Xantia front bushes

[XantiaDaveEire]

Morning chaps

I took my car for its Nct on Wednesday and it failed on a few minor niggles like the airbag light staying on even do on my previous Xantia passed not even 2months ago with the same fault .

The front bushes are worn and need to be replaced so is it a relatively easy repair?

As always ,any help is appreciated

Dave

[RichardW]

Is it an easy job? Not really.... speaking theoratically, not having done it

To get the wisbone out you need to rotate the roll bar, which means you need to disconnect both drop links AND the height corrector link (most important unless you want to screw the ride height up!). The drop links will most like be rusted to buggery and will have to be sacrificed to Mr Grinder Then once you have got the arm off you will need to remove the old rear bush (no easy task, cut off the rubber then carefully cut the steel insert off - or press it out if you can!). Then you will need a press to get the new bush on. Oh, and you did mark the old bush to make sure the new one goes on in the same orientation before you attacked it, didn't you The front bushes will need some agression to get them out, then press them back in.

Reassembly is the reverse of dismantling. As they say.

[XantiaDaveEire]

just my luck ,annoying thing is when i left my car in to get the steering rack replaced he put new drop links in aswell and i asked him if anything else looks like it needs replacing and his response was everthing was ship shape..At least the bushes themselves arent expensive

Would the worn bushes cause the handling to sway a little ? because when i accelerate the front swerves in and out in an instant .It doesnt fill you with confidence on the motorway

[RichardW]

If the links were replaced recently, should come off OK. Yes, worn bushes will definitely cause it wander on/off the power! If you entrust the work to someone else, make sure they know to disconnect the height corrector - there have been more than a few come back from bush replacement with the front height wrong....

[XantiaDaveEire]

Cheers Richard

[andmcit]

Hang on.

You definitely don't need to undo/rotate the roll bar to get the wishbone off
and refitted. Yes, the drop link will need to be disconnected at the bottom
joint to the arb but for a start only undo one side at a time to prevent
upsetting the height corrector and hydractive sensor if you have one.

There is a bit of an art to swinging the wishbone around the arb for sure
but it can be swung in at the back first and then located into the front of
the subframe.

Removal of the bushes can be a swine, especially the small mushroom one
at the front of the arm. I'd grind the main boss as the heat generated melts
the rubber and drops the middle boss completely out leaving thr metal shell
of the bush to be chiselled into the centre and reducing it's diameter.

A decent vice and large sockets will help put the new mushroom bush in
if you don't have a press. It really is a faff about and if you want an easy
life and can afford to, buy a whole new arm for 40-50 quid each from
eBay - bear in mind the bushes will cost half that before you DIY or pay
a garage to press them etc!

The larger bracket is slightly easier and again tackled by a grinder. Don't
take too much meat off the bush or the bar's rod the bush sits on!! Getting
alignment of the rear bracket is important for the longevity of your new
joint and success from your labours.

Have fun!!

Andrew

[jgra1]

I have to agree.. I have never touched the front HC during arm removal although its been a while

also, if one bush is so badly worn, then it may have put more pressure on the t'other one.. so arm replacement is a quick fix

[RichardW]

I did say theoretically.... I thought I was going to have to do them for the MOT (not even an advisory ), so had a look, and the ARB is right across the rear mount, and the rear mount looked like it needs to be pulled out to release it - right into the ARB. The obvious solution is to rotate the ARB upwards, but there have been quite a few come back from bush replacement with the front height screwed up (eg This one) suggesting that this is the route taken bu the trade, but without disconnecting the HC first. If you can do without game on, but it should be the work of seconds to disconnect the dog bone to avoid any troubles.
PS - is it possible the MK2 is different....?

[falling-out-with-my-car]

did you say your air bag light staying on was an MOT failure???

thats the first time Ive ever heard of that one.

lift up the centre consul tray under the ashtray pull the black lever on the orange plug and unplug the airbag ecu.
cut a 1/2 inch length of pvc earth wire insulation, flatten one end and slot the flat end into the slot beneath pins 1 and 2 on the plug. the pins are numbered but with very small print on the inside of the plug you might need a magnifying glass.
dont plug the plug back into the ecu instead tape it to the top of the ecu with some duct tape.
when you switch on the ignition the light should go out.
if unplugging the ecu is bothering you dont worry if your airbag light is flasshing now its because your airbags arnt working they still wont work with the ecu unplugged. at least now when your window is half open and your airbags dont deploy they won't break your neck forcing your head out of a half open window. and the light should be out.

regards Nigel.

[evilally]

I think I'm right in saying that the actual bushes and wishbones are similar to the 405, see if this helps any:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 5+wishbone

[CitroJim]

The "P" bushes are best removed as briefly mentioned in the thread Ally linked to. That is by using a big hammer and cold chisel.

Personally, I'm never happy about gringing anywhere near this area as one false move can put a mark on the wishbone and potentially cause a stress riser.

Technique is to apply a chisel on the inner sleeve of the joint and use the hammer (needs to be big) to wallop the bush off. It's easier than it sounds and very effective. Big is the secret here in all aspects (chisel, hammer and wallop!)

The other bush is best pressed out. Burning them out is horrible and toxic fumes are liberated.

[andmcit]

Mind Jim, not eveyone has the luxury of a press or for that matter a tidy
big vice that would withstand the necessary forces and abuse required to
chisel off old joints or press new ones in!!

After larruping away for ages with hammers and chisels and feeling beaten
and a tad miffed Mr Grinder always feels a lot better and liberating - OK, so
there's a few fumes, so what! Cars aren't known for being clean tidy aromatic
places to be when engaged in battle!

BTW RichardW, nobody is scoring points here and any comment is usually
hepful!

Andrew

[XantiaDaveEire]

Sorry for the late replys

Nigel its the first i have heard of it too,the young fella wasnt very happy with my car and i think he was just trying to put down anything and everything to fail me in all honesty,my previous 2 Xantias have had the light flashing and they passed so i dnt know what i could do really,i said it to him and he just said yeah and walked away .So if i dis-connect the ecu that does indeed stop the airbags from working? or just knocks out the light on the dash?

As for the bushes,im leaving them in to be done tommorow morning as i really dont wanna make a balls of it and because i have to get it re-tested as soon as i can

Dave

[falling-out-with-my-car]

sounds like he had a pt hate for citroens most MOT testers will admit that they are not to keen on citroens for one reason or another, maybehe just had a bad day and decided to take it out on the next customer maybe over their the MOT does require the airbag circuit to work I dont know it isnt a requirement here yet so I would check that and complain to the ministry of transport about it.

are you sure it isnt just written up on the advisory sheet on the next page along fromn the Mot failure sheet?

if the airbag light is flashing there is a fault on the circuit and airbags probably wont work anyway either the plugs beneath the seats are faulty (most common fault) to fix remove plugs and solder the wires together or just clean the contacts.
secondly the ribbon cable in the circular cassette around the steering colunm could be broken but its only an if--but.

it is like most motor car electrical problems a process of elimination.
the trouble is it can be an expensive process.

I wanted my pull tight seatbelts turned off because of my medical circumstances the airbags firing could endanger my life.

if you follow the instructions I have given you above you will extinguish the light and the airbag circuit will be permanantly switched off.

dont forget to cut that piece of insulation flatten one end and insert it in the slot beaneath pins 1 & 2 on the orange plug.

I love my xantia (the money pit) to bits with my illness I wouldnt find a better ride in any other car maybe a gs or gsa but I'm 6ft 3 ins tall and my xamtia fits very well wheras most other makes dont.

I wanted the airbags off for good and that is what the above instructions will do light and all.

the light will still show when the ignition key is first switched on then it goes out as it should do.

my last MOt in Feb 2010 had no advisory on it for flashing airbag light.

cheers Nigel.

[XantiaDaveEire]

Well i talked to my mechanic as i left the car in this morning and he said that the flashing light is now a failure for the Nct ,god only knows why ..so im expecting to pay out a small fortune to get that done,he said that they check for any bypasses such as the one you suggested

Like you said Nigel, Xantias are money pits and mine is no different,it would be cheaper for me to just buy another Xantia but i cant let a good car die for the sake of not spending a few quid on her

Dave