Today has been a good day on the V6. She's now all done and apart from a good wash and a couple of scrateches polised out of the windscreen, she's all ready for the attentions of the MOT man.
I started off early this morning by refitting the battery tray and airbox after being satisfied nothing under there would be any further problem and nothing, so far as I could tell, was leaking. Speaking of leaking, I did need to retighten the front bank exhaust header clamp as it was loose and blowing a tad. That was fun.
Next up was the ABS problem. It was the left front sensor that was duff and normally on a Xantia the plug/socket is easy enough to get to but being a V6 with a gearbox that fits with a fag-papers' worth of clearance, the plug/socket is well hidden behind the diff. I thought at first I'd have to slip out the driveshaft to get at it but as usual, it's just possible to do. I found the sensor completely open-circuit. Replaced and the ECU Lexiated and all was fine. Next up I fitted new drop-links. Tat was easy as the old ones were only relatively recently fitted and someone had coppaslipped the threads

The boots on both were completely perished although the links themselves are absolutely fine. If I could get some new boots, they could be usable again...
Next up, the LHM leak and rear brakes. Wheels off I found the rear brakes had received attention relatively recently and were fine. Looks like new pads were fitted not long ago
I tried to remove the leaky rear electrovalve from the sphere block but found that what I was undoing was not the valve body but the valve itself. Had I continued, the innards of the valve would have spilled. Therefore there was nothing for it but to remove the whole sphere block complete

In the event, it's not such a tricky job as it looks as if you undo the large pipes going to the wheel cylinders, they will spring apart just enough to remove the block. Luckily I had a spare and decided just to swap blocks complete. I was worried for a moment as the one I had was a front one but a quick look at Laser showed front and rear are the same - never knew that!
Getting the pipes back in the replacement block was the usual game and to tighten up the rearmost 3.5mm pipe I had to severely modify and 8mm spanner so that it could swing in a very restricted space...
When the old block came off, it was clear that the leak was a long-standing problem and someone had been there before me and had really graunched the valve up in futile attempts to remove it

At some time I'll have a look at what the problem is and see if I can get the valve free but it does look well corroded in.
All reassembled, a new centre-sphere fitted (actually a slightly below-par accumulator that reads about what a hydractive centre should on the pressure tester) and all was good. No leaks and after a rear brake bleed I found I had working soft-mode suspension and gosh, is it ever soft at the back.
After fitting the fuse box cover and spare wheel and carrier I could not resist taking her for a quick run around the block. She runs a treat, selects all gras and Iever had her kick-down when I gave rather more throttle than I should have

It feels lovely and goes like a scalded cat
So this is it. The end of this blog...
Or is it?