CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 03 May 2011, 17:18

Old V6 is all back on the road now

One side-effect of re-sealing the pump appears to be a lengthened tick rate... I nearly got fed up with waiting for it to tick this afternoon. When it eventually does, the pump only runs for a split-second...

She's all ready for the MOT man now...

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 May 2011, 22:14

Pal of mine blew up his Pug 306 1.9TD gearbox in the week by towing his dad's broken-down Rover 75 from Nottingham to MK. he started out with a full complement of cogs in the box and at the end of the journey he was reduced to one

He limped it to my place and this evening we set about the job of replacing clutch and gearbox...

On draining the 'box we found out why it died. About and eggcupful of oil ran out of it

I can't wait to pull the 'box apart and inspect the carnage inside. It makes some truly horrible noises...

I was prepared for the RH driveshaft intermediate bearing to be a bit of fun but in the event it slipped out of it's housing with hardly a murmur...

Wish I could say the same about the clutch release shaft pin

That one was a bit of a game. We ended up heating the shaft and using a hammer and punch on a pair of Molegrips squeezed on the end of the pin. With much effort the pin came out slowly but it really fought to the very last millimetre...

We're now ready to drop the old 'box and replace it and clutch. That'll have to wait until Sunday now as I have a wedding to attend tomorrow...

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 08 May 2011, 20:11

Part II of the 306 gearbox transplant went very well today and the job is done.

I'm most grateful to Chris570 who popped over and lent us an exceedingly good hand. Thanks Chris

Chris is a dab-hand at getting gearboxes to pop home on their splines. It took two goes though as first time the release bearing rotated out of alignment during fitting. That was found by trying to test operate the clutch. It's a good idea to do that as soon as the 'box is on and before doing anything else.

All in all, a clutch change on a 306 is not a bad job at all... A tad easier than the Xantia... The 306 is a well designed little car and generally is a joy to work on.

I shall now strip the wrecked 'box. One thing I do know is that it rattles when shaken

I can see already that one of the diff bearings has collapsed..

I was treated to a meal as thanks for doing the job and afterward we had a look at the Rover 75 that was the cause of the demise of the 306 gearbox. The clutch pedal was on the floor. The Rover has a hydraulic clutch setup much like the Xantia in that it's basically sealed for life. the major difference is that it has a bleed nipple and the slave cylinder is internal and part of the release bearing. If the slave goes it's a gearbox off job to swap it...

We had a look at the master cylinder and found it very low on fluid. The Rescue man had tried to bleed it and failed. What was in there was very dirty.

To get to the master cylinder it was necessary to take a bit of the lower dash off and then with a massive fiddle the cylinder reservoir could be topped up using a small shot glass half full of fluid and some contortions. We pumped through fluid until it came out of the bleed nipple clean and were rewarded with a perfectly functional clutch. How long it will last is another matter but for now it's good.

All in all, a very busy weekend but a very successful one

Chris570 · Unread post by **Chris570** » 09 May 2011, 09:40

thats very good news about the 75

beats taking the subframe off....

you're more than welcome for the hand Jim. I hate putting gearboxs back on clutches but aside from the clutch cable being in the way it wasnt all that bad really. Just glad I could help things along

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 10 May 2011, 20:53

I had the dead gearbox in bits this evening... All I can say is..

The good old BE3 is a tough old bird

Considering it ran for gawd only knows how many miles dry the only major damage is a couple of ruined diff bearings.

The end came when the diff bearings got so hot under the heavy towing load they seized and spun in their housings. This caused the outer shell on the RH side to 'walk' along the casing causing the diff to tilt and put pressure on the geartrain and prevent gear engagement. It caused things to be a tad noisy too!!!

The diff bearing housings are a bit damaged but that can be sorted with some bearing lock and potentially the 'box can be made good again.

Anyone in need of a TD BE3? If so, I'll rebuild it...

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 10 May 2011, 21:04

What are the differences in 306 boxes jim
- my Brother in Law has an iffy 2nd on his 1.4?

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=35385

Saw your (and other) replies - how do I know which type of gearbox
it uses. It DOESN'T use rods ans uses a selection rod that indirectly
pivots off a bished 90º lever.

Unread post by **citroenxm** » 10 May 2011, 21:14

1.4 box will be a ma family box.. Completely different kettle compared to a be3 box...

Paul

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 10 May 2011, 21:26

citroenxm wrote:1.4 box will be a ma family box.. Completely different kettle compared to a be3 box...

Paul

The only common component between the two so far as I can tell is the drive shaft oil seals

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 10 May 2011, 21:29

Wasn't necessarily hoping to cadge a gearbox, more any further
thoughts about the innards for my BiL's one!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 10 May 2011, 21:35

andmcit wrote: any further thoughts about the innards for my BiL's one!

Nothing more that I put in the original thread Andrew. They're not hard to strip, certainly easier than a BE3, and not hard to repair either.

Get two and make one good one from the two.. I'll almost bet you'll find a worn baulk ring or a broken detent spring in the 1/2 synchro hub.

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 10 May 2011, 21:47

I believe the jury is still out with my BiL on what he intends doing.

Best repair quote is around £300 + VAT parts inc and i'm not 100% sure
whether he'll try it for an imminent MOT first to see if he feels the car is
worth going that way as he's not enthused by a SH box were one found
for a tidy price. I'll update that linked thread under "Peugeot" when
there's progress.!!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 16 May 2011, 20:44

Happy to report the 306 is going strong on its new gearbox and it passed it's MOT without issuer after giving the handbrake an adjust and replacing a blown bulb

I stripped the old gearbox right down to the last component and found it all fine except every bearing in it is rather worn. Apart from that it's good and an excellent source of spares. It's been reassembled loosely and has joined the stash of potentially useful stuff...

After bleeding it, the Rover 75 clutch continues to function as it should and on Sunday we investigated why it was so smokey. No joke, it looked like it was running on coal - the smokescreen on accelleration was something to be proud of

On a diesel, there are only two causes of such smoke; lack of air or too much fuel. The Rover 75 engine is a Beemer common rail with a MAF sensor. Inspecting the intercooler connections gave a clue - it looked like the Torrey Canyon had run aground on the intercooler - it was literally swimming in thick black oil. For sure that side of the car is never going to rust out

After a very mucky disassembly, aided very gratefully by Chris570, we found the problem. The intercooler has an elbow on the top and this elbow is in two halves, joined by a giant version of a Xantia heater matrix connector. When we seaparated it, only 30% of the O ring was present. The intercooler therefore had a massive boost leak.

We didn't have a suitable O ring but an XU thermostat seal ring proved the point until it let go on full boost. Later the owner found a more suitable combination of O rings and all is now good and the smokescreen has disappeared. The owner says it goes rather better now as well...

Personally, I rater rate the 75. One of my neighbours mistook it for a Jag and thought I'd seen sense/gone up in the world and abandoned my Citroens

So why would a boost leak cause so much smoke. The MAF sensor ahead of the turbo measures the mass of air being sucked in and makes an assumption all this air would get to the engine. The ECU will therefore inject a commesurate amount of fuel. As most air is leaking away, there is too much fuel and hence the smoke...

Yesterday I had a good look at a Citroen C4 1.6 VTR (petrol) that had been acquired for a mere pittance. It was in overall very good nick and apart from needing a good service was an absolute steal for well under three grand for a 46,000 mile 06 plater. I was rather impressed with it

I may be getting more acquainted with it soon as it badly needs new front discs.

My fleet are all good. Routine checks on all brought nothing amiss. Old V6 goes in for her MOT next Monday. In the meantine New V6 will be very busy as she'll be taking me to Somerset and back on Friday and then to Wetherby and back over the weekend for the CCC Northern Rally.

I'm looking forward to that

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 16 May 2011, 20:52

It's even more fun to mistake someone's Jag for a Rover 75

About that project you mentioned Jim, she runs, needs a bit more air in the osf wheel which I can probably sort tomorrow, then it's just down to getting her over to you.
Her battery is so flat it would go well with maple syrup, but I bought a £30 booster pack/compressor from Aldi which turned out to be quite impressive in starting her.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 16 May 2011, 21:04

Excellent

I'm all ready for her Xac...

robert_e_smart · Unread post by **robert_e_smart** » 16 May 2011, 22:02

Yesterday I had a good look at a Citroën C4 1.6 VTR (petrol) that had been acquired for a mere pittance. It was in overall very good nick and apart from needing a good service was an absolute steal for well under three grand for a 46,000 mile 06 plater. I was rather impressed with it

These C4s are very good Jim. My sister has one the same as that, and it has been excellent since it has been here.

They're nice an easy to work on too, loads of room in the engine bay, all designed for quick and easy work.