Cold Weather - Xantia steering stiffer!

[ecohouse1]

Not sure if the 2 things are connected but in the last week my steering seems slightly stiffer and the "assistance" varies sometimes. Expecially if I suddenly pull the steering (eg slow manoevering around potholes on the track leading to the house)

LHM is not dropping and up to the correct level. Aux belt looks tensioned and no squealing, so I am assuming there is no slip on the pulley.
New LHM and filters cleaned April this year (9k miles ago)

Should I be worried about anything else?

[CitroJim]

It's worth checking the universal joint just above the pinion valve. It's in a good spot to get covered in road muck..

Give it a good douse in spray grease and see if that affords any improvement...

Everything else is in order by the looks of it as you've done and checked all the other things that could cause it...

[spider]

I'd concur with the UJ I thought of that before even reading the thread itself. They do stiffen up sometimes given their location, more noticeable without power assistance obviously.

[Peter.N.]

If the pump has a 'V' belt drive, check the tension.

Peter

[ecohouse1]

Thanks for the tip - maybe the salt has affected the UJ accelerating the corrosion. IIn case it was an air leak I tighted the jub clip on the reservoir feed, but the clip on the pump end is one of these annoying original clips, so will change that for a jubilee at the weekend.

[Xaccers]

Cassy is suffering from this a bit. I'd imagine that the overnight freeze is tightening things up a bit, so combined with the lack of lube it is really showing the problem, as it clears once everything has warmed up.

[lurchy666]

everything on mine seems tight or slow when its cold as well, i wondered if it was my lhm needing a change, but also when cold (and only when cold) i have a wierd noise i thought it might be the fan belt but even without the fan belt it makes the noise (so it cant be the altinator or lhm pump) as on this thread from the pug forum http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =4&t=41833" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Northern_Mike]

I'd have thought that with the LHM being an oil-like fluid, it'd be a bit thicker much like engine oil is when very cold, thus making everything heavier. My Xantias always were like this until they'd been running for a few mins and I presume the pump and fluid had all got a bit warmer.

[Mandrake]

Can't say I've ever noticed any difference in how heavy the steering is on either of my Xantia's with temperature...we've had mornings down to -3 in the last week and the steering feels just as light and easy to turn to me right from cold, so I don't think there's any fundamental issue with thicker LHM causing heavier steering in cold temperatures...

[ecohouse1]

Just a word of thanks - I sprayed the steering U/J with copiuos amounts of spray grease and worked it a bit and what a difference!! It must have been stiffening for some time without me noticing, and the salty roads were making things worse. I would have thought that regular daily usage would have prevented seizure but obviously not so!

The feeling it had reminded me of my BX TZD when the pump went! Intermittant power assistance, then the pump seals went spewing LHM everywhere in the engine bay!

At least the Xantia has a different set up!

Thanks again

[citroenxm]

If the pump has a 'V' belt drive, check the tension.

Peter

Xantias never had the V belt Peter.. They were all 6PK flat ridge belts...

A setup the XM could of done with a long time ago really.. Though, Id thought it would be completely possibly to fit it to the XM

[citroenxm]

Just a word of thanks - I sprayed the steering U/J with copiuos amounts of spray grease and worked it a bit and what a difference!! It must have been stiffening for some time without me noticing, and the salty roads were making things worse. I would have thought that regular daily usage would have prevented seizure but obviously not so!

The feeling it had reminded me of my BX TZD when the pump went! Intermittant power assistance, then the pump seals went spewing LHM everywhere in the engine bay!

At least the Xantia has a different set up!

Thanks again

This subject does make me laugh a little. You also mentioned the clue in your first post in that it "Grabs" when you goto negotiate a pot hole.. What useually happens is One of the two UJ joints sieze, so if you happen to be trying to turn through the one thats siezed thats the stiff mostion, then it slackens for the ok one.

Ive had a few of these play up now. But I said a laugh a bit becuase lots of people are always quick to accuse belt tension, or air ingress, though I admit air ingress would be just as bad.. The other thing is blocked filters, but you had ruled it out. So it only left the UJ.

You may need to do a program of consistantly topping up the application untill it really has released! One car I had this on, I sprayed release agent it was ok for a week or so, then it went again.. In the end I had no choice but to change it! On the Xantia its not too bad, can be done with rack and subframe in situ, but an XM.. now thats a very different story..

[Xantidote]

You may need to do a program of consistantly topping up the application untill it really has released!

I'd go so far as to suggest you give the UJ a couple of squirts of spray grease on a regular basis, say every 12 months, maybe every 6 to start with, to stop the ingress of water now the seals are no longer good as new

[Peter.N.]

If the pump has a 'V' belt drive, check the tension.

Peter

Xantias never had the V belt Peter.. They were all 6PK flat ridge belts...

A setup the XM could of done with a long time ago really.. Though, Id thought it would be completely possibly to fit it to the XM

I will try to remember that - guess who has never had a Xantia.