BX bodge

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 16 Jun 2006, 22:38

My BX has been inexplicably losing coolant for the last 4 or 5 weeks or so, sometimes dripping, sometimes not, and it never seemed to drip when I was in a position to get it up on ramps and search for the pesky leak.

Tonight it was cambelt change time, and that's when I finally tracked it down to the heater hose from the pump outlet to the matrix. It had started to split just above the pump outlet, and with a bit of wriggling could be made to leak, and with the engine being jacked up and down to get the belt on the leak unfortunately got a whole lot worse...........and this is the week I've cut the wheelarches out of the Triumph, so I need to keep the BX on the road, no waiting about for dealer only hoses..........

Citroens annoying habit of using hoses with different diameters at each end means you can't just use a bit of stock hose so here's my creation!!!

I had a meter of 1" hose sitting in the shed, found another bit of hose that would fit the matrix pipe, got my plumbing box and blow-torch out and rigged this up- and it works!!!!

But due to it's general inaccsessability it took longer to fix than the belt took to change...........

Give me a broken Triumph to fix anyday!!!!!

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Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 17 Jun 2006, 00:44

I keep getting told stories about how when aluminium heads were new, they used to clog their radiators. The radiator cores used to be copper so you'd get electrolytic deposition of alumiunium on the copper radiator cores. You'll probably get a bit of that with your copper fittings, but its a fairly large bore so it'll take a few years before it blocks itself! Keep the antifreeze strong and change it on schedule!

Well bodged!!!

Stewart(oily) · Post by **Stewart(oily)** » 18 Jun 2006, 14:23

Nice use of plumbing stuff there, I use it for diesel and LHM too

Stewart

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 18 Jun 2006, 20:43

Just be sure that the piece you've fitted has enough flexibility in it to soften the stress between the engine and the firewall as we have had a couple of those that have snapped the plastic fitting that comes through the firewall from the matrix.
It seems that due to a combination of heat and age, they get quite brittle and if there's any stress allowed to be placed upon the fitting, it snaps like a carrot. The bad news is that the fitting is marked as NLA and to my knowledge, the only way of getting a new one is by buying a matrix unless a wrecker has one floating about. We're looking at knocking a couple out from stainless steel.
If you're worried about mixing metals, there is a range of heat resistent black plastic connectors and elbows we can get out here so I expect you'd get them over there, although, given the hot environment that fitting would be in, I'm a bit like you; reckon the copper should be the best alternative on this one.

Alan S