Headgasket, clutch and trailing arm bearings

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ohms69
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Headgasket, clutch and trailing arm bearings

Post by ohms69 »

Well they say trouble comes in threes and true to form my BX has yet again well and truly shafted me!
To cut a long story short, the headgasket has gone today...the slipping clutch was waiting to be sorted as were the rear trailing arm bearings. Unfortunately the car is now off the road due to the head gasket failure and I'm debating whether to take next week off and get all of these jobs done at once.
Being a lazy git I called a specialist who quoted me £500 to change the headgasket...this seems extortionate to me, but having done the timing belt previously myself I swore I'd never tamper with it again.
So, should I take the engine out and do the headgasket and clutch at the same time? How much of a pig is getting the engine out? Or do I cut my losses, quit spending money on the car and buy a 405 TD estate? HELP![:(]
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Depends on the car and your level of skill and resources.
Any engine out job is a big one. Head and clutch together make a lift the way to go but you'll need a crane, space, (covered in UK in June!) and money. Finding out why the gasket failed is key. You may have to budget for a new radiator and if the engine has run 150000+ then cam belt, water pump and rollers will add another £100 (You'd be daft not to with the engine out) so the engine alone could cost £400 in bits to do it properly.
Add in a lost week's work and the deal starts to look uneconomic.
There are plenty of healthy BXs out there for the sort of money you are considering and although it is treason to suggest it, I think you ought to give it a miss unless yours is a good late car.
ohms69
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Post by ohms69 »

Sound honest advise Tom, which was what I was after...Thank you!
The cars good, and owes me dearly, a shame to scrap but If I could find another decent BX and take the good bits off mine then I would definitely be happy(glutton for punishment[;)])...the problem is finding a decent reliable TZD estate!
They don't seem to exist, which Is why a 405 looks to be a better proposition(more readily available).
My car has done 130K miles, and to be honest I have been expecting the head gasket to go for the past 6000miles, mainly because I've been running 20psi and a shed load more fuel. It's quick, but as time has proven...Unreliably so![:(]
Let this be a lesson to all you tweak heads thinking about winding it up to excess...It cannot and will not last![V]
Stinkwheel
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Post by Stinkwheel »

Hmmmmm have to say the logic of a 405td estate seems to escape me.
I owned a petrol 405 Est for a while, an ok car. It seems to me that as the 405TD uses the same engine then you will find just as many abused examples with head gaskets just waiting to fail and the fact they are such good load luggers means most have been abused bodily etc as well.
Id stick with the BX (or another one) but i am biased, citroens are great :-)
oilyspanner
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Post by oilyspanner »

Bite the bullet, an engine crane will cost £ 25 for a wekend max, drag that puppy out, rip its head off ( V easy once out) skim, gasket, clutch a piece of pi** when the drivepack is out belt too , your local indy with a fly pres will pop the rear bearings out for a fiver if you remove the arms for him, a cheaper option is go to the scrapyard and get a 1.9 TD from a Xantia,405 etc and get a flier without the internal work.
Stewart
ohms69
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Post by ohms69 »

I'd been thinking along those lines Stewart, and actually found a Xantia TD engine and gearbox complete for £100.
My concern with this is switching from the Lucas pump over to the bosch...Bet it's a bit of a nightmare!
I really don't want to have to get rid as I am extremely fond of my bx.
Never taken an engine out before and must admit the prospect is quite daunting. Although how difficult can it be?
What do you think then, give the chap a call about the engine and box, or is this a risk not worth taking?[:)]
oilyspanner
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Post by oilyspanner »

Lucas to Bosch is easy, remove pump, look at ally plate, there are two sets of mounting holes, swap studs to other three holes refit Bosch pump, steel pipes, possibly injectors.
Hydraulic pump...remove cam end cap on xantia motor, get engineering works to drill and tap end of cam to accept M10 bolt whilst there get them to bore out standard BX pump pulley to fit cam. OR Swap BX cam into your head, my Guru reckons that 99 times in 100 the clearances are okay. now off to fit another FDV
Stewart
rg
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Post by rg »

405's are not exempt from trailing arm bearing failure, either.
I know. I had one...
rg
jonathan_dyane
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

Fix it, you know you want to!
Re the pump swap, why? Just use the xantia pump! Personally i'd stick w/the BX motor tho and do the headgasket, @130k it's a youngster!
Don't worry about the work, it's all just nuts and bolts. Where are you?
Jonathan.
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Post by RichardW »

Assuming you want to keep the car for a year or two - don't mess about, pull the engine out. Change the head gasket (get the head skimmed, lap the valves in and reset the valve clearances), timing belt, water pump, possibly the timing belt tensioner and idle roller (this will take about 10 mins with the engine out!). Replace the 3 heater hoses down the back of the block, and change the octopus. Pay close attention the water pump inlet housing on the back of the block and renew if at all suspect. Consider changing the clutch cable while you have the access. Engine / clutch will be good for another 130k and you will have saved yourself infinite grief on those heater hoses and the octopus.
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