Snap!!

[superloopy]

Coming home, 50m to go and clutch pedal to the ground ... aarrgghh!! Problem is i'm in the middle of a full bathroom install and all of my 'usable space has been taken over by rubble sacks and bathroomy paraphernalia so she'll have to go the local indie about 5 miles away. Can she be towed? If so, how? I never heard a ping when the pedal went so maybe the cable that's gone. Whatever it is it's happened at the most inopportune time, typical of a french car!!

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[GiveMeABreak]

Could be one of several things - sometimes the hose between the master and slave cylinder perishes and air gets in the system, failing that the master/slave/hose could need replacing, then bleed the system out (assuming this is hydraulic clutch)? If not clutch cable or cable connector? Here is a link to replacement from Aussiefrogs Forum - scroll to the third post and you'll see 3 pages - click on these and you'll get the replacement instructions. Good luck.

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/citro% ... ector.html

[uhn113x]

I've had to drive two of my cars without a clutch - not too much of a problem. One was a Humber Hawk and the other a company diesel Ford which I had to drive through the Manchester rush hour to get to the M62.

[Peter.N.]

You can drive it with care if you start it in 1st gear and gently feel you way up the gearbox and leave plenty of space between you and the car in front, have done it on a number of occasions.

Peter

[Peter.N.]

You just beat me. What year Hawk was it? I had one and a couple of Super Snipes, lovely cars.

Peter

[uhn113x]

Hi Peter,

It was a 1957, I think. First ones with the new shape and a lovely "woodgrain" dashboard, before they went actual wood.

Back to restoring my Dynatron!

[RichardW]

What car are we talking about (the Xantia, not the 60's nostalgia stuff!!)?

If it's the TD then it's cable operated and almost certainly the clutch clip. If an Activa, then it's hydraulic and almost certainly a failed clutch. I would be very circumspect about driving the TD with no clutch - it's very easy to terminally damage the synchro on 3rd.... It can be towed with a rope - engine running it will be OK on the brakes / steering.

[CitroJim]

I would be very circumspect about driving the TD with no clutch - it's very easy to terminally damage the synchro on 3rd....

Yes, very much agreed.. Delicate they very much are...

[superloopy]

It's the TD with a cable / clip arrangement. Last one i had snap (on a car i bought off 'xantiaman' Gareth) let go with a loud crack. This time it just went to the floor at a junction. I'd driven the round trip of 16 miles nearly back to the door! I'll have the clip and cable swapped out on Thursday. I was more concerned about it being pulled the 5 miles. Did i read somewher that it needs to be lifted and not towed with its front wheels on the ground or is that just automatics?

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[Peter.N.]

Hi Peter,

It was a 1957, I think. First ones with the new shape and a lovely "woodgrain" dashboard, before they went actual wood.

Back to restoring my Dynatron!

That was the one I had, blue/grey type colour. Had seat covers on it when I got it so thought the seats must be rough,l took them off and looked like brand new red leather underneath. Got that and the Snipes cheap, wife worked for a Rootes garage.

Not a TV engineer as well, I did 50 years.

Peter

[CitroJim]

You should be fine towing it on all four wheels the distance you're going Mike..

Automatic are different as generally they need their oil pumps running to adequately lubricate them and if being towed then this is not happening and bearing damage can result.

However, ZF says the HP20 can be towed up to 100Km as long as the speed of towing does not exceed 50Km/h...

[superloopy]

Thanks all ... lets see what sort of 'recovery' they choose to do on Thursday. Just wanted to be armed with a bit of knowledge but sounds like it'll tow just fine.

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[wheeler]

The majority of auto cars can be towed with the drive wheels on the ground however there are normally speed & distance restrictions, sometimes adding extra oil is also required on certain gearboxes. Also the type of fault should be considered eg you should never flat tow a car with certain transmission faults, that applies to both auto and manual gearboxes.
Of course Xantias have power braking systems so should never be towed with a rope unless the engine can be running due to having no brakes, using a decent rigid pole should be no problem. In this case where the engine can still be running to maintain braking pressure using a rope should be no problem.

[GiveMeABreak]

Can you not ask for an 'on vehicle' recovery?

[CitroJim]

Can you not ask for an 'on vehicle' recovery?

Yes, with the mob I'm with. LV (Britannia). Both times I've had to use them to recover sick Xantia V6s I've always asked for and got a flatbed without demur...

Just try to get the suspension up on high before it's winched aboard else there is a risk of grounding...

LV are excellent by the way.. I'm with them for breakdown cover, the C1 insurance and home insurance. They work out very well compared to the price comparison sites but you need to be a member of the CSMA (Civil Service Motoring Association) to get the full range of discounts...

Sadly their Classic Car policies only extend to cars over 20 years old. My Activa is only 19...