Xantia HDi 90 High Pressure Fuel Pump

bigjimmy · Post by **bigjimmy** » 06 Apr 2011, 17:37

Hello one and all, this is my first ever post on this forum so please be kind to me !!

I live in France where amazingly enough Citroen spares are normally far more expensive than the are in dear old Blightie.

I own a very tried and loved year 2000 Citroen 90 HDi Xantia Estate, I bought it in January 2004 when it was just 3 years old with a guaranteed 30,000 on the clock and it has now done 107,000 and apart from 2 sets of spheres 'Claude' [as he is known] has run faultlessly.

The other day however, on the very first day that it was warm enough to drive with the windows open, I noticed a dry bearing sound coming from the region of the BOSCH high pressure fuel pump so immediately I arrived home I duly investigated with my listening rod and my original thoughts were confirmed................ there sounds like there is a dry bearing inside the high pressure fuel pump.

For me now it is very much a toss up as to whether or not it is worthwhile changing the pump for either a new one or a reconditioned unit on the grounds of cost of not only the replacement unit but also the cost of fitting it. If however the costs are too high, then despite the rest of him being in perfect shape, then he might have to go to the big playground in the sky!!

One of the deciding matters will be if it is a job I could possibly do myself, or would I have to use a garage ? I am a fairly capable man with the spanners, however I do only have a very comprehensive range of professional grade spanners and sockets and sundry other items of kit, what I don't have are special pulleys, wedges etc.

Is this a job that I might be able to do myself [as an indication of my mechanical competence, I do absolutely everything mechanical on my Land Rover 300TDi and have built numerous racing engines in former times] and if so what are the pitfalls. I have the Haynes 'book of lies' and it hardly looks like a walk in the park, but I would greatly value your thoughts, advice and suggestions.

With kind regards

BJ

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 06 Apr 2011, 17:41

No more difficult than doing a cam belt, and you might as well replace that at the same time.

bigjimmy · Post by **bigjimmy** » 06 Apr 2011, 17:45

HDI wrote:No more difficult than doing a cam belt, and you might as well replace that at the same time.

Yes HDI I had read that in the Haynes manual, but how much of a buqqer of a job is changing the cambelt and in so saying what hints and tips might you have ?

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 06 Apr 2011, 17:52

I would rate it as one of the easier belts to replace. You have the advantage that the fuel pump isn't timed. Access is average, the top engine mount has to be removed so the engine has to be supported during the job. There are no real problems with the job.

Post by **myglaren** » 06 Apr 2011, 17:59

Have a read of Jim's account of a stripdown and rebuild.
Jim makes it look as simple as breaking eggs of course but it is an excellent guide, you would struggle to find anything better.

Feel free to ask questions as they arise - everyone benefits!

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 06 Apr 2011, 18:26

If you do the belt then please bare in mind that when you support the engine while the engine mount is removed that the suspension may sink and push your engine upwards and twist it backwards on the remaining mounts (don't ask how I know

).

It's best to jack the Xantia up and support the front on axle stands. It won't go anywhere like that.

Edit: Jim's write up is for the old Bosch pump. Not a Hdi pump.

bigjimmy · Post by **bigjimmy** » 06 Apr 2011, 19:16

KevMayer wrote:If you do the belt then.......

It's best to jack the Xantia up and support the front on axle stands. It won't go anywhere like that.

If I do the job myself then I will very obviously have the car as high up in the air as possible and fully supported so that anything I then jack up, strap or support will remain in exactly the position I want it to.

Sorry to be a pain, but I am not thinking of reconditioning the HDi pump but replacing it, however it is the getting into the timing belt that I am worried about, is it a bitch of a job or...........

Are there any step by step user friendly advice by members of the forum ?

And lastly........... should I go for a brand new pump or who are the best people to contact for a reconditioned one ?

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 06 Apr 2011, 21:05

myglaren wrote:Have a read of Jim's account of a stripdown and rebuild.
Jim makes it look as simple as breaking eggs of course but it is an excellent guide, you would struggle to find anything better.

Feel free to ask questions as they arise - everyone benefits!

If you follow Jims guide you WILL be completely LOST, that guide is for the older XUD Roatry Pump...

HDi engine has a high pressue Fuel Rail Pressuriser Pump unit, completely different to that...

I have managed to swap a HDI Pump without removing the cam belt and if you are carefull enough you Do NOT loose the Belt timing..

Theres TWO return feed lines and a single output pipe.. Remove the output pipe, the two sensors, and the two rubber feed pipes, theres then 3 13mm nuts, and the nut on the nose of the pump shaft holding the pully on, then drive a screw driver or simmilar between the pully and pump house and it will pop off.. Theres NO keyway, and if you are carefull enough the pully wont go far, you can then withdraw the pump...

As said above the pump is NOT timed, there also NO keyway, its simply the tightness of the pully on the shaft which is tapered...

Pumps can be had for around £100 to £150 quid on ebay...

Strange for the pump to fail early.. are you 100% sure its the pump and is not being amplified from somewhere else, these pumps can be very good for 200k PLUS...

Paul

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 06 Apr 2011, 21:09

As for Cam belt swap, Ive done a guide, but its not been published on here yet... Its not far different to the XUD belt... the Crank is locked behind the starter, and the Cam is locked with an 8mm bolt.. not quite in the same position as the XUD....

Tensioning the belt is different, the XUD was simple you simply had it as tight as possible, however, the HDi cannot be too tight, if it is you get a whinein noise from the engine, it then needs slakening slightly... there should be belt flap between the Cam and pump... BUT not too much..

Paul

rmunns · Post by **rmunns** » 06 Apr 2011, 22:30

Hi BigJimmy

Where are you? I may be close enough to be able to help.

Post by **myglaren** » 06 Apr 2011, 23:09

Ooops, sorry.

Fuel pump, schmuel pump

Post by **RichardW** » 07 Apr 2011, 07:38

I put some detail here: http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=33939 after I changed the belt on my 110 earlier this year. A 90 is probably easier, as the engine mount is not so obstructive, and the electrovalves are not in the way (I think...!). Also is yours LHD? In which case you are laughing as the difficult cover bolt is easily accessible from underneath (see the French link for pics!). Paul's notes on belt tension are right - I was surprised at how slack the belt appeared between the cam and pump.

Might be worth dropping the aux belt off and giving it a quick run to see if the noise is still there - similar noise on mine was the alternator - and it was sort of amplified through the HP pump.

Xantidote · Post by **Xantidote** » 07 Apr 2011, 12:19

As Richard says, are you certain it's the pump?

bigjimmy · Post by **bigjimmy** » 07 Apr 2011, 12:56

Xantidote wrote:As Richard says, are you certain it's the pump?

Thanks for everything so far...........

No it is a RHD and bought very shortly we left Blightie in 2004.

As for the location of the noise, yes I know noises can come out in an altogether different place than where they started but using my trusted long steel shafted screwdriver as a listening rod, most definitely the noisiest place is at the opposite end to the pumps pulley and the noise had the same pitch as well.

Good idea about taking off the auxilliary and checking for the noise again, just as soon as I have finished crepying the stone on the front of the house I will give it a go......... mind you the aux belt is a right old 'B' to get at!!

rmunns · Post by **rmunns** » 07 Apr 2011, 17:09

Crepi! Just doing the same myself.