TZi noise when running

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pindimar
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TZi noise when running

Post by pindimar »

Before I ask about the noise: recently had the top end of the TZi engine rebuilt by a non-specialist and he seems to have done a very good job, no problems after around 600 kms, touch wood.

Forgot to tell him about this noise and it is still there after his work, so I wonder if anyone has an idea what it might be funny he didn't notice, it's quite loud. A grinding type of noise when running along - especially in 1st, 2nd and 3rd Not really in 4th or 5th or you just can't hear it then. But it comes and goes and varies in intensity. In this right hand drive car, and from the driver's seat, the noise sounds like it is coming from the left front side, or even around the gear box ??? Who knows.

It used to do this around 2 years ago and was fixed somehow, I did mention it to a specialist mechanic back then who said he didn't know what it was but he seemed to fix it, or it fixed itself at around that time. So, for the past two years there has been no noise and a few weeks ago I went over some severe speed humps, too fast (that were not lit, at all!) and ever since, the noise has been back.

Oh, and while on the subject of things that come and go, a few years ago I had a problem with the air conditioning stalling the engine when the car dropped back to idle speed. I got some suggestions at the time from this group about increasing the idle setting etc and that worked for five minutes but the problem came back. Various "Citroen specialists" looked at this problem and none ever solved it. Well...after three years it suddenly fixed itself No, no....before the head was done, long before. Now, work that one out!

The cost of the recent head rebuild, by the way, was $1540 Australian dollars. (with a few extra parts added, like the oil distribution tube over the camshaft which had broken down with heat/age - I mean, it's plastic of some kind!)

The car had done 284600 kms, before the head rebuild - also, by the way.

But, any ideas about what the grinding / rasping sort of noise may be ??

Greg F
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Post by AlanS »

I'd be checking to see if either an engine mount has gone (possibly the one under the battery) or the exhaust is touching somewhere.
The engine stalling when the air/con came on may have been as a result of the top end losing power due to valves not seating on one or more cylinders, and the power required to drive the air/con just a bit more than it could handle.


Alan S
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pindimar
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engine mount

Post by pindimar »

Oh, thanks Alan, didn't think of that, Will get them to check it out as it has to go back after 1,000 kms to have the head tightened down, anyway.

The air cond. cutting out fixed itself way before the head was done, though, that's the weird thing. They're funny, these BXs!

Greg
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Re: engine mount

Post by AlanS »

pindimar wrote:Oh, thanks Alan, didn't think of that, Will get them to check it out as it has to go back after 1,000 kms to have the head tightened down, anyway.

The air cond. cutting out fixed itself way before the head was done, though, that's the weird thing. They're funny, these BXs!

Greg
How come you need to do this?
These heads are supposed to be held by stretch bolts 60/20/+300 degrees of stretch and shouldn't need retightening.

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pindimar
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how come I need to do it....

Post by pindimar »

...because the mechanic told me that I do! I mean....what do I know!

That is the story I have been given and I feel that the guy is genuine - he may not be up to date or whatever, but I dont think he is a rip-off merchant, which every "Citroen Speciaist" that I have been to, certainly has proved to be.

Now the reality may be different but I'm perpared to go along with the game, if that's what it is, to keep this guy on side.

I don't know much about mechanical stuff and I've had more than enough of the Citroen specialist mechanics in this part of the world. As a member of this forum who hails from Melbourne said to me when I recounted the stuffing around that I have received from these specialists in Greater Sydney, it's a wonder there are any BXs on the roads up there! ... Indeed!

They see us coming, Alan, and it gives me ...how should I say....considerable angst!

All you in nthe UK (or Victoria & Qld perhaps, count your blessings. But then, that is Sydney in general, perhaps???


Sorry for sounding off so honestly, but then, I've had a couple of red wines now!
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Post by AlanS »

I asked because there's a couple of lines of thought on this.
PSA recommend the sequence I described above and I've just done one recently, in fact to be honest, I didn't "do" it, I supervised a son whose into weight lifting as I literally totally immobilised myself last time I did one, it's so hard to do. Tensions are bad enough, but the 300 degrees really tries out the old injuries.
The other is described here by Puma Racing under "Headbolts" if you scroll down the page.

http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/pug16v.htm


I know a couple who have done that and so far so good, it's held but as somone who has spent and still spends a fair amount of time around competition vehicles, I also know that race cars are prepared for a meeting, be it 10 laps or 100 and little consideration is usually taken into account for longeivity.
I don't doubt your guy may have done this before and the guy at Puma is apparently no mug either, but I wonder if anyone can give a long term result for going this way. I get nervous going against manufacturers instructions unless they're proven to be questionable.
I can agree about the specialists down your way and up here is better but there's still a few that are a worry which is why I'm getting cars coming as far as 5/6 hours drive away to get work done. :roll: If I was many years younger I would be seriously looking at starting a business in it, but I'm at the stage where I'm happy to do my own and help others out where I can rather than get into chasing any fortunes.


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Post by adamskibx »

The noise sounds exactly like what my last two BX's have done to some degree. The GT got quite bad, and it turned out to be the clutch release bearing. Change the clutch parts and it will stop. Also, take a look at the intermediate driveshaft bearing. It doesnt do it so much in 4th and 5th for two reasons. Firstly, the less load on the input shaft, the less thats keeping it steady, and secondly, it happens at certain RPM's and as road speed has to increase a lot in the high gears, you wont hear it. However, I could get it to do the same thing while the car was still, with the gear stick in a gear with the clutch pressed (something like that anyway- I could never make mechanical sense of when it actually happened really).
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Post by Stewart (oily!) »

On the subject of headbolt tightening the very first head gasket job I did on a BX was a Mk1 Diesel with Hexagonal headed bolts, the sequence involved running the engine up and several stages at one point it was running and pressurising with the new gasket in it, I was shitting little blue lights :x , later ones the new bolts supplied have been torx and have all just been sequential, torques and finally angles, usually given on the gasket packaging.
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Post by docchevron »

Yeah, the early stylee bolt did require a re-torque, but the later ones do not, being a stretch bolt I'd be VERY vareful about re-torqueing them, I really would...

Release bearings can make odd noises, although so can driveshafts...
Hard to say without seeing the car really...
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pindimar
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TZi noise

Post by pindimar »

Thanks Adamskibx, thanks Oily and Alan S an'all,

Yes, the noise could be the engine mount or the thrust bearing, I'll let the mechanic know of your experiences, and thanks for the suggestions - Both sound lilkely culprits, actually

I'll also pass on the tightening down info. to the mechanic and thanks all, for that stuff too.

By the way, haven't done the final check yet, but the car is certainly more economical since the head rebuild. Will report back when I fill up next time.

Greg F
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pindimar
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BX TZi noise when running

Post by pindimar »

...well....blow me down...turns out to be the hydraulic lines running under the passenger front door that had come away from their clip that held them to the body. I wouldn't have picked that, In fact, when Big T (that's Big Tony, the mechanic) said that he thought it may be that, after fixing that, but would have to wait and see, I didn't believe it, but there you have it.

...And after the work that Tony did on the head (complete rebuild for $1600 with a few additional parts included) any BXs in the Sydney, NSW, Australia area! could do a lot worse than go to Big T at Drummoyne for any work - like going to one of the BX "specialists" for example! Like the Peugeot specialist that I took the car to in Waitara for a clutch replacement who charged $1400 and I asked Tony what he would charge to do the clutch ...."Oh, now that'd cost a lot I'm afraid, you'd be looking at up to about $700 for that" His telephone is: 91813901

Greg F
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