AX bit of a lemon

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 03 Aug 2008, 18:02

Had a bit of a run through the injection system to find the cause of the flat spot. It seems the throttle potentiometer may have a dead spot. took the lid off and the track is very worn and measuring the sweep with an ohms meter there is a dip in the trace. Unfortunately the potentiometer is an integral part of the throttle body which is £300.

Post by **CitroJim** » 03 Aug 2008, 18:06

Of course it's a lemon. It's a Citroen

Nothing wrong with lemons, ask a glass of Gin and Tonic...

Scrappies will be full of throttle bodies Stempy...

Is the car OK otherwise and apart from that??

Post by **xantia_v6** » 03 Aug 2008, 18:20

Can you bend the sliding contact to make its arc on an unworn piece of track? I have managed this successfully as a semi-temporary repair on other throttle pots.

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 03 Aug 2008, 19:15

There are four wipers each with four tiny contacts so I think it would be beyond a bending remedy. I did clean it up with some contact cleaner and it ran ok for a short time but reverted to flat spotting before long.

I haven't given up yet, I'm just surprised that a throttle pot could be so worn after only 27k miles so now I'm a bit suspicious. Funny thing is, there is a receipt for a replacement 'carburettor' with the paperwork for £40, so it may have had the throttle body replaced with a used knackered one. At the moment the rest of it seems pretty good and I like the fact you can fill the tank for £30.

As you say Jim there are plenty of AX's Saxo's and 106's etc to rob parts from so I shall have to go digging.

Post by **CitroJim** » 03 Aug 2008, 19:20

I just remembered something...

Back along, when I were just a lad and playing with old radios (still do actually...) I used to "repair" duff tracks on pots with a very soft pencil. Take a 2B or softer and "draw" on the pot track to transfer some graphite from the pencil to the track.

On a carefully used volume or tone control, it could last quite a while and stop it crackling.

I'm sure it's not a good long term solution to your pot Stempy, but it might keep it going until you dig up a replacement from a scrappy perhaps.

Stempy · Post by **Stempy** » 03 Aug 2008, 20:25

Cheers Jim for the tip, no pun intended.

The plot now thickens as I've just checked the DVLA site and it appears that the recent MOT was issued with an advisory that the brakes barely passed the test. The seller said there was no advisory! Seems he was a bit of a rascal. I knew it wasn't a great stopper but now I'm scared to take it out. Still, discs are only a tenner a pair and pads about the same but it will also need new hoses according to the advisory.

The DVLA site shows the MOT history back to 2006 when it showed 21k miles, and since has needed both CV gaiters and rear brake cylinders replaced to pass the test.

I'm just hoping a policeman doesn't knock at my door to tell me that it isn't actually mine

Spud · Post by **Spud** » 03 Aug 2008, 22:49

How do you get to check the history on the DVLA site?

All the best

Spud 8)

uncle buck · Post by **uncle buck** » 03 Aug 2008, 23:07

http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/internet/index.html

_kid_ · Post by **_kid_** » 03 Aug 2008, 23:37

re the mot advisory, on the green mot sheet there is a tick box which shows if an advisory have been given or not- always best to check. although with so many bits of paper it is eay to miss it

lolingram · Post by **lolingram** » 05 Aug 2008, 20:08

I just remembered something...

Back along, when I were just a lad and playing with old radios (still do actually...) I used to "repair" duff tracks on pots with a very soft pencil. Take a 2B or softer and "draw" on the pot track to transfer some graphite from the pencil to the track.

On a carefully used volume or tone control, it could last quite a while and stop it crackling.

I remember doing the same Jim... point is that you don't change tone/volume settings hundreds of times a day 8) !

slim123 · Post by **slim123** » 05 Aug 2008, 23:08

I remember using the pencil to draw a line down the porcelin of the spark plug on my brothers BSA Bantam, he never was very practical and could never work out why it would not start.

In the end, he gave it to me......

Regards.

Slim.

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 05 Aug 2008, 23:11