Citroen Xantia

[Xaccers]

Following on from:
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/34229151-post17.html

Originally Posted by keithwalton

Many thanks for the advice Xaccers will be saving that for future reference

Its quite funny how I work on race cars all the time yet I contemplated getting someone else to do the work on my own car!
I borrowed a rather nice strap wrench for doing my fronts which did the job nicely. I do like the way my car handles at the moment i've managed to turn the quite neutral (for fwd) xantia into a very light oversteer when really pushed car
Hydraflush ... many many miles / years / probably not ever!
I've had the car for just over a year and done 6k in it. my dad had it before me and did 20k odd in it and if it didnt break he didnt fix it!

I'd shudder to suspect its mostly original fluid in there apart from what i topped up after changing the spheres a year ago (front near side failed, and on removal dropped alot of high pressure lhm everywhere! somthing the dipstick haynes didnt really warn you about, it said there might be a small leakage on removal so i had a wadd of kitchen roll ready, alas it was a wee bit more than a little bit)

It's due an oil change soon too, any recomendations on that one ? it's currently got castrol gtd magnatec (10w-40 fully synth) in it which should be good for 10k but im going to change it at the norm 6k anyway as my dad had done past 10k when i got it ... (runs so much sweeter on the new black stuff!)

i was tempted by the castrol edge diesel last time but couldnt afford it!

I've just completed a hydraflush cycle.
Getting the resevoir out was the awkward bit as it's got a peg out the bottom which fits snuggly in a hole.
The pipes on the side of the resevoir sit in a plastic unit which is just clipped to the side of the resevoir, so you can unclip this and with a bit of effort (delicate effort) remove the filter unit and put it in a clean coke bottle with the top cut off.
There's a shop in Leighton Buzzard that sells plastic storage containers, and one they do is ideal for oil changes, it's about 50x75x15cm.
I poured the contents of the resevoir into this as a coinsized disc of plastic could have fallen off the filter unit, along with a small metal clip which holds the long filter in place. The disc is from the bottom of the float chamber, and stops sloshes causing false readings as you drive.
My fluid came out really brown which isn't good, so I think someone used hydraflush before and forgot to replace it with green blood after 600 miles!
Clean out the resevoir and filters (bol says to use petrol) and fight with it back into place.
Repeat again in 600 miles with nice green blood.
What year is yours? As the way the system is depressurised is different between those with anti-sink and those early ones without.
Using a "one man" brake/clutch bleeding tube and bottle made bleeding the brakes much easier, just need someone in the driver's seat to press the brake pedal.

Oil changes every 6K and I use fully synthetic too, with an engine flush, no idea if that helps but it's not killed any of my diesels so far!

When the cambelt snapped on mine last year, I changed the coolant too (as I needed to take one of the water pipes off to get it out the way) which from what I've read is important on XUDs as otherwise they can blow a head gasket.
Talking of cambelts, they can be done yourself, which is a pain in the backside, but Citroen help by providing locking holes for the cam pulley, injection pump and crank (via flywheel, 6mm hole behind the starter motor) which you just insert M6 (I think) bolts into.
Hardest part is the covers, if you break them a complete set is only £38 from Citroen, the top back cover has a bolt at the back, 11mm if memory serves.

[keithwalton]

Aha found it yes i did go a wee bit off topic, oopsie. *ahem*

I've got a 95/N (very early N) its mostly the facelift version but i have found some parts can be from the pre-facelift. (There was a 93 to Aug 95 version, then Aug 95 to 98, i've got a 1/8/95!) From the stuff that came out everywhere yes mine isnt quite mucky brownish nothing compared to the bright green normal stuff. I was going to replace it when I did the front suspension but i was still a tight student back then!

Deprusurising is from the device on the front of the engine (nicely squidged between engine and rad)
That does remind me i need todo some citrobics with it as i havent for a while and it has been abit stiff on start up lol.

I do have one of those tanks for doing an oil change with

[Xaccers]

My first Xantia was a 95 SX, beautiful car, was in tears when I came home from work to find it burnt out.

Mine's a 97 SX estate and has the release nut next to the accumulator sphere, start the car up, set it to lowest wait a few minutes, stop engine then undo nut and wait for the whistling/farting to stop, whilst trying not to burn yourself on the rad.

Just got back in from replacing the front suspension spheres, accumulator and anti-sink.
The ramps I've got kept sliding away from the car which was a little bit nerve wracking to say the least!
Ended up putting them against the kerb then driving up them, but that reduced the access by the height of the kerb, especially when I reversed up to do the anti-sink sphere. Had to jack the car up a little bit from too much good home cooking!
Not being able to find my 9mm spanner didn't help with the anti-sink, so had to use pliers with about 2 degrees of movement to remove the pipe, took bloody ages!

So now I'm cold, wet and dirty, but the job's been done.

[Xaccers]

Oh I'm fuming!
Bloody CAS down the road where I got the original replacement spheres from not only gave me re-gassed ones for the front, which promptly split, but it turns out the rear spheres are for a Xantia with Hydractive suspension!
That probably explains why the back of the car doesn't bounce when you push it down and let go, it just sinks then slowly comes back up!
I've lost the reciept for them, but does anyone have any advice on how to get a refund without proof of purchase?

Now have to get the correct spheres from GSF during the week and fit them *joy*

[keithwalton]

Urgh sounds like fun :s

I decided to exercise my car earlier (send it up and down height wise) as i havent done it for a while and its been feeling abit stiff on first start.

I'd put some more lhm in the thing a month or so ago even though the guage said it was over max (the resevior looked fairly empty) it managed to drop a load of fluid when i set it fully low, oops. I just smelt the lhm coming through the vents.
Seems better now tho i do need to change the rear spheres, shame i only need basic spheres (non hydractive)

[keithwalton]

Having taken a look at the rear spheres today they do have alot of surface corrosion along with all of the rear ends bits :s

How many spheres should i have on a '95 model ?

So far i've found 2 Fronts in engine bay, and acumulator also in engine bay,
two rears one by each wheel and a centre rear.

Not sure if i have an anti sink or not as my car does strange things on that front! (sometimes will sink fast and fart in the process!) the book of lies defines it as early and late mk1's typical mine being a very early refit model, so could be classified as a 'later model' in most respects.

Where is the anti sink usually located ?

[Xaccers]

anti sink sphere is the middle rear sphere.
whether that means you have an anti-sink valve (which actually stops the car sinking when the pump isn't running) I don't know.

If you depressurise your system by setting it to low, then turning the engine off and undoing the bolt next to the accumulator, then I'd say you have anti-sink. The BoL says depressurisation is different for non-anti-sink if memory serves.

[keithwalton]

The book says there is a difference in process but then when reading it, it basically tells you to do the same thing. so whether i'm doing it right is anybodies guess

[Xaccers]

Are your chevrons on the grill or on the bonnet?
The middle sphere means you have anti-sink, suggesting your hydrolics at least are MK2 Xantia type.

[keithwalton]

They're on the grill, which makes is a Mk1 refit (mk1 was 93-98) but there was two mk1's ...
I probably do have anti sink then but its just not very good anymore!

[Xaccers]

Anti sink was added at M reg apparently.
Could be the sphere is dead so there's no pressure keeping the car up.

[keithwalton]

It seems to depend on how much load the car had before i switch it off.
If say there was 4 people in the car, i turn off, we all get out the car would rise up a good few inches upon being unloaded.
It will then make farting like noises and suddenly drop back to a more normal height or slightly lower.

Sometimes on startup it will drop down most of the way, then build pressure back up after 30 seconds.

[Xaccers]

Sounds like your accumulator and/or anti-sink sphere's have gone (can't remember if you said you'd changed your accumulator recently).

Start the car up, get it level then switch it off.
Sit in the boot and the back will go down.
After about 30 seconds it should rise back up again.
If it doesn't, then the anti-sink sphere is dead.

If there's clicking/ticking coming from the accumulator when it's level, or rising, then that sphere needs changing.

Before I changed mine, it would sink with a groan quite often when the engine was switched off.

[keithwalton]

Aah, will try that soon. Accumulator is as old as the hills, think i'll be replacing those 4 then when i get the money in. May as well do it with the front brakes.
Are you running stocks brakes or anything fancy ?

[Xaccers]

Nothing fancy, can't remember the brand these ones are.
On my 95 Xantia I just fitted halfords.

If you get a load of green blood coming out of a sphere (not the pipes but from inside the sphere itself) then the membrane is dead, on the suspension this would give a very hard bouncy ride, on the anti sink it'd give no anti sink, and on the accumulator you'd have no emergency brake pressure if your hydrolics failed when driving (thank goodness the handbrake is on the front wheels so that can be used!)

Do the sphere's, then the brakes, then bleed the brakes.