Xac wrote:I've never used ramps to do the rear, as I've found them unstable to climb up (Jim and I jacked Juliet up and slid the ramps under her front wheels when working on her roll corrector rather than risk driving up on them).
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Ah ha, you havent seen my Ramps though.... put it this way, car backed up, set on high, I can sit up UNDER the car at highest point - HOME MADE Metal jobbies - heavy but absolutly NO unstableness!!
Pah! These useless DANGEROUS halfrauds ones, they should be bigger to be safer, and made from alloy to be light! They Reallly are stupidly small!!
Paul
Sharing a pug 207 1.6 hdi Sw 16v.
M reg Xm 2.1 td auto exclusive S2 269k and rising
L reg XM V6 12v SEi auto .. Light project
I would like to add a side not about axle stands. At the risk of sounding patronising, I think it does need to be said, we are all at different levels of experience and knowledge here.
Make sure they are placed in a secure spot under the car, preferably under where the trailing arm pivots. I.e NOT somewhere where the weight of the car would give in on a soft spot and shove the axle stands through the floor etc.
Also make sure they are firm under wherever you place them, don't just shove them under hoping the car will just fall onto them, for two reasons, the axle stands might not be in the exact right place and may fall on the edge or as above axle stands go through something soft. Also the weight falling onto the axle stand may break the actual axle stand if it is subject to a dead blow like half a ton falling even 1 inches, etc.
I suppose you get the jist of what i'm trying to explain. Some axle stands wind up and lock to the best height, some just have holes for a bolt to be shoved in to lock in place, sometimes these holes don't line up for the height to be correct to be in contact with the car, hence a gap and a risk as per above paragraphs.
One last thing, make sure they you put them equally spaced appart and under the same area on both sides.
And i'm glad paul (citroenxm) clarified what 'cracking' means when opening the rear spheres, it is literally that, no more than a quarter of a turn, THEN de-pressurise, at full height the system is at full pressure when cracking and if you open it too much you will be attacked by the green blood followed by then the car falling onto you.
I have rubber cycle tyres riveted to base of ramps to stop them slipping on concrete as I go up. Standard ramps with more metal welded in for strength.
Auto gearbox is great for going up them.
Citroen C5 1.6 HDI 110bhp Estate 06 plate
French Mistresses gone.
Citroen C5 HDI Mk 1 hatchback
Vel Satis 3.5 v6
ZX 1.9D Est.
ZX 1.9DHatch
Xantia 1.9td est.
Xantia 2.0 hdi Est.
Xantia V6 MK1
Xantia V6 MK 2
im correct in saying that the bleed screw at the front of the car de-pressurises the whole car?
Only if it's cracked while the motor is running, if you're talking non-sinking Xantia.
Once accumulator pressure drops enough, the anti-sink valves close off the "low" pressure side and you have no way of bleeding pressure other than gently cracking a line or starting the car.
you dont need to slacken the bleed screw/valve when replaceing any of the four corner spheres, only once fitted it is best to open the bleed valve and leave it with the engine running for about two minuites, as this is what citroen use to state with older hydraulic citroens if the system had been opened, when replaceing components or pipes