CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 19 Mar 2011, 16:31

That's what I was thinking Xac.

What additional access is opened up
by bumper removal - the intercooler is everywhere. Most likely removal of the
battery box support etc.

MikeT · Unread post by **MikeT** » 19 Mar 2011, 17:54

CitroJim wrote:Pleased to report this week has been a good week and I'm feeling very much better now although still taking it easy...

I'm pleased to read this, Jim. Hopefully it means the illness isn't hanging around and you're on the mend.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 19 Mar 2011, 18:51

Yes, hopefully Mike, I've shaken it. I believe it is a combination of lots of lovely weather and spannering

Well, the reason I removed the bumper and washer bottle was to gain access to the underside of the header tank. I refitted the rad and intercooler with no issues but hit a big snag when I tried to refit the bottom hose bayonet. It just would not go home. It had enough remaining corrosion on it to prevent it sliding into the socket on the rad. Because access is so bad, it was necessary to remove the bottom hose and investigate what was going on. To do that means disconnecting it's tee pipe from the header tank and the only way to do that is from underneath

The washer bottle was nearly full as well, all wasted

Still, once that was out of the way I was left with this:

I could then properly clean up the bayonet and that was a job in itself. The socket itseldf was not corroded but it had scale-like deposits on it that were very hard and it took about an hour of careful scraping to get it all off. Once that was done, it slipped home perfectly...

Whilst the bumper was off I took the opportunity to give everything under there a good clean and a rinse-out of the waher bottle...

Then it was a case of replacing the cambelt and water pump and putting everything back together...

Just in case the bottom hose was still going to be troublesome, I assembled just enough to run the engine and left the cambelt top cover off so I could check the tension of the belt with the engine hot...

I'm pleased to report all is good and as darkness fell, I'm just left with a washer bottle and bumper to refit...

It was a right PITA of a job all in all but the light at the end of the tunnel is now shining brightly...

I envy all of you who have swapped rads without any of the aggro I experienced...

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 19 Mar 2011, 21:24

Do you have a SEEM gauge Jim?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 20 Mar 2011, 08:56

robert_e_smart wrote:Do you have a SEEM gauge Jim?

Yes but as a rule I don't use it on the TCT. I prefer my time-honoured and trusted method of being able to turn the belt through 90 degrees on it's longest run between finger and thumb with moderate pressure.

I run the engine up to temperature with the top cover off so I can check the belt tension again on a hot engine. It's easy to set it too tight when cold and as the engine warms it 'grows' and tightens the belt.

I've compared a SEEM gauge against my fingers and I'm sufficiently accurate

I do admit it takes a bit of practice to use the finger/thumb method and for anyone inexperienced, a SEEM gauge is a good idea until you get the knack...

I've taken loads of pictures of the rad and cambelt swap and they will end up on my website in due course... Now the summer is here, that 'due course' may be a little while

I'm off out to finish putting the Activa back together

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 20 Mar 2011, 19:24

She's all back together

And running as cool as a cucumber

previously she'd been on the verge of overheating and after driving slowly through town to my house after a run it was almost inevitable that the fans would be on and the gauge reading 90. On opening the door one's nostrils were assulted by the unmistakable whiff of coolant.

Now she sits with the temperature gauge just below 80 under all circumstances whilst moving, even slowly and takes ages when stopped and idling to reach the point at which the fans cut in. When they do they don't run for long.

Looks like the cleaning of the aircon condenser and the intercooler has had a bit of an effect on performance too. She felt very lively and eager

Tis was the state of the old rad:

Leaks and a thick blanket of muck are visible and I reckon only about half the rad was flowing any air..

Replacing the cambelt and tensioner has also cured an annoying little whine from the cam area. The old tensioner showed just a tad of play so it looks like good policy to replace the tensioner as a matter of course when changing the cambelt...

All in all, a very satisfying day although I'm now dead-beat tired and seem to have got a bad case of hay-fever. Seems a bit early for it but I'm here with red eyes, a streaming nose and a sore throat

Surely not yet another bloody cold

The Activa will shortly be assuming daily driver duties as it's now time to get Old V6 ready for her MOT. That'll be her third MOT in my care and two years since the autobox rebuild...

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 20 Mar 2011, 22:09

That old rad was rather blocked up Jim, it would have been even worse had I not vacuumed it out when I had the car, not good about the tensioner as I replaced that @ 100,600 Miles all be it 5 1/2 years ago, do you think the belt was too tight as that can cause a whine?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 21 Mar 2011, 18:15

DickieG wrote:do you think the belt was too tight as that can cause a whine?

No, I don't think so as the old belt was pretty much spot-on tension-wise and the whine was a recent addition to the soundtrack. You know me, the whine was not especially bad, just enough for me to be aware of it...

Anyone else might not have worried about it

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 26 Mar 2011, 21:29

At last

An easy straightforward job on the Activa... I swapped the front discs and pads today and all went exactly to plan, even the Torx screws holding the discs to the hubs came out easily with the aid of an impact driver. Pistons screwed back easily and the whole job was as smooth as silk

I then washed and leathered both the Activa and Old V6 and they both look very shiny now.

Robyn called me this evening. Her 206 has suffered an as-yet unknown failure on the braking system. Her handbrake locked on and would not release. It did with a bit of a crunch sound as she tried reverse and now she has very long and spongy brake pedal.

We needed to recover her car back to my place so I can investigate and as she was worried about driving it, she drove my Activa whilst I gingerly drove her 206...

She enjoyed the Activa immensely

Although she did confess it felt initially very weird after her 206, especially in the braking department...

She soon got to grips with it and I reckon I've made a Xantia convert of her. I wonder how long it will be before she wants one...

As always, the Activa has thrown another small toy. After a bit of a spirited drive I thought the exhaust sounded a bit different. A quick inspection showed the back-box to centre section joint is failing and both parts are in need of replacement. Next job: a new exhaust

Apart from that she's running like a clock

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 26 Mar 2011, 21:57

CitroJim wrote:As always, the Activa has thrown another small toy. After a bit of a spirited drive I thought the exhaust sounded a bit different. A quick inspection showed the back-box to centre section joint is failing and both parts are in need of replacement. Next job: a new exhaust

That car is definitely female, requires lots of attention and money spent on it

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 27 Mar 2011, 19:38

DickieG wrote: That car is definitely female, requires lots of attention and money spent on it

Of that there is no doubt Richard

Read on...

I was up bright and early this morning but not so early as I thought. I'd completely forgotten the clocks were going forward

I was onto Robyn's acr as son as I could and found one rear wheel rotated with a bit of graunchiness. Drum off and all became very clear...

The linings had completely parted from the shoes and had been rattling around inside the drum until it caused a jam..

I could find no real reason and the other side was perfect

Anyway, after a run to our factors new linings were fitted and all was well.. 206 Bendix brakes, despite being drums, are not bad at all. One tip to reuse the hub nuts is to swap them side to side. then a new area of the edge becomes available for re-staking...

Then it was gardening time. lawn mowed and a start made on tidying the borders. That came to a halt when my garden waste bin became full. That's my excuse anyway. I have a very short attention-span when gardening

Then, it being a lovely evening I set off in the Activa with the intention of visiting friends. It was low on petrol so on the way I filled it and then, pulling out of the filling station the back box separated from the mid-section with a clang and a very fruity exhaust note. A quick run home to get the V6 but that was low on fuel too. Filled up (after the cashier did a double-take - "weren't you here just 10 minutes ago?") and headed toward the M1. It was gridlocked and luckily I spotted it before entering the slip-road. I thought I'd be clever and try taking the back-road to the next junction and it was jut as bad

Turn round and go home. I felt the omens were not good

Wonder what toy the Activa will throw out of her pram when the new exhaust is fitted? It's becoming quite an adventure

Still despite all that, she's driving a treat. The V6, although incredibly comfy, seems a bit soft and roly-poly after the Activa.

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 27 Mar 2011, 19:56

Thanks for picking me up from the dentist yesterday Jim

Popped out to sort the garage today, with a view to taking things easy, found a box of car bits that I need to go through, and my battery charger (which for some reason was in a rucksack hanging from a nail...) so I've put Jenny's on for a charge.
Feeling quite drained now, had hoped to redo the blower relay mod in Cassy, moving it to under the steering column, especially as I noticed her blower wires getting rather warm, but I can't for the life of me remember where my gas soldering iron is!
While out in the garden, Danielle and I noticed a burnt orange bee we'd never seen before, so she went and looked it up, first we thought it was a red mason bee, but that led us to decide it was a tawney mining bee.
They burrow into the ground, which I think is a good excuse not to mow the lawn

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 02 Apr 2011, 13:42

Got my new Activa Exhaust last night, courtesy of FCF Couriers (Thanks Chris

).

Despite a very busy week and feeling shattered I fitted it last evening. Big mistake

The exhaust fitted fine but it nearly killed me

I don't know why but afterward I felt very ill and dreadful so hence no appearance on here until now.

I'm still groggy. Note to self, don't do work after a busy week when already feeling three-parts dead.

Anyway, the exhaust fitted a treat. Except (and there's always an except with my Activa) the new centre box is wider than the old one and now on bumps the height corrector manual height rod that runs parallel with the silencer now touches it making the most annoying rattling noise. It's not that bad but by my standards, it's niggling in the extreme.. I'm going to wrap something around it to stop it rattling.

Apart from that, I really do believe the Activa is now ready for the summer

I'm off to Somerset in it tomorrow and intend to visit a Dorset landmark of some interest to Activa owners. More when I've returned...

Toby_HDi · Unread post by **Toby_HDi** » 02 Apr 2011, 13:55

CitroJim wrote:I'm off to Somerset in it tomorrow and intend to visit a Dorset landmark of some interest to Activa owners. More when I've returned...

Zig-Zag Hill perchance?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 02 Apr 2011, 14:35

Toby_HDi wrote: Zig-Zag Hill perchance?

Funny you should say that Toby

It looks like a lot of fun. I guess you've gone up and down it then?

Got my exhaust correctly aligned now. A few well-aimed bending adjustments and a few whallops from a hide hammer has it sitting nicely now