Broomie's BX

[tomsheppard]

I have collected Paul's old BX on behalf of DLM who is finding the TZI estate a bit too thirsty. Paul had the car for five years and kept it very well indeed before a suspected HG failure induced him to buy a Xantia to replace it. The local Citroen dealers will have retired to Barbados having seen the service history which is expensive and extensive eg.at 110,000 miles it has had new front struts, water pump and tensioner, new rear wheel bearings etc. Alas, it is the sweetest TD engine I have driven and I'm envious of David's good luck! I mustn't grumble, though; My commission on the favour is a pair of 20,000 mile old front struts! The car steers and sticks well, too and the Waxoyled shell is reassuringly good so I hope that David will get many years out of it (unless a mysterious hit and run rear ender with a steamroller should happen - I love that engine![}:)])
The Blown HG:
When it was first started from cold, there was no sign of pressurisation. I lifted the header tank cap at thirty seconds running and not a trace of trouble. I told Paul that I was fairly certain that the HG was sound but, needing a reliable car,understandably he couldn't take the risk and it all costs time and money as we know.
Two five gallon containers were scrounged from the company skip, one with half a litre of fierce lorry wash remaining which was duly plundered. Brought Grolliffe up a treat! Rinsed out, they were refilled in case I needed them to get home. Paul had removed the Stat. to keep the engine temperature down. It wouldn't overheat until I got to 90 and if I kept to 70 I would be all right, he told me. Now if a HG is blown, the engine pressurises, the water comes out and the plot overheats given time. Driving at a constant 70 would give trouble, sooner rather than later. This just did not sound like a HG to me so I set off, cheered by the nice weather, electric sunroof and the nice (Not TOO precious,) DS sighted around the corner. The traffic out of London was easy, one benefit of an early start. (6.45 train. The station newsagent opens at 7. Need I say more?)Setting a maximum of 65, I wafted along to Fleet where I switched off to check the level which was unchanged and then begged a jump start from a passer by. Doh! I knew that the battery was finished! No water loss - Try a little harder. I did, never difficult with a Turbo, and it went very nicely but with no sign of a yellow alert. Arriving at Southampton, the window cleaner's car was blocking the drive, so I left the car running for five minutes while he finished off and felt the hot top of the radiator. Fans should be on by now! They aren't. The connector to the fan switch is still black and greasy.You don't need a fingerprinting kit to see that it has not been touched. Hang on. Maybe just this once, I can post about a Diesel that HASN'T blown its HG! I'll let David do the diagnostics from here but I think that he has been unusually fortunate!