Anyone changed a Doseur valve?

wrinklet1 · Post by **wrinklet1** » 02 Sep 2003, 16:15

Well I have to change mine so if you have any tips please do tell.
Thanks
Paul

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 02 Sep 2003, 22:43

It is a swine, be patient. an 8mm spanner with a 30 degree bend in the shaft will be useful. Tie it with string to your wrist 'cos it will get dropped into the black hole. Make sure all is scrupulously clean first and use new seals.

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 02 Sep 2003, 23:38

The biggest problem is getting the 5 or 6 hydraulic pipes out of the valve without breaking them (they are often rather rusty) and then remebering which holes they came out of when replacing the new valve and finally not breaking the 5-6 pipes when bending them back into the valve again!
//NiSk

stewart_c · Post by **stewart_c** » 03 Sep 2003, 00:50

Had mine changed at the garage 2 weeks ago & i is still leaking at the rubber tube (think the tube may have been perforated by the jubile clip?)so it may be good practice to snip a bit off the end before refitting,job cost £200 so its going back

wrinklet1 · Post by **wrinklet1** » 04 Sep 2003, 12:22

not paying £200, will have a go myself

algieuk · Post by **algieuk** » 05 Sep 2003, 03:55

Which car Paul? Got a friend to do mine tonight on a 94 Xantia 1.9D. Problems experienced were sticky fingers from leaked LHM in footwell. There are only 4 steel pipes, which all came out no probs. Make sure you have new clips to put on the return pipes (2 off). You will also need a deep socket set (1/4 in drive is best) to remove the nuts inside the car. Taking out the push rod makes the job a lot easier (lever up inside the pedal with a screwdriver and it comes out a treat....get rid of the spring while you are at it). Make sure you have 2 11mm open end spanners to lock the nuts on the studs of the old unit to remove them. Hardest part of the job was finidng a repalcement 11 mm nut for the one that had a damaged thread. Took about 1.5 hours workng in a very relaxed fashion, but if you were determined, and had done one before then half an hour would see it done. Haven't got a clue what the locking collar Haynes refers to is...I never saw one.

blueboy2001 · Post by **blueboy2001** » 05 Sep 2003, 05:32

Half an hour to change a brake valve! Citroen dealers will be queueing up to give you a job! Citroen book time is 4 hours labour. Can't see why you needed to go into the footwell, the bolts just came out with a socket when I did mine.
Took me and a mate over 3 hours to do mine, and that was working solid on the job. Ended up using a set of snap-on midget spanners to remove the pipes. The return hose decided to split on refitting so had to be replaced - about £40. The position is so awarkward you will skin your knuckles.
I've said before and i'll say it again, are you absolutely sure the valve is faulty? These are of a dead simple design and I can't really see, given they are immersed in mineral oil all the time, how they would wear out. Changing mine made not a bit of difference to the 5 seconds hissing noise and rapid sinking.

alexx · Post by **alexx** » 05 Sep 2003, 13:01

Well, it made huge difference in my BX; ticking interval increased from 5-10 s to about 1-2 min. I dismantled the old valve after fitting the new one, and the first piston (for front brakes) was visibly worn (although probably only 1-2 micrometers) on the edge.
The problem is - part of that piston, that seals the pressure up to 170 bar, is only about 1.5mm long, so this can't last forever. This part was longer on CX/GS type brake valves.
As I said several times, there's a simple test - observing output from return hose. In my case, it was about 50 ml per minute, dropping to about 5 within several minutes after brake pedal was touched last time, with ticking interval increasing accordingly.
Unfortunately, there were no Citroen forums 6 years ago, and 5 different mechanics here didn't have a clue about this problem, so I had to discover this myself.

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 05 Sep 2003, 14:06

Blueboy, Have you still got the fast ticking and sinking problem?

algieuk · Post by **algieuk** » 06 Sep 2003, 05:03

Citroen expect 8 hours to change a clutch cable so 4 hours for a half hour job sounds about right.
I had to change my valve because the seal at the end had gone, and the return flow was squirtng over my shoes instead of going up the pipes.
I can't imagine how you managed to take 3 hours to undo 4 pipes, 2 hose clips and two nuts. Access is great compared to a BX.I don't suppose you tried to undo all the pipes BEFORE you undid the securing nuts did you? (that WOULD make it a hard job).
Like I say, My friend started the job at 5:30, it was done by 7 and in the meanwhile his missus brought us two cups of tea which we drank slowly, we chatted to all the kids who came and asked us what we were doing, we spent half an hour looking for a new nut to replace the one with damaged threads and we spent a while shooting the breeze.
And how did you manage to undo the securing nuts without going into the footwell? they are behind the brake pedal.

Dave Burns · Post by **Dave Burns** » 06 Sep 2003, 05:15

"I can't imagine how you managed to take 3 hours to undo 4 pipes, 2 hose clips and two nuts"
I can, 1.9D against 1.9TD, that bloody turbo makes a world of difference if you don't shift the air ducting, and thats no mean feat if you want it right out, plus the sx probably has the aircon refrigerant pipes in the way aswell.
Dave

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 06 Sep 2003, 13:29

I thought I would do the Doseur on my TD BX last year but after I'd bought the valve I funked it as I wasn't sure I could get the bottom pipes back and thought I could end up stuck with a dismantled hydraulic system. I asked my friendly mechanic to have a look as he could get at the bottom ones on his ramp - he took one look and said no - for much the same reasons I'd done. But he did recommend me to an experienced citroen mechanic who did the job very well. I believe he dismantled the bottom engine bracket and swung the engine forward (having put hardboard over the radiator) to gain more room.
Jeremy

blueboy2001 · Post by **blueboy2001** » 07 Sep 2003, 04:58

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

Blueboy, Have you still got the fast ticking and sinking problem?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yes, but mine makes an awful hissing noise rather than a sharp tick as it should do.
Indeed on the TD, we had to remove the intercooler piping and the rocker cover to gain satisfactory access to the valve. On mine the bolts were on the bulkhead side, just undid them and put them back in on the new valve. The new one is solid so I assume I've done it correctly, certainly the bolts seemed to bite the threads in the right way.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 07 Sep 2003, 05:38

My TD regulator hisses rather than ticks - as everything else is working better than ever before and the warning light no longer comes on I haven't taken much notice. - I think the other reg I've got made more of a tick - but don't feel like changeing it again.
Jeremy

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 07 Sep 2003, 16:34

If you had a loose pipe, you would know about it. Check the rear height corrector return and the rear strut returns at the LHM reservoir because the doseur valve is the most likely cause of rapid sinking. I assume that you have changed the accumulator sphere which leaves few other causes.