1997 1.9TD Estate - A Tyre-ing question about handling

[chinkostu]

I've seen some that are properly steep!

I bet the pump was going full chat all the time if he's had turn it back a lot! I'd use that as a baseline then gradually turn it back up.


As far as the pump being rotated it's to retard/advance the timing slightly. Glad its sorted!

[CitroJim]

Gosh, that is a seriously well-worked LDA pin

Good to hear all is rather less smoky now and the MoT should be a formality...

You'll possibly find fuel economy will be a lot better too I can get nearly 60 mpg out of mine on a run...

[beko1987]

It's more than a well worked pin, it's custom made! Just a metal blank the correct dimensions ground out!

New MOT is tomorrow, at a place near work as I have no more annual leave left, but can take an extended lunch break so 12.15 tomorrow is judgement day! I can 'warm her up' on the bypass to get to this place, so the plan is to hoon it right up the road, get it nice and hot then around the corner 'blow out the cobwebs' again then just hope really! Does accidentally letting a crate of beer fall out the boot work still?

[CitroJim]

All the best for the MOT tomorrow... I'm sure it will be just a formality after all the work you've done...

[beko1987]

I hope so, the current MOT runs out on the 23rd... At least if it does pass next year should be a breeze! It's been tight to pass for the last few years apparently, but everyone else has had friendly testers who have got it through, I'm the first person to put any actual work in.

Now the fuel pump isn't on full clatter mode and the exhaust is airtight and has a backbox it's a sublime quiet drive now! I can rev up to 3k now without being deafened. Can't wait to get the suspension working right/better next year!

[CitroJim]

Now the fuel pump isn't on full clatter mode and the exhaust is airtight and has a backbox it's a sublime quiet drive now! I can rev up to 3k now without being deafened. Can't wait to get the suspension working right/better next year!

That's how they're supposed to be!!!

What's the suspension issues? Very happy to help diagnose and fix those

[beko1987]

I need to bring it over to you for your expert eye, but from what I have been told, the spheres were done over 6 years ago by the first autoshite bloke to own it, and all feel quite dead, the rears especially, the LHM was changed maybe 4 years ago and is still quite green, but not the luminous colour it should be, and the rear height corrector is stiff and needs me to follow your guide and strip it, and I'll probably do the front too. The rear sinks when parked in 'normal' 8 out of 10 times too

So my plan is when I get my bonus payment from work and can hit it all in one go is replace all the spheres, fill with hydraflush (as it's never had that) and clean the filters and bleed it through (so I'll need 10l of flush to bleed enough through...) remove and strip the height correctors (may, MAY leave the front as that seems to be fine and hope the flush sorts that out), then after 3-4k, dump the hydraflush out and refill with LHM, clean the filters and bleed through. Then ask you very nicely if you could run your lexia over it to check all is in order and hope for the best!

Then new tyres all round as well, as they are low/perished/rubbish!

A good service

It'll mean sinking maybe 400 quid into it, but it should be worth it and then not need such a big expense for a fair while afterwards. All it needs are usual cit issues, my XM was MUCH better after changing the fluid (and you letting me test the spheres), but I think mainly just the fluid change helped that. My front struts are occasionally groaning when coming up to full height or just before they drop down from full height (if I park her in high the back doesnt sink...)

Then it's time to look at the rust, but I'll be happy with a solid but not 100% tidy repair there so that might help make the job easier/cheaper... failing that I'll pour rust reverser all over it and get busy with the chicken wire and wob (joke...)

This is why I want to make sure it passes the MOT and will be worth spending that much on! If it wasn't then I wouldn't bother, but I think it will be. Until something else decides to go wrong in febuary and distract me from the bigger picture again! It's been the rear height corrector jamming up, aux/cam belt malarky and now this. But I suppose that's what happens when you spend #250 on an unloved Xantia, although it's had work done when needed, just nothing preventative in recent years.

Then maybe I can start to do the less important things like the interior, odds and sods that are missing and maybe even cleaning it. Saying that I've cleaned the interior 3 times since I've had it, not touched the outside yet!

You watch my bonus not be as much as I am expecting it to be and me hurridly changing this list...

[CitroJim]

Do by all means pop over... It'll be really great to see you again Don't just wholesale replace all the spheres without checking them first. I have a sphere tester here you're welcome to use...

Six years on, some of the spheres may still be perfectly serviceable...

As long as LHM is green it'll still be OK...

[beko1987]

I dunno, the 3 rears are so rusty I want to replace them anyway. The front 3 may be ok I suppose, but if I can afford to do them all I may as well (although now I can hear the accumulator sphere I should check the ticking. Does the bounce test I learnt when I had the XM work on the Xant? The XM was Hydractive though, my xantia isn't.

The LHM looks quite clean, when I was doing the exhaust I idly pulled off one of the tiny little clear pipes that come off a t piece and nice green fluid came out before I put the pipe back on.

I want to hydraflush it though, in 136k it's never had it (well, unless it was done early in the cars life).

[CitroJim]

Is your Hydractive then?

[CitroJim]

Never judge a sphere by its appearance... It can be very deceptive

[beko1987]

I'll find a clear saturday before March then and come and see you! That way at least I can buy what I need.

[CitroJim]

I'll find a clear saturday before March then and come and see you! That way at least I can buy what I need.

Just the job PM me first as I'm often already occupied I work part-time so Mondays and Fridays are also potentials too...

[beko1987]

My annual leave resets in january so that could work. I'll let you know.

[chinkostu]

The front struts groaning could be fixed with a flush, mine were loads better when i dropped the old lhm out for hydraflush!