2.1 TD Xantia on a budget

[Skull]

The drive to the MOT centre wasn't that enlightening except to confirm suspicions that the rear suspension is too firm - I tried to drag the brakes to clean them up a bit on the way over and over rev the engine to blow the soot out ....

MOT FAILURE

Mostly front brake related - RBT Brake Imbalance 37% / fronts binding / brakes excessively fluctuating - plus the dreaded emissions

My regular helpful tester said possibly needs calipers/discs/pads but It's supposed to be on a budget so

I had a longer drive home and the brakes seemed to feel as if they were going on in 2 phases without any additional foot pressure from me.

So I've released the handbrake cables to see if that was the binding problem - no obvious improvement / stripped the pads out wound back the piston - all seemed pretty free considering it's been laid up for a while, but I've cleaned them up and lubed re-bled the fronts rotated the discs 180 degree to see if that has any effect - road test and they feel a lot smoother without that 2nd boost feeling of the brakes.

Advisory

All discs worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened.
*Rear brake pipes corroded

* Plan to clean these up and repaint once MOT's passed along with my first go at sphere renewal

Retest tomorrow after a more aggressive blast over to hopefully clear the soot out.

£403.82 Purchase and repair
£30.15 24Hrs Insurance
£35 MOT fee
£468.77 It's not easy to do these on the cheap

To be continued .....

[KP]

Has it now passed the MOT on emissons??

If not drop me a PM

[Mandrake]

If you're thinking cat KP, are the petrol and diesel cats not different ? As far as I know diesel cats are 2 way not 3 way.

[KP]

Diesel cat's aren't needed. Just the appearance of one

But while that could help thats not what i was thinking

[Skull]

She has now passed - much better with a bit of shown to her front brakes.

Just the same advisories

As a reward I am going to treat her to a new illumination bulb in the air con control panel whilst I have the radio out before I refit the original radio which has a great tuner in it and will give me an excuse to get the old cassette tapes out for a blast from the past.

Bleed nipples (one was rounded before I even touched it) unavailable Anyone know an alternative

Priced up spheres whilst I was at the dealers £160 each and awaiting a labour quote for the 3 rears to be fitted (just out of interest as we're on a budget remember)

Get my Saxo cleaned up for a sale and then I will put the Xantia on the road next month once I've saved up for the road tax

Whilst I was at the dealers the DS5 caught my eye as a flash looking car

Back to the topic and I will now be sourcing the spheres and any necessary tools - initial thoughts are to swap all the rears and clean up the pipes and repaint to try to protect them from corrosion .....

I'd forgot how stressful MOT's can be

[Skull]

KP

Thanks for the offer I've certainly seen worse smokers but a good blast (it shifts but had to keep it in 3rd gear to keep it legal )on the way to the MOT this morning seems to have done the trick

[Mandrake]

Priced up spheres whilst I was at the dealers £160 each and awaiting a labour quote for the 3 rears to be fitted (just out of interest as we're on a budget remember)

I hope you told them where they could put their £160 spheres.

About £20 each from AEP direct.

Back to the topic and I will now be sourcing the spheres and any necessary tools - initial thoughts are to swap all the rears and clean up the pipes and repaint to try to protect them from corrosion .....

For sphere removal you want something like this:



Oil filter strap wrenches, chain wrenches etc usually aren't up to the task.

I'd forgot how stressful MOT's can be

Tell me about it! I was almost ill from stress before my last MOT...

[Skull]

Mandrake

many thanks for the 'tool' photo ..... I will be scouring my garage for something similar

If only I can find something to fit onto my torque wrench .....

[Hell Razor5543]

Take a look in Xacs' signature, as he has a decent DIY sphere removal tool that will shift most spheres.

I am surprised that bleed nipples are not available. I replaced both of Gracies' rear ones (they didn't look too good), and got them from Citroen. Before removing the old ones give them a daily dose of Plus Gas for a week, as this will help loosen them up. When I fitted the new ones I put a smear of copper slip on the threads to help limit them seizing again in the future.

[Skull]

Hell Razor5543

Yeah that's the way with them nipples

Cheers - I will be taking a tour of all the sphere topics in stickies on here to familiarise myself with the method and likely problems .....

[Skull]

Trying to get the rear spheres 'cracked off' is a mother

sprayed them with penetrating fluid over 2 days even though there are no threads visible and applied some heat with the paint stripper gun

I tried Ramocc's suggestion at the price http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Produ ... movalband/

Broke that

Broke a chain wrench http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... ain+wrenchattached to my torque wrench on 80 Ibs /foot and the suspension cylinder has rotated stretching and enlarging the rusty keeper eye

Having read CitroJim's thread

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 22&t=24595

I agree if you've managed to free yours off with a chain/filter wrench you were very lucky or skilled

I tried a hoist type of chain link shackled around the sphere with some rough 40 grit sandpaper wrapped around the sphere to improve the grip of the chain and a heavy duty screwdriver but she's not budging yet ....

I was going to try and make a sphere removal tool as per Xac's thread http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=21850 but with the prices / time and effort I might just buy one ......

Currently.... tying to find a way of preventing the suspension cylinder rotating with the limited access is also a problem I'm trying to find a solution to ..... the guy who put these on hand tight must have been

[KP]

Possibly over tightened when put on but the metal on metal reaction does most of it.

The cylinder won't turn and it's well worth getting a proper tool, mine is now with Citroenxm and did me proud for years but too small for c5 ones made me sell it on and now I have xantias again! Lol

[Skull]

The suspension cylinder is turning rather than the sphere loosening though ....

[RichardW]

I've got a tool exactly like the one Simon posted a pic of in my garage (I might even give it back to him one day ). It shifted the rear spheres on my Xantia no problem, even though they have not been touched for (at least) 100k / 6 years, and 6 Scottish winters. Unfortunately it also removed a large chunk of the OS cylinder, which opened up another whole world of pain, so proceed with caution!!

Re the turning, you are doing on high suspension with the wheels on the ground? The collar on the cylinder will come up against the subframe housing eventually, but the housing is not that substantial....

[Skull]

going back under ....