I'll AX this only once... though there is an Echo in here
Discussion
Having a hole in the indicator was one thing, having it totally exposed following a bird strike was another, so time to get on with replacing it.....
The Book of Lies merely states you need to remove the headlight to get and the indicator and then it's simplicity itself. The problem with the is the removal of the headlight, which involves using pliers on these to free the light from the adjusters....
This is a fiddly job at best, but you can't get to the bottom one without removing the grill.
None of this is tricky as access is easy (no bumper removal here), but more time consuming than it first appears!
I was clearly spoiled by the shocking condition of the off side headlight and the fact that it's held onto the adjusters with goo, whereas this one is actually as the factory intended!
Once you've got access though, it's a matter of undoing the clips and prying the aged brittle plastic from the rusty adjusters near the grill, then moving the light away from the really rusty ball mounting near the wing without bending or breaking it....
This needed caution, but once it was out (without anything breaking - a miracle), then yes, removing the broken indicator was easy.
Having gone through this, I found some orange coating on the inside of the indicator, looked at the bulb, and decided to replace it, rather than doing this again following an MOT failure.
Disturbing the elderly wiring (and possibly original bulb) made the new one only work intermittently of course.... A dose of contact cleaner later though, and sucess!
Just a matter of fitting the replacement unit then. Brilliant.
Of course the replacement unit is not quite right.... The section into which you insert the wiring and bulb therefore prevents the bulb holder from screwing into place. I could glue it, but future me will not thank me for that.
Sigh. The long way it is then, being aware that if I try too hard or too many times, the equally fragile plastic on the bulb holder may also disintegrate and then the whole exercise will have been rather frustrating for no purpose....
There was a lot of filling, checking, filling, checking.... repeat ad nauseum, but we got there!
A liberal dose of copper slip on all the fastenings and ball mounts upon reassembly just in case of further avian intervention, and we're done.
All of this to keep an AX on the road..... Good job I still love driving it!
The Book of Lies merely states you need to remove the headlight to get and the indicator and then it's simplicity itself. The problem with the is the removal of the headlight, which involves using pliers on these to free the light from the adjusters....
This is a fiddly job at best, but you can't get to the bottom one without removing the grill.
None of this is tricky as access is easy (no bumper removal here), but more time consuming than it first appears!
I was clearly spoiled by the shocking condition of the off side headlight and the fact that it's held onto the adjusters with goo, whereas this one is actually as the factory intended!
Once you've got access though, it's a matter of undoing the clips and prying the aged brittle plastic from the rusty adjusters near the grill, then moving the light away from the really rusty ball mounting near the wing without bending or breaking it....
This needed caution, but once it was out (without anything breaking - a miracle), then yes, removing the broken indicator was easy.
Having gone through this, I found some orange coating on the inside of the indicator, looked at the bulb, and decided to replace it, rather than doing this again following an MOT failure.
Disturbing the elderly wiring (and possibly original bulb) made the new one only work intermittently of course.... A dose of contact cleaner later though, and sucess!
Just a matter of fitting the replacement unit then. Brilliant.
Of course the replacement unit is not quite right.... The section into which you insert the wiring and bulb therefore prevents the bulb holder from screwing into place. I could glue it, but future me will not thank me for that.
Sigh. The long way it is then, being aware that if I try too hard or too many times, the equally fragile plastic on the bulb holder may also disintegrate and then the whole exercise will have been rather frustrating for no purpose....
There was a lot of filling, checking, filling, checking.... repeat ad nauseum, but we got there!
A liberal dose of copper slip on all the fastenings and ball mounts upon reassembly just in case of further avian intervention, and we're done.
All of this to keep an AX on the road..... Good job I still love driving it!
Bobberoo said:
Top work and a great and entertaining write up!!!
Thanks very much! Relatively quiet in AX world, although I had a worried phone call relaying that the AX had conked out.I immediately started on the worst case scenarios, before asking.... "how many miles have you done?"
Turns out lots of urban stuff and queuing across town means the absolute steel certainty of 400 miles to a tank at least was wrong. Must get that can of fuel sorted (and mentally readjust the limit to 350.
Apart from that, it was the turn of one of the rear bulbs to drop out. A remarkably easy fix involving undoing 2 plastic wing nuts....
I did look at fuel senders, but of course there are 3 different ones and I won't know which I need until the car is out of action. Also, they seem to all be north of £100.
A can of fuel it is then!
Cambs_Stuart said:
Your fuel gauge issues remind me of my youth when i had motorbikes. That sinking feeling when you turn the tap to "reserve", only to remember you did that a couple of days ago.
Oh yes.... I remember those days from, well, not that long ago! The NC30 which only went in May required being able to reach down and turn the valve by touch, not fun mid-overtake when the throttle went... fluffy. Not much to report in AX world, there's still water getting into the footwell from somewhere, I appear to have put the steering wheel back on with too much vigour as it now rubs the surround (more than it did), and there's a new squeak from the A-pillar trim on the near side....
However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
However, something that really made my day recently, was the note left under the AX windscreen asking if it was for sale.
It's not, but there's at least one other aged French lightweight hatchback fan out there! Must be because I washed it!
Bobberoo said:
It must be a nice feeling being asked that!!!
It was, they must be similarly tapped! However, there are a few of similarly diseased mind.... We had some friends break their journey between Scotland and Kent in both directions with us over Christmas, and he is from a long line of Citroën fanatics (there's a 2CV in his garage....)
He returned from Kent with a present from his Dad for me... apparently acquired from their local dealership.
This delighted me no end, and is a fantastic thing to have. Possibly more structurally sound than the real thing too....
In the life-size version, I think some prolonged rain has finally identified the source of the wet floors. Looks like some careful windscreen adhesive is needed (or a replacement screen):
Other than that, I've found a replacement fan which will hopefully fit, and have just washed it and taken it for a spin to The Motorist at Sherburn. Nice to enjoy it on some relatively empty roads!
cavebloke said:
Has the red paint of the model gone an oxidised pink in sympathy with the full sized vehicles?
That would be period correct, but it’s just the way my poor camera phone has reacted to the very yellow light in the kitchen….hmg said:
A propensity for exploding rear windows is all I can remember from my ownership experience in the 90’s
I had an early warning from the friend that had one previously (from the family of Citroen perverts)….”when you close the boot, always do so from the centre as otherwise you run the risk of twisting the plastic and popping the rear window out.” Wise words indeed….. Still, you have to get your weight saving somewhere!andy26725 said:
I had an AX Echo until I scrapped it after in a accident ~15 years ago. No space to keep it and would have cost way too much money for someone else to repair it. Same colour, same go-faster stripes, same engine, same year, 3-door. Didn't even consider learning to repair it back then like I would now and it still breaks my heart. Nice to see one being cared for...
Funny how these things get under your skin, I have similar thoughts about the first car I pranged (because I was young and stupid) and whether it ever got put back on the road by someone more mechanically minded than I was then. 1600GT Beetle (my Dad’s….) that I would love to own again now!Edited by andy26725 on Saturday 28th January 08:34
The AX needs a little attention, the exhaust blow I thought I had noticed is definitely now more noticeable. It also comes with a bonus rattle at certain RPM - as I don’t drive it much, and tonight was the first time in a while (in the dark), I’ve not investigated further. As it’s due a service though, I’ve set next Saturday aside for investigating matters and doing an oil drop.
Time to go back to 10w40:semi as well, I think the synthetic 5w30 is too thin. Other regular service items are grease the brake pad retaining pins, cables, mechanisms, oil the air filter if it needs it, and a general poke about for rust. I’m sure being a mid-90s Citroen, this last item will be a trouble free experience of course….
Suspicious noises, are never good. Especially when you don't drive the car that regularly and the information is second hand.
"Metallic screeching noise on startup" in this case.
Time to take a drive across town myself to get some firsthand information.
Add to that list:
Difficult to get into gear (especially 1st)
Juddering when setting off unless the revs were kept TLGP high
Clutch pedal lower than it should be
Clutch pedal rocking underfoot with acceleration/deceleration.
Not a good list.....
A quick underbonnet check in the dark and nothing rocked obviously by hand, but a quick check underneath showed the return of on old problem....
You shouldn't be able to see the flywheel....but that loose bolt might just be the cause of all the symptoms.
Yup, tightened up with some threadlock and all the above symptoms vanished. When I get to servicing it in the next couple of weeks, I'll take that bolt out again, clean it up (oil contamination from the rocker cover gasket isn't helping) and add more threadlock. I can't find a torque setting for it, so I'll opt for FT.
I should also investigate this, but I do fear for what I might find.....
"Metallic screeching noise on startup" in this case.
Time to take a drive across town myself to get some firsthand information.
Add to that list:
Difficult to get into gear (especially 1st)
Juddering when setting off unless the revs were kept TLGP high
Clutch pedal lower than it should be
Clutch pedal rocking underfoot with acceleration/deceleration.
Not a good list.....
A quick underbonnet check in the dark and nothing rocked obviously by hand, but a quick check underneath showed the return of on old problem....
You shouldn't be able to see the flywheel....but that loose bolt might just be the cause of all the symptoms.
Yup, tightened up with some threadlock and all the above symptoms vanished. When I get to servicing it in the next couple of weeks, I'll take that bolt out again, clean it up (oil contamination from the rocker cover gasket isn't helping) and add more threadlock. I can't find a torque setting for it, so I'll opt for FT.
I should also investigate this, but I do fear for what I might find.....
A little bit of time spent on the AX yesterday as the MOT is next month and the last oil change was pre-Le Mans. I needed to try and fix the smell of burning oil that was following me around.... I'm glad it fits in the back yard as its makes work a lot easier!
Standard oil and filter change, Bosch this time as its was what Halfords stocked and I was using up a voucher.
Evidence of oil on the downpipe from the manifold, with the source being known (rocker cover gasket), but very obvious unfortunately.
A quick look at the rockers show all appears well though.
Unfortunately, the new cam cover gasket despite boldly claiming it fits an AX, doesn't. Unfortunately, that meant a clean up and bodge until I can find a replacement...
Other bits of fettling involved tracing a suspected exhaust blow (the system underneath and all the connections looked fine). Ah, found it.
All 8 manifold nuts needed tightening, I'm not sure why they'd worked loose, the specified torque setting seems low at 16Nm though.
I also checked all of the gearbox to engine mounting bolts. Good news, the one I did a couple of months back is fine, although it's equivalent at the top needed tightening. There is room for a nut on the bottom (good suggestion both, thank you), so if it's happens again, that's what I'll do.
The nearside sidelight bulb has blown more then once, the the connections were a bit green and furry, so those were cleaned up, although of course I didn't have the correct (capless) bulb in the stash.
The offside headlight was slightly loose, and potentially an MOT fail (the Tiger Seal having done a sterling job up to this point). It appears your can now get replacement headlights though, but I don't want to replace it for the sake of some snapped plastic if I could avoid it.... UHU proved unsuccessful, but JB Weld and the correct sized cable tie has formed the perfect new socket. Morebodgery innovative engineering....
More plastic related repairs conducted to the front bumper following the unfortunate pheasant collision last year. I didn't want it getting worse and breaking up the bumper (an enormous consideration given the high speeds the AX can reach of course
). Now sealed front and back with metal stitches in strategic places. I might tidy it up a bit with some sanding in the future though.
Hopefully that will be sufficient for the MOT - I'll come back to the non - structural corrosion under the bonnet at a later date....
Standard oil and filter change, Bosch this time as its was what Halfords stocked and I was using up a voucher.
Evidence of oil on the downpipe from the manifold, with the source being known (rocker cover gasket), but very obvious unfortunately.
A quick look at the rockers show all appears well though.
Unfortunately, the new cam cover gasket despite boldly claiming it fits an AX, doesn't. Unfortunately, that meant a clean up and bodge until I can find a replacement...
Other bits of fettling involved tracing a suspected exhaust blow (the system underneath and all the connections looked fine). Ah, found it.
All 8 manifold nuts needed tightening, I'm not sure why they'd worked loose, the specified torque setting seems low at 16Nm though.
I also checked all of the gearbox to engine mounting bolts. Good news, the one I did a couple of months back is fine, although it's equivalent at the top needed tightening. There is room for a nut on the bottom (good suggestion both, thank you), so if it's happens again, that's what I'll do.
The nearside sidelight bulb has blown more then once, the the connections were a bit green and furry, so those were cleaned up, although of course I didn't have the correct (capless) bulb in the stash.
The offside headlight was slightly loose, and potentially an MOT fail (the Tiger Seal having done a sterling job up to this point). It appears your can now get replacement headlights though, but I don't want to replace it for the sake of some snapped plastic if I could avoid it.... UHU proved unsuccessful, but JB Weld and the correct sized cable tie has formed the perfect new socket. More
More plastic related repairs conducted to the front bumper following the unfortunate pheasant collision last year. I didn't want it getting worse and breaking up the bumper (an enormous consideration given the high speeds the AX can reach of course
). Now sealed front and back with metal stitches in strategic places. I might tidy it up a bit with some sanding in the future though.Hopefully that will be sufficient for the MOT - I'll come back to the non - structural corrosion under the bonnet at a later date....
Niponeoff said:
Not VTS'd it yet! I've had so many of these, would love another one.
It was allays a tempting thing, especially when the head gasket went on the original engine. This is going to sound daft, but I really like the 3 stud hubs on tiny wheels, and the VTS job while making the car an absolute hoot to drive, was more than I had the time to commit to. The engine refresh and manifold tweaks make it feel a lot quicker though! Bobupndown said:
Love the simplicity of this and your perseverance keeping it on the road.
My sister and mum had Saxo and 106s, similar simple light weight French fun. I preferred something bigger and despite having viewed a number of Xantias I always ended up buying 405s.
Can't beat the comfy! I do love a 405, but the lightweight hilarity of this is part of its attraction... My sister and mum had Saxo and 106s, similar simple light weight French fun. I preferred something bigger and despite having viewed a number of Xantias I always ended up buying 405s.
Couchwarrior316 said:
Great thread here. Love these basic old Frenchies
That is part of its charm. Nothing too complicated to add weight or break!I forgot to add as part of my log that I'll need 4 new tyres when I checked. They're all legal, but that eccentric wear pattern is still an issue. Lots less tread on the inner part of the tyres than the outer.
4 new tyres booked in for Friday, given the wear pattern on the inside shoulders, I've booked for tracking as well (now the front suspension has been replaced....)
Also tackled the last known fail, the blown sidelight bulb.
Truly rock and roll!
Then got stuck in on a couple of motorbikes, but there are no threads for those. It's been a busy day.
Also tackled the last known fail, the blown sidelight bulb.
Truly rock and roll!
Then got stuck in on a couple of motorbikes, but there are no threads for those. It's been a busy day.
2 hours at ATS for them to fit 4 new Ecowings and sort out the tracking. 2 degrees out on one side, 9 on the other.
The car was older than the person fitting the tyres, and they had to be shown how to find the track rods on an AX....
The car feels good to drive and I had a nice chat with the guy behind the desk who has a Renault 5...
Good to have tread across the full width of the tyre again!
The car was older than the person fitting the tyres, and they had to be shown how to find the track rods on an AX....
The car feels good to drive and I had a nice chat with the guy behind the desk who has a Renault 5...
Good to have tread across the full width of the tyre again!
Of course 760kgs of French finery makes an ideal tow car, why do you ask....
Worked out OK in the end, all cars shuffled to assist the Rallye Resolution make progress and no clutches were harmed in the process.
Driving back, the N/S headlight (the unbroken one), seemed a little out, thankfully just a loose clip.
While I've not done many miles, the cam cover sealant appears to be holding (although I now have a proper gasket for when it fails).
Worked out OK in the end, all cars shuffled to assist the Rallye Resolution make progress and no clutches were harmed in the process.
Driving back, the N/S headlight (the unbroken one), seemed a little out, thankfully just a loose clip.
While I've not done many miles, the cam cover sealant appears to be holding (although I now have a proper gasket for when it fails).
Edited by darkyoung1000 on Saturday 29th April 11:07
MOT time for the AX, and at least I could be sure that the advisories from last time wouldn't be an issue as the wishbones and tyres has all been replaced. What new issues might lurk though....? A pre-MOT wash and walk round revealed nothing obvious, so in it went.
The result? A solid pass.
A chat with the MOT tester afterwards for more details revealed the location of the blow was near the back box where it connects to the mid-section...the same place as the missing hanger.
Oh yes, that would be it then.
I'll start looking at exhaust options, as it's not going to fix itself, but at least I could take care of the hanger as I had a stash of spares. Yes, yes I did weigh the different hangers and install the lighter one. I need help.
I think the oil leak is the remnants of the falling cam cover gasket which I've not cleaned off, but one to check next time I'm under the car.
The result? A solid pass.
A chat with the MOT tester afterwards for more details revealed the location of the blow was near the back box where it connects to the mid-section...the same place as the missing hanger.
Oh yes, that would be it then.
I'll start looking at exhaust options, as it's not going to fix itself, but at least I could take care of the hanger as I had a stash of spares. Yes, yes I did weigh the different hangers and install the lighter one. I need help.
I think the oil leak is the remnants of the falling cam cover gasket which I've not cleaned off, but one to check next time I'm under the car.
Edited by darkyoung1000 on Wednesday 24th May 12:40
Cambs_Stuart said:
That's a pretty good pass! Hope you have fun with it. Any plans for big road trips in the AX this summer?
I had an absolute whale of a time with a Lotus Elise Clubsport on the run out to the PHSS at the Motorist a couple of weeks ago. Some favourite local roads early on a Sunday morning trying to maintain momentum following a faster (although heavier) car. Great fun!With the Volvo going, the AX is going to be used for a holiday to Cornwall in June, and then Le Mans Classic in July. Should up the 6000 miles from last year a little bit!
Well, that escalated quickly as they say.... It's only an advisory, but I just thought I'd check and see what my options were for Stainless Steel exhausts.
Oh look there's a full stainless system on eBay from an AX GT. With good photos and measurements. In a place where I'll be for work in the next month.
More updates to follow
Oh look there's a full stainless system on eBay from an AX GT. With good photos and measurements. In a place where I'll be for work in the next month.
More updates to follow
First of the summer's longer trips today, down to Cornwall which is a LONG way from Yorkshire.
A 9.5 hour trip including stops at over 50mpg despite forgetting myself once or twice an indulging in a spot of hooliganism (mostly round Exeter with an i20/i30n (I'm not sure which it was).
A slightly disturbing sight knocking/vibration is now apparent under hard left hand corners under power. I think it was developing before we left, but warrants further investigation.
I have a weekend in mind when we get back prior to the next long trip to Le Mans.
For now however, Cornwall is a beautiful place to be, and I'm go easy on the throttle when cornering!
A 9.5 hour trip including stops at over 50mpg despite forgetting myself once or twice an indulging in a spot of hooliganism (mostly round Exeter with an i20/i30n (I'm not sure which it was).
A slightly disturbing sight knocking/vibration is now apparent under hard left hand corners under power. I think it was developing before we left, but warrants further investigation.
I have a weekend in mind when we get back prior to the next long trip to Le Mans.
For now however, Cornwall is a beautiful place to be, and I'm go easy on the throttle when cornering!
1000 miles of motoring later, and back home in York.
Lots of lovely scenery in Cornwall and all the way up the country on a non-motorway journey to stay in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire to finish off.
A valiant performance by the Dude, the grumbling (suspected wheel bearing) remains under hard left turns and acceleration only, but a garage appointment awaits due to my lack of bearing press....
I have next weekend earmarked for some work as well (weather permitting).
I even managed to pick up a not quite period genuine Citroën accessory in a pop up charity stall at Wentworth Castle Gardens
Once cleaned up, and dead spiders removed, the collapsible wheeled shopping trolley may come in handy. For clarity, I'm talking about the small folding plastic accessory, not the car.
Lots of lovely scenery in Cornwall and all the way up the country on a non-motorway journey to stay in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire to finish off.
A valiant performance by the Dude, the grumbling (suspected wheel bearing) remains under hard left turns and acceleration only, but a garage appointment awaits due to my lack of bearing press....
I have next weekend earmarked for some work as well (weather permitting).
I even managed to pick up a not quite period genuine Citroën accessory in a pop up charity stall at Wentworth Castle Gardens
Once cleaned up, and dead spiders removed, the collapsible wheeled shopping trolley may come in handy. For clarity, I'm talking about the small folding plastic accessory, not the car.
There's a long list of stuff that needs doing, on the AX, as well as an aspirational list of nice to do stuff (of course). It's going into the garage on Monday for someone else with a 10t press to do the front wheel bearings, but I have made some progress today.
I managed to get most of the tree sap off it last night and into the back yard so I could get started as soon as I wanted to:
although I did have an 'assistant' who I had to try and not disturb (this is the law of cat):
Soaked the old fastenings at the manifold in penetrating oil, but they didn't put up a fight, as the manifold to mid section only got tightened up when the engine fettling happened a couple of years back (and the 'oil leak, but not excessive' advisory has been helping one of them stay unseized.....
Gloves, eye protection....none of which saved me from dropping the back box on my face when it slipped off the mounts, but it came of all too readily!
Of course I weighed it....it's about 1kg lighter despite being larger diameter which is good. The better news? It's actually designed for an AX - not 'designed for an AX but you'll have to cut a section out of it to make it fit.' I offered it up to the manifold and the alignment down the rest of the car was excellent:
All going too smoothly to continue in the vein of course. The larger diameter meant that the connections I'd carefully undone to save were just too short and I couldn't get a nut on the thread to tighten it up. I wasted half an hour trying of course, before reminding myself that this was why I started early so that the motor factors were still open. For specific exhaust flange mounting bolts for a mid-90s Citroen that how many left thinks there are 330 left on the road last year. Piece of cake....
Unsurprisingly, they didn't have exactly what I needed, but a trawl of CTS, Fastpack and Barnitts yielded the following haul:
The solution arrived at was an M6 x 75mm stainless bolt and nut, using an M8 domed nut with the thread drilled out and an M6 hole drilled in it to replicate the ball section of the shank. The collet came from some M8 aluminium tubing and a new penny washer with an enlarged hole. I reused the springs and shaped washers.
I did contemplate scaling the bolts up to M8, but thought that as the existing M6 ones were doing an adequate job, there was no need for overkill!
All of which, looked like this (eventually):
Overall I was quite happy with the connection it offered!
Then trying to put the rear section on, I had to take the entire thing off again, as it was not going to be persuaded into place in-situ:
|https://thumbsnap.com/r9Z55w9c[/url]
Having wrestled the whole thing into place as a single piece, it really did follow the alignment of the floor plan beautifully.
Handily, I'd bought the wrong size exhaust clamp for one of the bikes, so was able to use that for the join (the clamp that came with the exhaust was 54mm, this starts at 55mm but was close enough to get a good seal.
[url]
Also, I think I might have solved my 'gearbox slowly separating from engine' issue. There is a mounting section on the exhaust manifold that should have a bolt in it going through to the gearbox as well as holding the exhaust in place. I have no idea why it's wound out as I remember putting it in post-engine works, but it's no longer there. Luckily I had a non-original 75mm bolt to take its place - carefully wound in by hand to not cross-thread anything before being tightened up:
While spending time contemplating the underside of the engine, I think I've found the source of the oil leak and it's not one of the usual candidates - it's actually coming down from the air intake section where it connects to the inlet manifold. I think there is some excess oil being thrown out of the breather in the cam cover and it's making its way down the back of the engine. One for more investigation tomorrow....
Everything tightened up, and I started it to check for leaks. All seems good...however, it is a little bit louder than the standard one (to be expected). Unfortunately, this means that I'm now driving a 1.1l badged Citroen AX with a twin pipe stainless exhaust from a GT. I also pulled the door speaker out to see what the output is as it tends to distort when the volume is high and I'd like more powerful ones:
The Dimma bodykit is on order
I then did a little bit of rust tidying to the more obvious bits. Luckily still surface stuff, but I really don't want to try and find replacement doors.
Power wire brush and two applications of rust removal gel followed by some very gloopy brush applied Rustins anti corrosion paint:
I'll let that go off overnight, then use some filler primer and colour match to seamlessly blend it in so its like new....or something like that.
I managed to get most of the tree sap off it last night and into the back yard so I could get started as soon as I wanted to:
although I did have an 'assistant' who I had to try and not disturb (this is the law of cat):
Soaked the old fastenings at the manifold in penetrating oil, but they didn't put up a fight, as the manifold to mid section only got tightened up when the engine fettling happened a couple of years back (and the 'oil leak, but not excessive' advisory has been helping one of them stay unseized.....
Gloves, eye protection....none of which saved me from dropping the back box on my face when it slipped off the mounts, but it came of all too readily!
Of course I weighed it....it's about 1kg lighter despite being larger diameter which is good. The better news? It's actually designed for an AX - not 'designed for an AX but you'll have to cut a section out of it to make it fit.' I offered it up to the manifold and the alignment down the rest of the car was excellent:
All going too smoothly to continue in the vein of course. The larger diameter meant that the connections I'd carefully undone to save were just too short and I couldn't get a nut on the thread to tighten it up. I wasted half an hour trying of course, before reminding myself that this was why I started early so that the motor factors were still open. For specific exhaust flange mounting bolts for a mid-90s Citroen that how many left thinks there are 330 left on the road last year. Piece of cake....
Unsurprisingly, they didn't have exactly what I needed, but a trawl of CTS, Fastpack and Barnitts yielded the following haul:
The solution arrived at was an M6 x 75mm stainless bolt and nut, using an M8 domed nut with the thread drilled out and an M6 hole drilled in it to replicate the ball section of the shank. The collet came from some M8 aluminium tubing and a new penny washer with an enlarged hole. I reused the springs and shaped washers.
I did contemplate scaling the bolts up to M8, but thought that as the existing M6 ones were doing an adequate job, there was no need for overkill!
All of which, looked like this (eventually):
Overall I was quite happy with the connection it offered!
Then trying to put the rear section on, I had to take the entire thing off again, as it was not going to be persuaded into place in-situ:
|https://thumbsnap.com/r9Z55w9c[/url]Having wrestled the whole thing into place as a single piece, it really did follow the alignment of the floor plan beautifully.
Handily, I'd bought the wrong size exhaust clamp for one of the bikes, so was able to use that for the join (the clamp that came with the exhaust was 54mm, this starts at 55mm but was close enough to get a good seal.
[url]Also, I think I might have solved my 'gearbox slowly separating from engine' issue. There is a mounting section on the exhaust manifold that should have a bolt in it going through to the gearbox as well as holding the exhaust in place. I have no idea why it's wound out as I remember putting it in post-engine works, but it's no longer there. Luckily I had a non-original 75mm bolt to take its place - carefully wound in by hand to not cross-thread anything before being tightened up:
While spending time contemplating the underside of the engine, I think I've found the source of the oil leak and it's not one of the usual candidates - it's actually coming down from the air intake section where it connects to the inlet manifold. I think there is some excess oil being thrown out of the breather in the cam cover and it's making its way down the back of the engine. One for more investigation tomorrow....
Everything tightened up, and I started it to check for leaks. All seems good...however, it is a little bit louder than the standard one (to be expected). Unfortunately, this means that I'm now driving a 1.1l badged Citroen AX with a twin pipe stainless exhaust from a GT. I also pulled the door speaker out to see what the output is as it tends to distort when the volume is high and I'd like more powerful ones:
The Dimma bodykit is on order
I then did a little bit of rust tidying to the more obvious bits. Luckily still surface stuff, but I really don't want to try and find replacement doors.
Power wire brush and two applications of rust removal gel followed by some very gloopy brush applied Rustins anti corrosion paint:
I'll let that go off overnight, then use some filler primer and colour match to seamlessly blend it in so its like new....or something like that.
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