.

Here are my questions:

1. The engine seems pretty sound to me (only 40k on the clock!) but what should I look out for?
2. The sand seems to have embedded itself in the paint on the horizontal surfaces - feels like sandpaper, even after a good wash. What's the paint quality like on these? Can I T-cut these panels? Also one rear door has has a gentle bump - the panel feels quite thin - will it beat out or should I get a new door?
3. Some trim bits are missing. I am on the Isle of Man so the chances of finding bits at a breaker's are zero. On the off-chance, does anyone have any of these, for beer money of course;

N/S wing mirror
N/S sun visor and bracket
N/S rear fog lens
O/S front indicator lens
rear wiper motor

thanks in advance!

joss
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CitroJim
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Post by CitroJim »

Hi Joss and welcome to the forum :D

Sounds like a good find you've had there!

The engines are as tough as old boots, will last for several hundred thousand miles and can be very economical but they do need to be looked after in several important areas.

Firstly, you should replace the cambelt. At 40K it is likely to be still on it's original and after storage, this should be done very much sooner rather than later. A broken cambelt wrecks the camshaft and caps and although valves are rarely bent, it can still write off the head. Whilst you're there, replace the water pump as they often fail just after doing a cambelt :twisted: It makes good sense whilst you are in the area. Check too the cambelt tensioners and replace them if in any doubt over their condition.

These engines demand good cooling so if you have any doubt over the condition of the rad, replace it. They don't last well. Also check your cooling fans are woring properly. I guess yours does not have air conditioning so the fans will be controlled from a two-stage thermoswitch mounted on the side of the rad. The fans should cut in on slow speed at around 90 degress and then switch up to fast as it gets hotter. The thermoswitch is not that reliable.

Apart from that, they like regular oil and filter changes (3,000 miles recommended) and that's about it.

The paintwork is a problem on all PSA vehicles of that era. The lacquer was not the best and there is little that can be done except a respray. Just preserve what you have with a good polish and enjoy the "rat" look, knowing there is a good car underneath :D

Pop an ad in the For Sale and Wanted section of the forum and you never know what may turn up. For what you need, I don't think postage to the IoM will be too prohibitive...
Jim

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citronut
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Post by citronut »

hi Joe
the paint should buff up with some G3 compound with a sponge mop on a buffing machine, if you have access to one,

GSF will do the mirror, fog lamp lens, indicator complete unit and wiper motor, if you dont have branch over there they do mail order

although i think you will find the wiper motor prob might just be the drive spindle of the mechanisum has become seized, so with a little persy whatsit you should be able to free it off
regards malcolm

ps.
before you attempt to buff the bodywork make sure there is no loose sand left on the paint
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Post by XantiaMan »

It sounds like the paintwork has 'chemical fallout' embedded lightly into the surface. Instead of mopping it up, which removes a layer of paint albeit quite small, try a clay bar which you can get from Halfords. They are amazing at removing surface dirt that washing alone cannot remove, it takes some time but it does work! Once the surface has been treated in this way it will feel like glass and a quick wax polish may do the job, you may find it needs a hand t-cut to remove light oxidation.
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joss
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Post by joss »

Thanks guys for the speedy replies!

I shall have a look on GSF for bits. Would look on ebay but blocked at work.

How hard is the cambelt job? Given that I am a lone female and the most complicated thing I have done is changing brakes. I'll have a go though, unless spending money is absolutely necessary.
Does it require brute strength/4 hands/specialist tools?

Will a Haynes manual do, or do I need a more reliable guide?
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Post by CitroJim »

Hi Joss,

The cambelt is not a bad job and easier on a D than a TD :D The Haynes Manual makes for a fair description of the job. It is well within your grasp if you work carefully and steadily. In any case, we are all here to guide you through it at every stage.

The only hard part where brute strength might be neded is getting the crank pulley bolt undone. It can be very tight and often a big breaker bar is needed or you can use the starter motor as a lst resort if it gets really despearate. You will need a beefy 22mm socket for the crank bolt.

As for special tools, you'll need 3 x M8 bolts to lock the camshaft and injection pump sprockets in their timing positions, a bent piece of 8mm copper pipe to lock the crankshaft and a 3/8" square short drive extension and bar to retract the cambelt tensioner and a 13mm cranked ring spanner to release the tensioner pivot bolt. Apart from that, just a normal toolkit.
Jim

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Post by simoncanfer »

Sounds like a good find! Could be the lowest mileage one around, too.

A few areas you might want to look at:

Coolant, change it using 50:50 mix of deionised water and Citroen antigel, AND be sure to bleed it, you'll need an elevated bottle to help. It's mentioned in Haynes. If you neglect coolant changes you will be looking at a new heater matrix soon, its not fun.

I agree with citrojim, check the radiator, I expect you'll find it green-tinged and crumbly if not leaking-yet.

Rear subframe mounts - rubber perishes and the metal corrodes, and if left your rear suspension and wheels will be flapping in the breeze! There's some passive rear-wheel steering built in to these mounts, so the mounts probably move around a fair bit.

Cambelts can be "fun",and even "rewarding" - but access to the various parts is a pain. I still remember my first from 1988...in my opinion find a garage to do it, should be around £100. Yes, some special tools, which you can knock up yourself, help a lot. Eg. I have a thin 1/2 inch socket drive and a ground-down socket I think. 11mm or something unusual.

Simon
joss
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Post by joss »

Amazingly, a scrappy here had a ZX estate in (out of only 10 cars in total!), and I have spent an enjoyable lunchhour there with my toolkit.

I got everything I needed bar the rear fog lens (it was cracked) plus some interior trim and a set of roof bars for 20 quid.

Had high miles so I didn't take any engine parts, rad was dated 2003 but looked like it had a leak.

V pleased with that! :D

Not many other women in suits in the yard funnily enough...
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