Changing Spheres

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JohnD
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Changing Spheres

Post by JohnD »

Last Wednesday I fitted a new accumulator to the 2.1 Xantia. Twenty minutes saw the job done. Then it was out with the ramps to do the rears. The first half hour saw the filter clamp broken. Then it was on with the large jubilee clip and hammer. Still nothing doing, so in desperation I phoned the local GSF and Eurospares to get the proper clamp. Both places said the didn't stock it. I certainly swore when I saw it on Andyspares website in the evening. But Pleiades promised one by Friday morning. Within half an hour of it's arrival both old spheres were off and the new ones on. Amazing how the correct tool makes life easy. And what a difference to the ride! The magic carpet is back again! Anybody local to S.London/Surrey borders needing to borrow a sphere tool, drop me a post.
mbunting
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Post by mbunting »

John,
Can you try and explain to us what the tool looks like ? I bought ( on recommendation from various posters ) a steel oil filter remover. It had a steel band which was tightened by means of a central screw/bolt. Very effective for the fronts and accumulator, but broke when I had to use a little more force for the rears.
Mat.
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Mat - The filter tool you describe sounds like the one I also broke. It worked fine on the accumulator and front spheres, but it just wasn't man enough to do the rears. The Pleiades tool is a hefty split ring made out of 15x3mm steel, reinforced at various points with welded brackets. The ring is tightened with a 17mm bolt, and the ring is welded to a 15mm square handle around 300mm long. The tightest rear spheres don't stand a chance against it. If you can get the vehicle on ramps with the suspension on high, there's no movement in the cylinders so no chance of damaging the pipes. Don't give it more than a quarter turn before releasing the pressure.
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hi John, Mat, I bought the Vise grip chain wrench because it has other uses besides removal of sphere's, just recieved a set of sphere's for my chariot so will post result's of using this tool.
Been lacing the rear sphere's with penetrating oil for last 2000 miles while the hyrdaflush in there does it's stuff.
Was pleased to see that hydraflush supplied by Andyspares is the genuine Total Hydraurinsage.
Dave
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hydraflush out and new LHM installed and all six sphere's removed with the vise grip chain wrench, the only one that put up any kind of resistance was the accumulator sphere, a couple of smirk's with a mallet and the sphere gave in.
Brakes seem more controlable/predictable with new acc. sphere.
The easiest one was the anti sink sphere, which by the way was supplied with the wrong type of seal, it came sealed in the box with the normal square section o'ring type seal used on the hydraulic cylinder's, where it should have been a pipe seal, had no choice but to re-use the old pipe seal, fortunatly there were no leak's.
The pipe union spanner size on this sphere is 9mm, I did'nt have a 9mm flare nut spanner but it wasn't to tight and an ordinary open ended one was enough.
Got this car at one year old with 13000 miles on it and only six month's of use (it's now got 88000 on it).
when I first had it I noticed how it would rise and sink when passenger's or I got in and out, had'nt noticed any of that lately, but now with the new sphere's it's back again.
You hardly notice the deterioration of the ride, it happen's that slowly.
On my way to work there is a sudden dip in the road, the ZX cope's quite well with it compared to the Xantia which was beginning to knock the wind out of me, but now with the new sphere's that same dip is hardly noticable, so I'm well chuffed with it all, money well spent, thank's to Andyspare for all the bit's, who can afford to go to a Citroen dealer for this type of clobber.
Dave
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Dave - Good to hear that you've had a successful and rewarding time on your Xantia. Regarding the anti-sink sphere - I thought I'd read somewhere on one of these boards that it didn't require replacing.
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hi John, the anti sink sphere is subjected to the same level of hydraulic pressure as the rear suspension sphere's, it has a pourous rubber diaphragm like all the other sphere's on the car, it therefore follow's that it to will loose it's charge (50bar) of nitrogen over a similar period of time.
It's job is to maintain pressure in the rear brake circuit and anti sink valve to prevent it re-opening.

The brake valve will bleed the pressure from the rear suspension quickly where as the pressure from the accumulator remain's a good bit higher for longer, as the pressure in the rear circuit drop's via the brake valve, the higher pressure from the accumulator can re-open the anti sink valve.
The anti sink sphere maintains rear pressure long enough for the pressure in the front circuit's to be bled off, thus preventing it lifting the anti sink valve.
A diagram can be found on the Citroen guide of the BX diy site.
Dave
Machra
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Post by Machra »

I use a home made chain wrench. (Motorbike chain). My Xantia is sinking and I have looked at the anti-sink valve today. It seems to be connected to an ordinary brake pipe. Do I just unscrew the brake pipe nut and the sphere comes away or is there something I am missing?
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

The sphere is screwed on to the mounting bracket via a large thread, loosen the flare nut union going into the sphere, 9mm spanner, then hold the spanner on the nut and rotate the sphere as space is limited , both will be unscrewed at the same time.
When you depressurise the hydraulic system, let the engine tick over for a couple of minutes with the height lever set to lowest position, don't just let the car sink then switch off the engine, this will not give enough time for the sphere's to totaly discharge.
Then undo the pressure release screw on the regulator.
Dave
porgy
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Post by porgy »

After breaking my chain wrench on an attempt to change the rear spheres, I found a 24in pipewrench (stilsons)made short work of the buggers.
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

Hi George - Well done! I'll take it I can put the tool back on the rack!!
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