I can't help myself.. Citroen CX Prestige purchased!
Discussion
I now finally have the CX somewhere dry, and resting on axle stands. Such comfort means that a proper strip down and review of this spaceship like machine can commence.
Where better to start than with something that should be familiar. What could be more straightforward than a caliper and brake lines?
First up, the 5 x 19mm wheel bolts were removed, and the completely solid wheel was removed. This is Citroen at its best – name the car after the French version of Cd (Coefficient of Drag), and then follow it through to the nth degree. A solid wheel causes significantly less air disturbance than one with spokes and holes. So much so, that the folks over on Ecomodder are prone to going out their way to re purpose pizza dishes in the pursuit of such advantage.
Immediately though, it should be obvious to seasoned spanner wielders that all was not well. As we had noticed when collecting the car back in October last year, the brake pipe was making a jolly good job of skooshing LHM about the joint.
Before we go any further, take a moment to digest what you are seeing here.
Bottom of the picture- a vented brake disc – so far, so normal.
But, wait a minute, does that flexi line come into a banjo fitting on the left hand side, leading to a solid pipe onto the Caliper? And the less said regarding the steering being connected to the caliper, the better.
We stopped for a cuppa at this point, and let it sink in. It became obvious that the best plan of attack was to remove the flexi and solid pipe to see what the lie of the land was.
This was a game of 2 halfs, the flexi came undone with no issues from top solid line, but was most stubborn in its refusal to detach from the banjo fitting.
We then turned our attention to the caliper solid pipe. It was not very good at all,
but thankfully the bolt loosened easily once the chemical metal was removed.
The small pipe into the banjo fitting was very brittle and broke straight away – so I’ll need to either source a 2nd hand one or work out how to reconstruct it.
So far, I need a Flexi and a new fixed line for the caliper.
Onto the Caliper/Disc and Pads – I intended to check their condition and see if anything was needed.
Retaining clip and locating pin removed, the pads slid out easily and appeared to be in great condition. Certainly, the brakes had given no real cause for alarm before, but it was nice to see that this side looked in good order.
I was also pleased to note the superb brake setup here- we have 4 piston calipers!
More to follow once I get the chance!
Where better to start than with something that should be familiar. What could be more straightforward than a caliper and brake lines?
First up, the 5 x 19mm wheel bolts were removed, and the completely solid wheel was removed. This is Citroen at its best – name the car after the French version of Cd (Coefficient of Drag), and then follow it through to the nth degree. A solid wheel causes significantly less air disturbance than one with spokes and holes. So much so, that the folks over on Ecomodder are prone to going out their way to re purpose pizza dishes in the pursuit of such advantage.
Immediately though, it should be obvious to seasoned spanner wielders that all was not well. As we had noticed when collecting the car back in October last year, the brake pipe was making a jolly good job of skooshing LHM about the joint.
Before we go any further, take a moment to digest what you are seeing here.
Bottom of the picture- a vented brake disc – so far, so normal.
But, wait a minute, does that flexi line come into a banjo fitting on the left hand side, leading to a solid pipe onto the Caliper? And the less said regarding the steering being connected to the caliper, the better.
We stopped for a cuppa at this point, and let it sink in. It became obvious that the best plan of attack was to remove the flexi and solid pipe to see what the lie of the land was.
This was a game of 2 halfs, the flexi came undone with no issues from top solid line, but was most stubborn in its refusal to detach from the banjo fitting.
We then turned our attention to the caliper solid pipe. It was not very good at all,
but thankfully the bolt loosened easily once the chemical metal was removed.
The small pipe into the banjo fitting was very brittle and broke straight away – so I’ll need to either source a 2nd hand one or work out how to reconstruct it.
So far, I need a Flexi and a new fixed line for the caliper.
Onto the Caliper/Disc and Pads – I intended to check their condition and see if anything was needed.
Retaining clip and locating pin removed, the pads slid out easily and appeared to be in great condition. Certainly, the brakes had given no real cause for alarm before, but it was nice to see that this side looked in good order.
I was also pleased to note the superb brake setup here- we have 4 piston calipers!
More to follow once I get the chance!
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.TooMany2cvs said:
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.
Fastdruid said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.TooMany2cvs said:
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.
That, and the fact that as the car sank, it would physically move forwards if you didn't leave it in gear. You could have a crash in your car, without being in your car!Fastdruid said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.
320touring said:
Fastdruid said:
TooMany2cvs said:
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.Fastdruid said:
I knew there would be some logic. I just expected French logic like "Eh bien nous avons collé le frein à main au milieu du tableau de bord et les câbles sont plus faciles".
2cvs have front handbrakes, too, and they really are a doddle... Cables on a CX? Less so...I have this theory that, somewhen back in the mists of time, a Citroen production engineer found out his missus was shagging a mechanic. Ever since then, revenge has been sought.
TooMany2cvs said:
2cvs have front handbrakes, too, and they really are a doddle... Cables on a CX? Less so...
I have this theory that, somewhen back in the mists of time, a Citroen production engineer found out his missus was shagging a mechanic. Ever since then, revenge has been sought.
I imagine you are no too far from the truth!I have this theory that, somewhen back in the mists of time, a Citroen production engineer found out his missus was shagging a mechanic. Ever since then, revenge has been sought.
the handbrake appears to work on my cx so is not being touched
320touring said:
the handbrake appears to work on my cx
That, in itself, is a minor miracle. They're usually a part of MOT prep... They go out of adjustment VERY easily - the eccentrics are just nipped-up by the centre bolts, and can and do rotate, taking the pads (tiny) out of adjustment very easily.TooMany2cvs said:
That, in itself, is a minor miracle. They're usually a part of MOT prep... They go out of adjustment VERY easily - the eccentrics are just nipped-up by the centre bolts, and can and do rotate, taking the pads (tiny) out of adjustment very easily.
Thanks for that- will store it away in my "useful cx info" part of my brainTooMany2cvs said:
Fastdruid said:
Is the CX like the BX and has the handbrake working on the front calipers?
All hydraulic Citroens do, except the C5 and C6. It's because, as they sink, the wheelbase lengthens - trailing arm rear suspension. If you parked it with the handbrake on AND in gear, you'd be stressing the gearbox against the handbrake as it tried to go down.
Good things must come to an end, and so it was that we got word that one of our units would no longer be available to us.
Bad news on the one hand, but positive on the other.
First up was a raid out of all the accumulated detritus that one manifests over time – half worn brake pads, used engine oil and that sort of thing. Some were destined for the Bakey (Dump), and others for transportation to a new and glorious shed based life.
The CX was in fair few pieces – one front wheel off, and brake disassembled not to mention the gaping hole where the alternator used to reside. Time to get on with reassembly.
Luckily, I’d avoided taking the teardown any further, and had a vague recollection of how things went together.
I find it most helpful to switch off my logical brain when approaching CX work, instead adopting a more “Gallic flair & Bof” approach to considering the tasks at hand.
My friend Brian had helpfully taken pictures to show how the Alternator was connected during our epic battle to remove it.
That's 4ft of exhaust used on a breaker bar to get the alternator bolt off
I looked at the pile of bolts encased in an errant pulley and summoned up my inner Jean Reno/BA Baracus hybrid spirit.
I could see the goal clearly, with the myriad pulleys and pumps removed or moved, so at least had an idea as to how things were supposed to go.
I gave the bolt a wire brushing, and applied some copper grease to keep it from seizing
Then it was time for the torturous route to re-installation:
Only one grazed knuckle later, and it was in place. Some wrestling with a 13m spanner onto the flatted sides of the nut/retainer for the bolt meant that it tightened up, and we could turn our attention to getting the belt on and tensioned.
Wires on, it was time to rebuild the engine.
First up, we re-positioned the pump and removed pulleys and reattached the removed belts.
That just left the inlet manifold to reattach before cranking her over.
Immediately she fired, then died with a strong smell of fuel. A look in the engine bay highlighted a disconnected breather hose causing unmetered air to get into the inlet, and fuel pouring out of a supply pipe just before the filter.
The hose was easily reattached, but the fuel pipe was a bit more involved.
Fuel was seeping through the pipe that looks damp in the centre of this picture
But a new pipe soon sorted it out!Resolution involved removing a coolant pipe, then swapping the fuel hose over with new pipe, before replacing the coolant hose.
With that done, she settled down to a happy idle, and was even showing some volts! Still more to do to make sure she was spot on, but that is still to come
Bad news on the one hand, but positive on the other.
First up was a raid out of all the accumulated detritus that one manifests over time – half worn brake pads, used engine oil and that sort of thing. Some were destined for the Bakey (Dump), and others for transportation to a new and glorious shed based life.
The CX was in fair few pieces – one front wheel off, and brake disassembled not to mention the gaping hole where the alternator used to reside. Time to get on with reassembly.
Luckily, I’d avoided taking the teardown any further, and had a vague recollection of how things went together.
I find it most helpful to switch off my logical brain when approaching CX work, instead adopting a more “Gallic flair & Bof” approach to considering the tasks at hand.
My friend Brian had helpfully taken pictures to show how the Alternator was connected during our epic battle to remove it.
That's 4ft of exhaust used on a breaker bar to get the alternator bolt off
I looked at the pile of bolts encased in an errant pulley and summoned up my inner Jean Reno/BA Baracus hybrid spirit.
I could see the goal clearly, with the myriad pulleys and pumps removed or moved, so at least had an idea as to how things were supposed to go.
I gave the bolt a wire brushing, and applied some copper grease to keep it from seizing
Then it was time for the torturous route to re-installation:
Only one grazed knuckle later, and it was in place. Some wrestling with a 13m spanner onto the flatted sides of the nut/retainer for the bolt meant that it tightened up, and we could turn our attention to getting the belt on and tensioned.
Wires on, it was time to rebuild the engine.
First up, we re-positioned the pump and removed pulleys and reattached the removed belts.
That just left the inlet manifold to reattach before cranking her over.
Immediately she fired, then died with a strong smell of fuel. A look in the engine bay highlighted a disconnected breather hose causing unmetered air to get into the inlet, and fuel pouring out of a supply pipe just before the filter.
The hose was easily reattached, but the fuel pipe was a bit more involved.
Fuel was seeping through the pipe that looks damp in the centre of this picture
But a new pipe soon sorted it out!Resolution involved removing a coolant pipe, then swapping the fuel hose over with new pipe, before replacing the coolant hose.
With that done, she settled down to a happy idle, and was even showing some volts! Still more to do to make sure she was spot on, but that is still to come
Can someone please buy this thing of beauty. Jewish Racing Gold, beige interior and smoother than Barry White pouring honey on a naked vestal virgin. I want it so much!!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C769430
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C769430
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