Spheres. LHM, Brakes done!! but.....

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 04 Aug 2008, 13:15

If it's any help, the first (and only) time I changed the accu sphere, I used a fabric strap wrench and six inch wrench. To all intents and purposes, it's the same job as changing an oil filter IMO.

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 04 Aug 2008, 14:36

I think I will go and buy some more hydraflush, will then bleed the brakes with it and if there is any left over and you want it Mike then I'll let you know.

A/C was just tight and i had a sphere tool but access made the job more difficult than it could have been.

Once I have sorted the brakes I will check ride height. Is there a link that shows you how to do it? The process in the BoL makes it seem very complicated when it probably isn't.

Thanks

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 04 Aug 2008, 19:21

Right, all done! Brakes bled and they are better than when I bought the car! Think Mike is right in that the ride height might be a tad high, it doesn't feel quite as comfortable as I thought it would but that could be ride height? Also, it still isn't going to intermediate even though I greased the HC's, again could be ride height I'm guessing. Anyway, it now feels much better and I have brakes!

Mike, I have some hydraflush left, if you want it let me know and I'll work out how much is left. Maybe you could give a hand with checking the ride height and adjusting if necessary? Not wanting to be cheeky, it's up to you.

One last thing, is Lithium based grease ok to use on the struts as they are sticky. I have some CV grease in the shed and wondered if its ok to use. If not, how about the spray grease? Can the rear struts be greased in a similar way to the fronts?

Thanks for everyone's help. I really appreciate it.

Post by **CitroJim** » 04 Aug 2008, 19:34

Excellent news Toby

I'd not use CV joint grease on the struts. The soft, thin, light amber stuff (e.g. Castrol LM) is the best and because spray grease has solvents/propellents in it, I'd pesonally avoid that too.

I say not to use moly-based CV joint grease as it's a bit thick and I'm not sure if the moly in it is good for the struts.

The rear struts don't need touching, they're lubricated from deliberate LHM leakage.

You can use LHM to lubricate the front struts but it'll soon dry out and needs to be reapplied frequently. Whatever you use, don't overdo it as the MOT man might mistake it for leaks and fail it. I've been "had" like that in the past with a copiously lubricated rear height corrector

Ride height adjustment can only be done properly on a garage ramp or over a pit. Due to the real possibility of the car suddenly dropping as you tweak the adjustment collars, it is DANGEROUS to do it without a ramp or pit and of course, the car must be level and on it's wheels to do the job properly otherwise it is a lot of time consuming trial and error.

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 04 Aug 2008, 20:09

Well done Toby, you're now experiencing the rewards for your efforts and there's more to come. I'm afraid I have zero experience in adjusting the ride height so unable to volunteer any real assistance with that.

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 04 Aug 2008, 20:15

Ok thanks Jim. Have to get some next month as funds running low now

Ok, so I can't do it here. Can I check at all? Not adjust it, just check it?

How do you suggest I go about the ride height Jim? Not keen on the idea of taking it to a garage.

No problems Mike. I reckon I have about 4 Litres of Hydraflush left by the way.

Thanks

Post by **xantia_v6** » 04 Aug 2008, 20:37

To steal Simon's thunder... See the diagrams at
http://homepages.igrin.co.nz/simon/imag ... ia_height/

pete_wood_uk · Post by **pete_wood_uk** » 06 Aug 2008, 09:06

Toby_HDi wrote:Brakes bled and they are better than when I bought the car!

You think they're good now? If you have half an hour to spare (and if it's a right-hand drive Xantia) then try removing the "silly spring" (you'll find more than a few references on this forum) to return the brakes to the performance that the rest of LHD Europe has always had.

There's a plastic canister up behind the brake pedal which transfers the force from the pedal to the hydraulic brake valve in the bulkhead. It's just a push-fit in the pedal (honest!) but can be a bit stiff. Take it out, take it to pieces, replace the spring inside with an equivalent length (an inch or two, from memory) of something rigid like 12mm water pipe, and re-assemble. And enjoy!

It takes half an hour or less and is wholly reversible if you decide after 20 miles that "real" Citroen brakes are not for you - I know a couple of guys on this forum don't like it because they drive lots of different cars and/or wear size 12 hobnail boots, and it makes it all a bit sensitive.

But what it does do is to give you true pressure-sensitive brakes - the harder you push, the harder you stop. Brilliant

Cheers
Pete

Post by **aerodynamica** » 06 Aug 2008, 10:14

They only fitted that for the RHD market?

XantiaMan · Post by **XantiaMan** » 06 Aug 2008, 10:18

Be interested to know if this was a UK spec thing only too..

pete_wood_uk · Post by **pete_wood_uk** » 06 Aug 2008, 10:19

aerodynamica wrote:They only fitted that for the RHD market?

When we were all discussing it a few years ago, our european correspondents such as Anders chipped in, I think, and said "but it's a steel rod on our cars". So I suspect that the brakes were deliberately buggered for at least the UK market - the UK company car fleet market in the 80s/90s was probably the most conservative in Europe - if the car didn't drive like a Ford then it wasn't going to sell...

Post by **CitroJim** » 06 Aug 2008, 12:17

I'm one in the minority here

I prefer the spring...

I've tried all mine with the solid rod mod and I find it a bit too much really so I reverted back to the spring..

Many will say it's my style of driving

I agree though Pete, it is well worth a go and see how you like it.

Post by **aerodynamica** » 06 Aug 2008, 14:29

if the car didn't drive like a Ford then it wasn't going to sell... Crying or Very sad
_________________

- that's interesting, I recall the big fuss some folk made when the Xantia appeared as to how 'ordinary' if felt. I also recall Count Quentin Willson on TG doing a group test between the Mundano, Vektra and the Xantia and his conclusion was the Xantia was the best precisely because it was different. I think he actuall said " if you blur your eyes looking at all three (may have been a 4th) you'd have difficulty telling one from the other except one..." And then he gets in the Xant, the camera does a close shot of the suspension going up and off he goes..

As for the Brakes on the Xantia, I found them to be really rather good, yea so they're squashier than e.g. my CX which has a near solid pedal but still I think the xantia brakes start to work instantly like the CX but with some progressive movement. It's funny mentioning this comparison as I'm covering this as a part of the CX column in the Citroen car club magazine comparing the CX to the Xantia and commenting on some of the major changes between Citroens of old and those of late.

pete_wood_uk · Post by **pete_wood_uk** » 06 Aug 2008, 15:32

aerodynamica wrote:commenting on some of the major changes between Citroens of old and those of late.

Oooh, how interesting. My wife and I ran a CX (as mostly her car, rather than mine, she did less miles than me) for 7 or 8 years. Finally got rid of it when (a) we needed something practical for a small child and (b) I couldn't cure a persistent misfire.

Citroens of late. Three months ago, we took a test drive in a C6 - we were buying the C5 and my wife, eyeing up the C6, said "can I go and have a look?" - the salesman said "I'll do better than that, I'll get the keys" and off we went. He knew we didn't want to buy it, was just happy to take it out and about to enjoy on a quiet weekday afternoon. The reason that I mention it is because, despite being wholly different under the skin, how very much like a Real Citroen (ie a CX) it felt. We both felt instantly at home behind the wheel - the glorious ride-on-air effect reminiscent of my mate's old CX Pallas (rather than our own late S2 GTI), the completely effortless feel, and, erm, the rather stodgy nose-heavy handling. The C6 is not a car to be hurried...

Any Citroen fan who hasn't tried a C6 should do so, though...

Post by **xantia_v6** » 06 Aug 2008, 17:29

citrojim wrote:I'm one in the minority here I prefer the spring...

Make that 2...

Actually, The spring is too soft, so I pre-tensioned mine by putting a 5mm spacer in the plastic sleeve as well as the spring, and I think that it is near perfect.