Xantia Suspension + Steering

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pwatson
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Joined: 22 Apr 2001, 03:02
Location: E Midlands
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Post by pwatson »

alan s
RIP 2010
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Joined: 26 Jan 2001, 15:53
Location: Australia
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Post by alan s »

I am the first to admit to the fact that where I come from a Xantia is looked upon as a "new" car. Anything under 10 years old falls into that category. But having said that, I don't think Citroen have ever made a car that the filter block just lifts out of the tank in a straight forward manner. They always seem to go to great lengths to make sure that it fits under a lip or guard edge or something equally annoying. This way, if you do everything as they appear to have planned, you firstly drip LHM all over the inner guard followed by a half a cupful in your right shoe, whereupon you tip it up and it runs down to your elbow, which is when your nose itches and not thinking, you rub it and from then look like an Adolf Hitler clone by which stage the hard rubber return & pump supply hoses are starting to win the arm wrestle and the tank is sitting at around 35 degrees, you are calling for your wife who has stormed off in protest at the language you were using and now can't hear you (or is deliberately) at which point the tank upends half of it's contents all over the motor, carefully selecting the exhaust manifold for an extra dose. You then remove the valve block in the mistaken belief that you couldn't get into any greater mess than you already are when you wake up the inside edge of the tank is razor sharp and LHM stings like hell in that 1/2" cut on your index finger wherupon you flinch, dropping LHM all over the front of your trousers your wife told you to change before you started, and drop the tank on the floor by which stage you have a lake of LHM about 6 foot wide.
I always use an old Ice Cream container & a bucket.
Undo the wire rod holding the valve block & tank in place and take it right out of the car. Sit the bucket inside the inner guard between it & the motor. Lift the entire thing, tank & all up & drop in the bucket. Lift the valve block out completely & lay in the Ice cream container. Remove the bucket with the tank in.
This usuall means that no more than a couiple of teaspoon full gets spilt. Remove and clean filters in petrol and then in the immortal words of Mr Haynes: refitting is the reverse of removal. Fit new hose clips particularly to the pump intake hose. Fill up with LHM after the tank is in place & before the wire holding clip is refitted.
Hope this gives you the incentive to give it a go.
Alan S
D.Slatford
Posts: 129
Joined: 13 Nov 2001, 06:06
Location: Wakefield, United Kingdom
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Post by D.Slatford »

Thanks to all for your advice.
Today I finally got round to doing this, fitted all three new front spheres and now have a wonderfully smooth ride and powered steering again! Still have the LHM to flush out tomorrow, that'll probably be more involved. Still don't see how the resevoir will come free without a fight.
A hint some others might find usefull, for removing stubborn spheres (mine were very well stuck, broke two hefty strap wrenches trying to remove the first one, even with the system pressurised). Halfords sell a tool for removal of oil filters, priced at almost 15 quid. It consists of a hard steel strap which is tightened by means of a threaded shaft. No breaking that thing off, and made short work of an othewise impossible looking task. Easy to attach something like a large spanner onto the end of it for extra leverage (which was necessary for the accumulator sphere!)
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