ZX Info needed again

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DomF9
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Post by DomF9 »

Thanks James
I've got the jack, which is in the underfloor tray as you describe, but I can't say I've seen either any sort of floor fixing or a hole in the boot sides. I'll have a look in the morning, now I know what I'm looking for.
On the other side of the coin, if I don't have these mounting bits for the jack (which I do have) how would Citroen have expected the wheelbrace to be stored, ie, was there another way? I only ask as the boot sides seem to be original yet no way of holding the wheelbrace which, at the moment, is thundering around the boot!
Thanks
Dom
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

The ZX spare wheel arrangements seem a bit eccentric. On ours (94 1.9 D - extremely original) we have the vertically stored wheel brace, the jack in the carrier underneath, a plastic wedge in the centre of the spare and no emergency hook for the spare wheel carrier. My 89 BX DTR Turbo does not have a hook but my 89 16 valve does. I'm not very keen on the bolts being unlocked and one day will get round to cross drilling the heads of the bolts so that I can put a split pin in it which should prevent it undoing itself. (Not an original idea - first seen on a Rover 3 litre my father owned - after the wheel carrier fell apart - later models had a feeble looking spring arrangement.)
Can anyone tell me why the ZX has that daft slot in the head of the spare wheel cradle securing bolt? I know you are supposed to use the hook on the end of the wheelbrace to operate it but it jumps out every other turn and a normal hexagon would seem much more sensible? My only thoughts at the moment are that it may have something to do with anger management.
jeremy
James.UK
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Post by James.UK »

Hi Jeremy. If you take the bolt that holds the spare wheel frame right out, clean it and grease it up well then it turns real easy and the hook doesn't keep jumping out anymore. The logical thing to have done was make the top of that bolt the same size as a wheel nut so the brace fitted it, but we are talking French here, so they made an awkward lil slot for us to struggle with and curse about, its a pain, but at least it takes your mind off the original problem of changing the wheel and getting your clothes all dirty. [:D] lol.. erm untill the spare slides down and breaks your toes anyway!! [:0]
I keep a lil tool box in my boot on a rubber mat so it doesn't slide around on corners, I keep the small trolley jack behind that, at least it stays clean in there, and free from road salt and grime. I also have an old pillow in a black bin liner in there, it comes in handy as a soft packing piece when you carry fragile stuff around and you can kneel on it when changing a wheel.. [:)] Erm having done all that, I haven't had a puncture or carried anything in the boot yet? its prob full of cobwebs now.. [:I] lol..
jeremy
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Joined: 20 Oct 2002, 16:00
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Post by jeremy »

James - interestingly the BX has a proper hexagonal bolt rather than the slot device of the Bx.
I did manage to change a ZX wheel outside my house (flat road) using the proper jack. It was not very convincing and I was glad to finish the job uninjured. The jacking points and the jack seemed to have been designed by different committees.
Jeremy
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