Clutch pedal...meet floor! Gear lever...meet ceiling!

[sparksie]

Yes, I realise I'm not going to be working on it for two days.
What I am expecting is to spend a couple of hours dismantling it and finding out precisely what I need to order.
Next morning I'll order whatever, then await delivery the following morning.
Meanwhile, the car will be taking up space and, should that space be in the service bay, preventing normal work from progressing.
I also have to allow for the not-that-unusual possibility of getting the wrong parts and having to wait a further day.
No, outside it has to be and probably out of normal hours too, so given my human limitations and aversion to cold and wet, I think two days is probably optimistic.
I already commented on the likely advantage of being able to withdraw the box and work on the pin in comfort on the bench, as whatever has failed, bearing, diaphragm, or fork, it will remove the obstacle within the bell housing.
One of my partners, from many years ago, developed the knack of leaving the O/S shaft in place, secured to the engine. This causes no problems when removing the box, but I've never been able to get it back together with both the drive and input shafts to deal with. I don't know how he does it, but he still maintains it's quicker. I watched him do it once on a 205 diesel van and, honestly, if you blinked you'd miss the box going back on to the engine!
When I do it, even with only the input shaft to deal with, it often takes a fair bit of grunting and swearing before it lines up!
Some people are just lucky, I guess!
Given I have a complete 206 diesel awaiting destruction, what are the chances I could cannibalise it and convert the Cit to a conventional push-type clutch, assuming of course that's what it has?
The Cit has exhausted my reserves of both funds and good will available for what can only ever be a plaything!

[flying clutchman]

Leaving the o/s shaft in place is a very easy way to ruin the oil seal on that side! Can't see the advantage in messing about with the 206, a clutch kit for the Xantia is about £85 trade and there's only really one so it should be right.

[sparksie]

Yes, the oil seal was my main objection, the first time he suggested it.
After we'd separated, some time later, he went ahead and tried it and found he could do it and it worked for him.
Following his example I tried it and it didn't! Thankfully I didn't kill the oil seal. I don't know about any of Terry's and he's hardly likely to tell me if he did, is he?
As regards the advantage of messing about with the 206... well I can think of two big ones, right off the bat!
The retail value of the car is already significantly less than the cost of the time and effort I've put in it, so spending more money on it seems like "a bad thing"!
I already have a surplus-to-requirements clutch kit (somewhere) for the 206.
Secondly, some poor sod (perhaps me!) might have to take the 'box out again in the future, which in fairness is not at all difficult on a 206! I'm all for anything that makes life easier.
Might all be academic anyway. Not feeling the love at all today. It's kicked me too hard and too often and, even now, I can see it over there sneering at me!
The logical thing to do is hack out the Pug compatible bits and weigh the rest in, chalking it up to experience.
But I'll never live that down, even if I live to 100...
With encouragement from the lads, my son is already telling anyone who'll listen that "Daddy's gone mad!"

[Hell Razor5543]

Look at it this way. You are gaining an education on the foibles of French cars. You might end up hating them (in which case you have learnt to avoid them), but you equally might end up loving their eccentricities, in which case you could end up becoming the local French car expert.

[sparksie]

Bah Humbug!
That's it. Home time.
Think a hot bath and early night might improve the attitude.
Nothing particularly bad happened today, but thank Christ it's over!!!

[Hell Razor5543]

There is one thing about green blooded Citroens. When they are working well, they are brilliant for people with back troubles. A friend on the Isle of Wight is known by all the taxi drivers, and if she approaches a taxi rank, and there is a hydro-pneumatic Citroen, it will always be pulled out for her (regardless of its' position in the rank). She has severe Spondylitis (a back condition, that has (with the medication she is on) shortened her life by as much as 10 years). The only time she rode in a normally sprung taxi (which was the first time she used a taxi), the driver pulled over within half a mile, and called up his Citroen colleague to take over his fare, as (he said) "I couldn't take the whimpers of pain anymore". The word got around very quickly, and so she does not have to suffer painful journeys anymore.

[sparksie]

True enough.
The only customer who ever got to drive mine, before the gear linkage vanished on him, thought the speedo must be wrong.
The usual vibrations through the frame, that help create a sensation of speed, are totally removed with this system. Fine, once you know!
The front wheel handbrake is something that needs pointing out to EVERY first time driver, too.
Lots of (mostly younger) drivers will instinctively grab the handbrake to try and unstick the back and correct understeer, which would have disastrous consequences in a Xantia!
I'm refusing to look over that way today, so the Cit can reflect on how it's been behaving.
I'm probably going to fix the clutch and the gear lever, but in return I absolutely require a full week of trouble free driving and there'll be no second chances. If it fails to deliver it's Peugeot parts! End of story!
I read on here somewhere that green metallic bonnets are scarce!!! Guess what colour mine is...

[sparksie]

Oh... and I can find no rot whatsoever in,on,or near my front strut tops!
If it's naughty again, I suppose those might be worth saving too.
Somebody on here might want them...

[Hell Razor5543]

Since I got her Gracie has cost me more to keep her going than her initial cost. However, it has been fun fixing things, knowing that I kept her going (and learning how from this forum). The problems are a; there is more still to be done, and b; I don't know what her history was before I got her. Do you know what the history is of your Citroen?

[sparksie]

Well, as it turns out, no.
I got a bundle of receipts for "recent work" and everything under the bonnet is covered in graffitti, indicating when it was last serviced. A lot of it recent, too.
However, the 11K ago clutch is broken already, the 2.5K air filter is nearly black and has shrunk. Makes me wonder about the 45K timing belt!
On the other hand, the oil is a murky golden colour, despite the derv fuel and the oil filter is shiny. The fuel filter cover has marks from clumsy removal that have yet to fill with grime, consistent with the indicated milage.
I now believe the car has had some elementary care, but the owner falsified a lot more work, to make it seem less undesirable.
He traded it against a C5 and I did a deal with the trader, when it was threatening to become a landmark on his forecourt.
I interpreted the willingness to take another Citroen as evidence of this one having been a good car. Now I'm inclined to think otherwise!
There is a receipt for a litre of LHM and the reservoir is slightly overfilled with very clean green stuff. I was planning to bleed the rear brakes, which should sort this, I think. The rear disks got rusty while parked up and have not been polished by the 800-ish miles since I took it over, so I'm pretty confident they need bleeding. The tester's rolling road will confirm...
Had I waited a week, I could have had the 406Td I was waiting for. I just didn't want to have to borrow a car (which I've had to do anyway) for customers to use! Isn't hindsight great?

[myglaren]

For the back brakes, chuck as much weight as you can into the boot and back seats then drive it for twenty miles with much braking, that will clean off the rear disks. I used to use flagstones and Calor gas bottles.

[myglaren]

For the back brakes, chuck as much weight as you can into the boot and back seats then drive it for twenty miles with much braking, that will clean off the rear disks. I used to use flagstones and Calor gas bottles.

[Hell Razor5543]

When you bleed the rear brakes, check the calliper alignment against the disk. There is a weird corrosion that occurs between the calliper and the leading arm, pushing the calliper out of true. It can be sorted out easily with care. Just be thankful you DON'T have a C5, as the calliper bolts are usually thread-locked into place;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=38467" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sparksie]

Thanks, guys.
Good tips, which I expect will prove useful, provided I can summon up the enthusiasm to fix it out in the cold.
I can't afford to blow off any of the work we have lined up, so this labour of love(?!!) can't come inside and get disabled!
Weather today is not at all conducive to working outdoors, so both Cit and I have another day to reflect!
I had the pads out, as I always do before allowing anybody other than myself to drive an unknown car, and they appear fairly recent and evenly worn, so I doubt whether the caliper problem is occurring yet. But it will and now I know about it beforehand, so hopefully I'll catch it before it goes too far!
Let's see what the weekend brings... Maybe she'll be self propelled again by Monday!

[Hell Razor5543]

Fingers crossed . Check the callipers from over the top (as per pics in post). If they do look out, it could be worth putting some thin gasket material between calliper and trailing arm.