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

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 04 Jun 2011, 20:49

Firstly, many thanks to Xantia V6 for noting my continued frustration with my ongoing Vodafone 3G problems at my home and recommending I get a SureSignal box. I now have one and finally, after years of having no or little signal, I have a full 'five bars' all over the estate!!!

This little box of tricks is called a 'Femtocell' and it is a little base station in your home that connects back to the Vodaphone switching centre via a VPN over your broadband. It does everything a real phone mast does, only in miniature.

No more missed calls and texts and no more having to stand in one spot like a statue when a call comes in!

Xac's Juliet has come to stay with me for a while in order to have intensive corrective therapy for her problems. That's a blowing exhaust manifold gasket, strange suspension behavour and other small maladies.

Of the first, my jury is really still out on how wise or practical it is to do the job wit the engine in place. After really looking at the job today, I'm of a mind that it might be easier in the long-run to whip the engine out to do the job. All I know is that it's going to be an absolute horror of a job with the engine in place. Access is rubbish and next We'll see if the engine can be substantially tilted to improve access.

She has problems in her suspension department. She can't keep level or ant one height for long and goes into a very slow oscillation. Tghis is caused by her main system pressure falling so much when the Activa system operates that the anti-sink valves close. It makes her funny to drive too...

I initially thought it was a ram with an internal leak causing it but today, both rams have been checked and appear to be healthy. The pump and pressure regulator are now causing suspicion. The pump is a bit weepy and as my Old V6 also has a small pump weep too, I'm planning next week, whilst on leave, to take the whole lot to Pleiades and have them checked over and refurbished as necessary.

More new of Juliet as it happens....

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 05 Jun 2011, 08:46

Jim have you thought about using your sphere pressure test gauge to test hydraulic pressures at various sections of the system on Xac's car? I used mine on my DS and it worked a treat.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Jun 2011, 09:19

That's a jolly inspired idea Richard

My tester gauge only reads to 100 bars and that won't be enough... I'll need to get a gauge that reads 200 bars at least.

I have enough bits of pipe and K junctions to do the job...

Excellent!!!

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 05 Jun 2011, 10:19

CitroJim wrote:That's a jolly inspired idea Richard My tester gauge only reads to 100 bars and that won't be enough... I'll need to get a gauge that reads 200 bars at least.

I've got one you can borrow

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 05 Jun 2011, 20:48

That is some very odd behavior from Juliet, im sure you will son get it sorted out

Gareth did the manifold gasket on what is now my Activa with the engine in situ.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Jun 2011, 21:15

Citroenmad wrote: Gareth did the manifold gasket on what is now my Activa with the engine in situ.

Silly me

I kept thinking Gareth did the job on my old Activa when he swapped Turbos.. he did take the engine out for that but more because the clutch was weak...

It completely slipped my mind that he did the job on yours

I've dug out his thread on it and I can see the extent of the job now and how he did it

That thread is absolute gold dust...

Chris570 popped over this morning and between us we removed the regulator and HP pump. I'm going to take them to Pleiades for checking and then see if that cracks the hydraulic problems. If it doesn't then goodness knows!!

Sadly, rain stopped play. It'll be good for the garden though...

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 05 Jun 2011, 21:23

Its an interesting thread to me that one, very good to read what has been done, what is likely to be need doing and general info on the car from before I got it, something rarely given when buying a car. Though im happy with the suspension side of things, the ride and handling now seems spot on.

With that in mind do you think you might attempt Juliets with the engine still in the car? Its probably what I would go for unless the car needs other things.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Jun 2011, 21:36

Yes indeed Chris. If I can avoid removing her engine I will. Funnily, if she was a V6 I'd not even contemplate not removing the engine as it's actually easier than an Activa. The engine and ML5 gearbox is incredibly wide and as the gearbox tucks under the chassis rail the engine has to come out with a good old lateral tilt. The V6 and it's huge autobox is actually much narrower overall! Also, unlike the V6 you can't easily unbolt the aircon compressor and leave it in the engine bay whilst lifting the engine. Really, I don't want to have to degas the aircon and I'm sure Xac would be happy too as it's only been recently regassed after fitting a new receiver/drier.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Jun 2011, 18:39

Good work on Juliet today

I popped over to see Pleiades and handed over her pump and regulator for checking along with my spare V6 pump for eventual fitting to old V6.

Juliet responded well to some intensive spannering around her turbo. I now have the top oil and water feed pipes disconnected, the big alloy turbo pipe off, which the aforementioned oil and water pipes are clipped to. The oil feed connection to the turbo is a bit of a tricky one but luckily the other end of it is on a flexi pipe so once released from the turbo it can be placed well out of the way. The water feed pipe was disconnected at both ends and this is now floppy too.

The turbo heatshield bolts came out without a struggle and most of the manifold nuts appear to be loose!!!

The job started badly but things are looking much better now

There's a lot of tricks to doing the job and I'll still not call it an easy one by any means...

I hope that tomorrow will see the new manifold gasket ready to be fitted...

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 06 Jun 2011, 20:17

Fantastic news Jim!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Jun 2011, 21:57

Xac wrote:Fantastic news Jim!

Even better, at close of play, the score is 10 manifold studs off (some of those are a bit hard to reach), turbo bracket undone (mega tight, needed a reverse flute socket on top of the torx head to get enough torque to it) and manifold sitting half an inch away from the head

Sadly, the exhaust flange nuts and bolts, the springy ones on the brillo pad sandwich, are toast and will need to be sawed off and replaced. There's nothing left of their heads through rust. I just can't get any sort of grip on them.

We're winning but what a parlarva!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 07 Jun 2011, 13:08

Done it

Here's the manifold sitting about an inch and a bit from the head:

And here's the remains of the old gasket

Not much of it left at all, the fire rings had just crumbled to dust...

Bit worried about the whiteness of ports 2 and 3...

Not only that but I used a method that dispenses with the additional work of splitting the turbo off the manifold and disconnecting the cat from the turbo outlet

The job with have been much easier on an LHD car as the steering pinion would not have got in the way

With gentle jacking and pulling the engine forward off it's RH mount just enough clearance can be gained...

So, what looks to be an absolute, total and utter nightmare just turns out to be a complete nightmare of a job.

Just got to put it all back together now

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 07 Jun 2011, 15:19

You're amazing Jim!
I'm going to have to bring over the new door and rear bumper before you run out of things to do!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 07 Jun 2011, 17:22

The new gasket is fitted and the manifold is back on

Xac wrote: I'm going to have to bring over the new door and rear bumper before you run out of things to do!

Hey

Hold on, there's a lot of mechanical work do yet before we get into cosmetics!!!!!

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 07 Jun 2011, 17:28

CitroJim wrote:The new gasket is fitted and the manifold is back on

Xac wrote: I'm going to have to bring over the new door and rear bumper before you run out of things to do!
Hey Hold on, there's a lot of mechanical work do yet before we get into cosmetics!!!!!

Look, I only did it the once, and that was for the Rocky Horror Show!