Removing xantia exhaust front pipe flange nuts

John Plum · Post by **John Plum** » 15 Oct 2009, 14:27

Has anyone any useful tips for getting at the xantia exhaust front pipe flange nut and bolts to remove them. I can get a socket on them and turn, but only so far down and the bolts are spinning. I may eventually get the nuts off by re lubricating and working that way, but maybe you would suggest getting at the bolts from on top. I cannot easily get at them or see them however (e.g. turbo in the way). Haven't tried a torch yet to see them,..

Advice appreciated!

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 15 Oct 2009, 14:37

hi John, my normal method is a double long 1/2" extension (and possibly a small extension as well) with a 10mm socket..

this is routed up from under the car, a long way back.. that gets the nuts off but you need a 10mm spanner on the top to stop it turning..

i always manage it and always curse at the sillyness of it.. it seems to be one of the time consuming jobs on PSA cars... that and the intermediate driveshaft bearing hocky bolts..

anyway, I think I am down to a few mins for the flange bolts now.. its almost harder putting them back on, what with gravity and all..

others may have better methods

John

make sure you catch the springs and the cup washers as they will never appear from the top of the subframe areas again

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 15 Oct 2009, 15:15

Have only ever done that job on a 2 post lift and it's still a witches sister even then !!

John Plum · Post by **John Plum** » 15 Oct 2009, 15:18

OK John, thanks - I'll give it a go , see if I can get that spanner on top. They are both spinning. I take it you get to it from under the bonnet, not by reaching up from underneath?

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but you need a 10mm spanner on the top to stop it turning..

John Plum · Post by **John Plum** » 15 Oct 2009, 16:29

Yes that worked fine, used a t-bar on the most inaccessible bolt - the d/s one, reaching from the top, after removing a short piece of rubber turbo inlet hose.
Now to the tailbox mounting rubbers, which at first sortie looked marvellous, not sure how I'll tackle compressing them/slipping them off, with one one each side. Have a tea break.

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 15 Oct 2009, 16:30

I used my nephew

to control the underside nuts while I held the top ones so John is spot on, try and lock the tops with a spanner or such.

Ooops, too late

AFAIR, the back box rubbers weren't any trouble. I think I just used a strong lever to push the rubber off the hook,

John Plum · Post by **John Plum** » 15 Oct 2009, 16:37

I have just the lever ready, I think.

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 15 Oct 2009, 16:56

mike

John by bending like an eel, under the car with no light at all, you can just about have your right arm extended miles back under the floorpan trying to turn the ratchet, and the other hand can occasionally get into a position to almost hold the spanner on top of the bolts, if youve managed it all from above you've done well

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 15 Oct 2009, 17:00

John (jgra), those days are over for me - it can take just one minute of straining/overstretching and I'm crippled with pain for a few days so I tend to not try anymore - just get my nephew to do it at the expense of him breaking things while he learns.

John (plum) I just remembered, it was the box-to pipe clamp that gave me grief.

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 15 Oct 2009, 17:02

should be good for him Mike, I dont think I had anyone to teach me when I was a nipper..

having to make all the mistakes these days instead

John Plum · Post by **John Plum** » 15 Oct 2009, 19:07

Jgra1 & MikeT: thanks for the encouragement, now I know why i have challenges, so I can learn the hard way! I know what you mean about, 'almost get a spanner on it from below by ...'
I was tempted to have a ago, after about ten minutes of extra unecessary familiarising myself from underneath, and then decided after your 1st post to go take an extra good look from above: having got one spanner on I felt pleased; 10mm Spanner from above needed to be short. looking at the other, d/s bolt, I decided to remove a little airway, and get an extra hand from above... the final master stroke was using a t-bar instead of a socket on d/s.I couldn't do it with a spanner. All in all easy, I'd say, after a little familiarisation, though I fussed over it. I was lucky to have a nice 3/8 britool ratchet with long and short extension bars, and together that reached and gave me a fair turn on the two nuts from below.

The rear silencer clamp unbolted easily enough, removing the clamp altogether was a little trickier, until I removed the bolt altogether first. I can reuse the clamp. That's just the way it goes. I found a little plus gas lubrication on the rubber exhaust mounts help their removal: had no washing liquid to hand, right then

I don't mean to put exhaust paste on the manifold to downpipe exhaust joint, only on the rearbox, is that right?

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 15 Oct 2009, 20:31

Yes, the downpipe is designed to swivel as the engine moves so paste will just get ground away or the gasket will

Post by **CitroJim** » 15 Oct 2009, 20:55

The real fun comes when putting it all back together at the manifold end.

Not a bad idea to use a new "Brillo Pad" and the fun bit comes when you get the springs, cups and nuts back on without them flying everywhere

Do the nuts right up to the ends of their threads always...

It also helps if you are (or know) a double jointed elastic octopus.....

Another job where my girly little hands come in handy

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 15 Oct 2009, 22:49

John wrote
"after about ten minutes of extra unecessary familiarising myself from underneath"

so you felt better after your little snooze then John,

i always use John's (jgra) method getting at both the nut's and the bolt's from underneath, as long as you have the car on stands/ramps but not so high every thing is out of reach,

slide your self under from the front of the car, armed with at least two long 3/8th drive extentions, a ratchet, 10mm socket and a short 10mm spanner, i use a 100 mm spanner with a very shalow cranck,

once you are in position and comfy, with your tight hand slide your extentions with soket attatched up along side the exhaust and over the last cross bar/beam of the front sub frame, and giude it onto one of the nuts,

now feed your left arm up to the rear of the engine forward of the steering rack with the 10mm spanner, locate it onto one of the bolt heads,

the rest is as easy peasy,

also make sure if fitting a new sealing ring at the manifold to down pipe, you only use the woven wire type, and not the cheaper fibre one,

as this wont last more than a week or two

regards malcolm

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 15 Oct 2009, 22:49

I used a 10mm six sided socket and 10mm spanner, on mine the top is slightly recessed so i used the socket on the top and spanner on the bottom. Goes without saying, plusgas it well in advance. Also if you can, small wire brush to clean the rust off. Just dont round the nuts off (use six sided only) or you will be in trouble, really bad access is the main problem.

Mine did round off and was lucky a small pair of moles held whilst i cracked the bolt off. Not even worth hassle reusing, get a new one fitting kit for Citroen.

On the Activa there is no access for using a long extension because the roll corrector linkage is in the way