HELP! Accumulator sphere is off but no space to get out!

dumbtime · Post by **dumbtime** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:38 pm

pretty much what the title says.
Im in my grandads drive, ive unscrewed the accumulator sphere and there's no way of getting it out. theres loads of hydrualic pipes in the way and other stuff.

My BX is a 1984 19RD

Anyone know what to do? The only place where it might possibly come out from is if I bend a spiral bit of pipe out of the way but im scared of breaking it. should i be scared or shall I bend away?

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:54 pm

Try to avoid excessive bending but if the pipe is OK it will bend.

If it breaks it is rotten anyway. I have one of these I think if you do break it. The Mk1 has the coil at the front of the engine where the MK2 is behind.

dumbtime · Post by **dumbtime** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:03 pm

OK I'll give it a go.
whish me luck and thankyou very much.

Baldbazza · Post by **Baldbazza** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:19 pm

You might have a front-to-back cross-member under the engine which I think was omitted from later cars (it appears to have been installed for strength, but in fact transfers the impact of a frontal collision further back, where you probably wouldn't want it). This is easy to unscrew and get out of the way, but be careful as there are a couple (I think) of pipes running along it. I needed to take it off to change my accumulator sphere, and if I can do it, it can't be too difficult...

dumbtime · Post by **dumbtime** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:37 pm

Unfortunatly I dont know what a front-to-back cross-member is, however I managed to get it out, all I had to do was to push the coiled hydrolic pipe that was in way, out of they way! bit scared at first as i didnt want to break it.

so what is a front-to-back cross-member?

thanks

Baldbazza · Post by **Baldbazza** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:18 pm

dumbtime wrote:Unfortunatly I dont know what a front-to-back cross-member is, however I managed to get it out, all I had to do was to push the coiled hydrolic pipe that was in way, out of they way! bit scared at first as i didnt want to break it.

so what is a front-to-back cross-member?

thanks

I probably didn't describe it too well. I was referring to the metal bar that goes under the engine from front to back, more-or-less from underneath the accumulator backwards. It's about 3 feet long & held on with 4 nuts & bolts, and probably called something else... From what I understand, they were installed on mark 1s but omitted from later cars. But all academic anyway if you didn't need to remove it. Well done!

Can one of you seasoned BXers say what the coiled hydraulic pipe is for? I assume it's to absorb the energy when hydraulic pressure is applied or released. Do these pipes move much? I'm interested in this because I've just replaced my oil filler downpipe with one butchered from a spare 16v pipe of Kitch's, and part of the butchering involved 'threading' the smaller diameter side pipe through this coiled pipe (the 16v side pipe is on the opposite side to the GT's, so needs a bit of devious re-routing). If the coil is likely to flex very much I'd better try to get hold of the correct filler downpipe before it wears through the rubber and I get a hot brown puddle under the car. T'will make a change from a green puddle I suppose...

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:32 pm

If I am looking at the correct pipes there are 2 pipes passing through the engine/gearbox pipes which have coils in them roughly at the back of the gearbox.

Both these pipes are attached to engine-mounted components at the front - and chassis mounted components at the back. The coils in the pipe are to allow for engine movement and vibration to take place without damaging the pipe. A flexy section of pipe could have been used - but that's more joints, rubber to leak and cost and the coils don't seem to give much trouble.

Make sure there is nothing attached to these pipes that can fret on them. I had a plastic clip grind its way through the high pressure one to the safety valve - and it just dripped but could have been rather serious. New pipe was about £22 from Citroen.

Baldbazza · Post by **Baldbazza** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:40 pm

Thanks - my oil pipe is passing through the coil but not touching, at least when the car is stationary. Sounds like I don't need to worry too much and just check it every so often.