Citrojim's Pixo, Saxo and Cycling Tales

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » 11 Feb 2011, 23:22

Jims blog is a bit of a forum within forums....

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 11 Feb 2011, 23:27

more like novel really, the transport and tribulations of Jim E.................

D

Sid_the_Squid · Post by **Sid_the_Squid** » 12 Feb 2011, 09:47

Thats for the sympathy all,

Its a real frustrating issue as Andrew will no doubt attest to.

Slightly good news I've found a local guy with a flatbed car transporter who seems reasonable cost wise, so next month when I should have a bit of spare money I may get her shipped over to B&L as they are fairly confident about where the issue lies

CitroJim · Post by **CitroJim** » 13 Feb 2011, 20:57

I'm really sorry that I couldn't crack it for you Sid but as we both know, the conditions in which it's parked and discharged batteries were not ideal for in-depth diagnosis..

I'd love to have got to the bottom of it but alas, current circumstances will not permit but i shall be interested to hear of the eventual outcome...

This past week has passed in a blur (again) and yesterday I ran new V6 down to Somerset to see the folks. She ran beautifully as always and her gearbox is still nicely oil-tight and is Activa's rear ram.

Today, this afternoon actually, other tasks finally complete, I could escape into the workshop for a tad of spannering.

First job was to give the place a jolly good tidy-up and then a refurbish of the first of two height correctors for Xantiaman's Activa. Poor Gareth has been waiting a long time for me to find an opportunity to get them sorted...

Next week promises to be another blur but I need to take a day off to service Robyn's 206. She's off on a long trip in it at the weekend and wants to be sure it's OK.

This coming weekend I hope to begin some work on my Activa. A new rad, new discs and pads and a new waterpump and cambelt...

I just hope time and weather are on my side...

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 14 Feb 2011, 14:16

CitroJim wrote:
First job was to give the place a jolly good tidy-up and then a refurbish of the first of two height correctors for Xantiaman's Activa. Poor Gareth has been waiting a long time for me to find an opportunity to get them sorted...
.

Jim, as said i was in no rush for these, i've not driven the car all that much recently, i did order a new dipstick and clamp for the exhaust a couple of weeks back and still not fitted them!

CitroJim · Post by **CitroJim** » 14 Feb 2011, 18:12

Fair dos Gareth, they're here when you want them

Let me know and we'll arrange something...

Something i forgot to say in my last entry: New V6, on the run to Somerset and back averaged 31.5MPG and I wasn't exactly hanging around

Not bad for a V6!

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 14 Feb 2011, 21:44

The rear height corrector isn't original.

When I got the Activa the original corrector had lost the end rubber cap. The one you see from the rear.

The rear corrector now fitted is from the french ebay site www.ebay.fr and was the only one I could find for sale at the time. It's not new, It's off a french Xantia from a french breakers yard.

CitroJim · Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Feb 2011, 11:26

Gareth, both height correctors are now overhauled...

But, and this is a big but, unless your hydraulic unions on the existing height correctors are easily undoable then I'm running away, fast...

Why? Read on but be warned the following tale is a harrowing one. Don't read on if you are of an nervous disposition...

My Activa has been suffering an ever-increasingly lazy rear height corrector and yesterday I decided to bit the bullet and sort it. I thought I'd slip the corrector off and give it an overhaul. Easy, hour's work and job's a good 'un...

Err, no...

One union undid Ok but the others were stuck absolutely fast and despite a good flare nut spanner the unions rounded. Small Stillsons would not budge them either. I was stuck..

A call to Pleiades for advice brought forth the best course was to cut the pipes, attack the recalcitrant unions on the bench and make up new pipes. That was finme for the short pipe to the anti-sink valve but one of the pipes disappeared off into the depths of the subframe. The answer was to cut it, flare it and use a barrel connector on it.

I took a run over to Pleiades and borrowed their flaring tool and raced back and did the job. In cutting one pipe I found it had a steel wire inside it which made it interesting. I'm not sure of the function of this wire but it must be some sort of flow restrictor.

Pipes cut and the height corrector finally came free. To undo the unions I had to squash them in a vice and turn the height corrector body to undo them. They were so tight it took all My strength...

Here's one being undone!

After that, I stripped the corrector and found it was moderately dirty inside. Despite very clean LHM and having been flushed in the past, the height correctors seem to be dirt traps and nothing except a strip and clean will remove it. The dirt blocks the graduated hole in the damping chamber which causes the corrector to be slow to respond and unable to respond to small changes in height.

Having cleaned the height corrector I then flared the cut pipe ready for a barrel connector. Here's the tool ready to make a flare:

Finally, with new pipes made up in kunifer, this was the result. You can see the barrel connector...

And the result?

A lovely sensitive and responsive height corrector that has transformed the rear-end of the car and made it ride better. Just a small change in height now makes it correct very rapidly and the "sit in the boot" test now works perfectly whereas it never did before.

It was worth doing but a nightmare of epic proportions. Gareth, I'm sure this is what yours needs but unless your unions will undo, be afraid, very afraid. I've no desire to go there again!

One place I have to go though right now is back to Pleiades to return the flaring tool!

And lastly, in this catalogue of woe, my rear ram is weeping again

I have a another ram on the bench now with a broken spigot for refurbishment and fitting whilst I plan another word with our main dealer over a ram that's failed in less then a year...

The, when that's done, I have new disks, pads, rad and cambelt/waterpump to fit...

I wonder just want sort of a battle those jobs will result in

One of lesser resolve could end up hating an Activa quite easily and it's a good job they redeem themselves by being a wonderful drive..

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 18 Feb 2011, 11:48

Ooo something I have to look forward to on Cassy and Juliet

Does the intermediate height now work though Jim?

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 18 Feb 2011, 12:40

Jim, good news is that Kev posted the other day and had replaced the rear height corrector, so the unions should be fine, the front should also be ok by virtue of the fact it gets soaked in oil..,

CitroJim · Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Feb 2011, 18:47

That's good Gareth but do check and be certain. All you need is an 8mm flare nut spanner and just loosen the unions a bit. You have no worries about encouraging leakage doing his even if you loosen them right off and do them up again.

I have huge mental scars from yesterday's shenanigans. I look at a height corrector now and have an urge to run away and hide in a dark corner...

Post by **RichardW** » 18 Feb 2011, 20:41

It'll pass Jim...one of those "Wish I hadn't started this" moments!

CitroJim · Post by **CitroJim** » 18 Feb 2011, 20:50

RichardW wrote:It'll pass Jim...one of those "Wish I hadn't started this" moments!

I'm sure it will Richard

At one point yesterday it came very close to getting rid of all my Xantias and going out and buying something brand-new

Happily, the recovery has begun. I'm currently refurbishing an Activa ram...

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 18 Feb 2011, 20:50

I get those moments all the time. Worth it in the end though.

I've got it all to look forward to on the Activa. It's hopefully back on the road in March/April so it's action stations to get it sorted for its MOT, taxed and then the work begins on slowly getting up together, at the same time as getting the Coupé up together as well.

Such fun!

davetherave · Post by **davetherave** » 18 Feb 2011, 23:32

Luckily Gareth, if you do run into trouble, you have someone round the corner with a flaring tool and pipe!