Odd Electric Problem On A BX...

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nick
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Post by nick »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Hush</i>

I'll have to find a scrappers that has a BX with a barrel or anyone who wants to sell one from a braking car fairly cheap.
Hush.
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Ahhh! Really annoying this, because <i>somewhere</i> in one of the outbuildings on my parent's farm I have a new, unused, still in the box, complete Valeo replacement lock set for a series 2 BX that I bought from Andyspares in about 1999 and never got round to fitting!
I subsequently traded in my last BX for a Xantia about then, so its no use to me.
Annoying because I'm not going there for another 2 weeks or so <i>AND</i> because I can't remember exactly which outbuilding I stored it in, I just know I left it in a 'safe place'.........[;)]
If you haven't managed to get a new igntion lock fitted within the next couple of weeks send me an email and if I can find the lock set I'll let you have it for a fraction of what I paid for it. I was going to ebay it, but never got round to it.
Nick
Hush
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Post by Hush »

Thanks Nick, real decent of you[^]
Being as you mentioned you changed over to a Xantia, how does it feel in comparison? I love my little BX, but want to look at getting something else in diesel so I can sell my van, but I want something that rides and feels like the BX I guess... As they say, you never realise how good some Citroens are until you actually drive one, and I am certainly looking to stick with them for quite some time [:D]
Mind you, I think I'll miss the hight adjuster on the BX when I get another car for everyday use [V]
Hush.
jeremy
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x 2

Post by jeremy »

Rear lights earth on a bolt on the nearside. It could be that this bolt was cleaned or for example a terminal replaced.
If you have a voltmeter you should get a reading of about 14.5 volts with the engine running. If its below this (and it will be significantly below this) you have an alternator problem. same with engine off and after the car has been standing for a bit you should get a voltage of 12.6 for a good battery and 12.4 for a bad one. if you get about 11 then one of the 3 alternator phases is dead.
I think your ingition switch is suspect and must be replaced forthwith. This could be the cause of all your problems. new lock sets (some of which I believe come with the complete ignition switch and wiring harness to the next plug as it were) are available from GSF at a reasonable price.
Otherwise look at all those electrical items that operate without the ignition being turned on - like the door lights.
Be careful using a normal multimeter to measure 10 amps or so. Many meters have no protection for this circuit and may blow. If you think there is a heavy drain why not use a bulb which will also protect the circuit you are testing.
Alternators are not switched and could I suppose leak back if the diodes fail. the starter solenoid could also leak internally but I wouldn't have thought it would start the engine well.
jeremy
tomsheppard
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Post by tomsheppard »

Firstly - this is not Tom - I normally post as DLM and happen to be using Tom's computer tonight (thanks Tom).
Secondly - if considering changing over the "barrel" then I'd advise to be cautious & don't assume you can disassemble any part of the ignition assembly in a hurry. For fairly obvious reasons most of it was not designed to be disassembled.
To put it another way, the unit you will need is the "barrel" & its associated wiring which only slides out with:
(i) key in 1st "on" position AFAIR, when you can
(ii)depress a small spring-loaded metal button to free the barrrel from the column tubing.
If the key jams then this operation becomes considerably more difficult, though not impossible to recover from. The BX ignition switch is very much a mechanical beast - don't go looking for any elecrtomagnetic switches in the barrel.
nick
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Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 01:49
Location: Market Rasen, Lincolnshire
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Post by nick »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Hush</i>
Being as you mentioned you changed over to a Xantia, how does it feel in comparison? I love my little BX, but want to look at getting something else in diesel so I can sell my van, but I want something that rides and feels like the BX I guess... As they say, you never realise how good some Citroens are until you actually drive one, and I am certainly looking to stick with them for quite some time [:D]
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The Xantia is really a bigger, heavier more solid BX in many ways.
I owned a succession of 4 BX's and enjoyed driving them all. I used to live in an area with a lot of unclassified single track roads and hydropneumatic Citroens cope with this type of driving better than any other car I've driven. The Xantia seems to have a smoother ride than the BX, but the handling feels much less direct. I personally don't think the Xantia is as fun to drive as the BX. By the way, I've only driven Xantia's with the conventional hydropneumatic setup, I expect Hydractive, and certainly Activa versions are much better in the handling department.
BX's seemed to go in whatever direction you pointed them, almost regardless of speed. The Xantia doesn't feel quite as sure-footed as that, I managed to get the back end of my current Xantia to slide right round once - my own fault I know, but I reckon at the same speed on the same road a BX would have coped without losing it like that. The Xantia's a better motorway car though, its more refined generally and especially at speed.
The build quality of the Xantia is lots better than the BX, but it does make a few diy jobs harder than they used to be, and some design faults have crept in like the silly plastic clutch pedal clip.
On balance I would choose a Xantia over a BX, but only just.
Nick
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