Clutch?

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 6:49 pm

Thanks for replies and thanks for those part numbers Richard. Will take a couple of days to get everything together so I can make a start. My mate at the scrapyard suggested taking the 'bite' off the drive-shaft nuts at the scrapyard workshop ( if I can get the car there and back) then applying the molies on them back at the barn for the rest!?

Also Richard wrote

For the input seal you want items 3, 5 and 6 (this for gearbox up to RP 4529):

How do these RP numbers work? Are they universal or only Uk. I really should be using the German Citroen parts service and using what they call 'the key number' as written in the registration papers

cheers again everyone, it warms the cockles to have such support

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 12:45 am

I've got to say I've (surprisingly) been impressed with the quality of my 1/2" Halfords Pro breaker bar. Sorry, no use to you Todd...

I have actually jacked up the front of a Xantia with the bar just below horizontal on the crank pulley bolt. The car lifted but the bolt didn't budge.

Then successfully used a 6' scaffold pole as extra leverage, it flexed a bit but didn't break the bar!

All the best for the new arrival, hope you have a couple of lagers on standby to celebrate...

RichardW · Post by **RichardW** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:51 am

The RP number (also called the ORGA number) should be marked on every Citroen since 1976 (I've yet to find it on my 2001 X****a.....). It gives the actual day of production of the car, and is used for determining which spare parts fit. The number is stencilled under the bonnet somewhere - around the RH suspension top IIRC on the BX (or maybe on the A pillar). You can use one of several web tools to decode the RP, eg: RP Calculator. Entering RP 4529 gives a date of 2 April 1989, so if your car is a MK1, then it is before that date

Jaba · Post by **Jaba** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:32 am

Those drive shaft nuts can be impossible to shift by normal DIY means. So I would get down to the breakers if you possibly can to get them cracked loose.
Failing that if you cant move them with a long bar then try next lots of hammering around the nut and try the bar again then finally if that fails too then you will have to use a hammer and chisel to persuade the nut to turn to get it off.

I have had to do this twice. A new nut would ideally be required but you can reuse the original for a while.

Good luck with everything anyway...

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:48 pm

A good quality 35mm socket......a decent 3/4" drive Tommy bar.......a nice long length (about 3-4 ft) of steel piping (similar to scaffolding poles)......a good pair of heavy boots.

Set up the socket & bar combination on the correct 'flat' to enable you to add ALL your weight to the extension bar..........then bounce yourself on the bar (carefully). You will probably find that it doesn't 'give' with a sudden jerk, more a tiny, almost imperceptible slight turn. Reposition the bar & socket combo to suit the new position, then repeat procedure until nut is loose enough to turn manually without the bar.

This method has never failed with me, on any car with conventional hubnut! Nearly killed myself once while undoing a Metro bottom balljoint nut with a long extension bar; it suddenly gave way and I almost shot out into the middle of the road, just as a Council bin wagon was coming down!!!

Ahhhhh! The days of my reckless youth!

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 10:11 pm

Got started today. The hub nuts melted off with a bit of scaffold attached to a Hazet 35mm socket and bar. Broke the ball joints and got the hubs out the way then I had to return to re-wiring part of the building site that is out home.
Went yesterday to collect some bits from the Citroen dealer in the next town . As I mentioned on here before he has subsequently moved on to selling Ferraris/Maseratis/Lambourginis/Bentleys and it's very unsettling walking in there through the flashy showroom dressed in oily rags and going round the back to the parts room to get €20 worth of seals for a BX!
No sign of the next generation yet. The wife is holding steady..

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:07 pm

Continued with my endeavours today and got everything ready now for dropping the gearbox hopefully tomorrow morning. Just have to build a frame to hold a winch that I've borrowed as I didn't fancy manhandling the gearbox back into place with just a trolley jack.

I've been using Jon's guide and the one thing that foxed me was
'undo the 17mm headed bolts and allen key bolts securing gearbox to engine that are accessible while you are working under the car'

I couldn't find any allen key bolts - is this because mine is the earlier model and the guide is for a TD? And how many 17mm bolts are there in total? Again I suspect this is different.

Cross-referencing with the Haynes they say place a dowel in the left-hand drive shaft recess in the diff to keep the sun gears in place. til the right-hand drive shaft is back in place. I've done this but is this necessary? No mention of this before.

Cheers

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:44 pm

To be honest, I've never used a dowel in the gearbox, but it's a good precaution.

I think you'll find the 17mm bolts are actually 16mm, normally Allen screws hold the starter motor and there's one under the gearbox.

From memory I think there's 4x16mm bolts, 3x starter bolts, 1 under gearbox, 2x10mm flywheel cover.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:09 pm

Thanks Ken! One more question. What is the small white plastic hump-backed bridge shaped thing with a wire running out of it fixed on the engine block just above the RH diff housing? The reason I ask is that mine has a severed wire and judging by the build-up of oil, this is not recent..

When I momentarily had a break today I removed the splash guards on the left wheel arch and had a look at the non-functioning horn. Rubbed the contacts with a bit of sand-paper and now I've got the horn again after a horn-less year!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:11 pm

toddao wrote:a bit of sand-paper and now I've got the horn again

Whatever floats your boat...

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:16 pm

The only thing that comes to mind would be the rev counter sender. On the n/a diesels, these are normally found sort of under the LHM pump, but on the TD they are mounted on the back of the engine in something like you describe.

If you don't have a rev counter, like the MK1 I had, it leads up to the front of the cyl/head for a diagnostic socket.

That's all I can think of.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:08 pm

Here's the latest in the world's most boring soap opera 'Clutch Street'..

It took me most of the day to get the gearbox ready for removal ( I am working cautiously and somewhat on virgin territory) and I built two wooden trestles to hold the electric winch. There are three 17mm bolts to be dealt with and I could not find the last one that was cunningly concealed as a long bolt thing with a thread coming out of the top..

Then, fortunately for me, my friend Sigmunt from the scrapyard dropped by and instantly saw the last bolt, then despite only coming for a look, quickly got involved. There is no substitute for experience! I think it would have been hard getting the box in and out alone.

The old clutch was total cactus with various broken bits rattling around in there. All new components were fitted and gear-box offered up - I couldn't have done this alone - and went in sweetly. We tested the functioning of new unit then retired to house to drink wine.

Just got to re-build the rest now. I reckon, for me, it'll be about four days' work in all!

Bet no-one can wait for the next exciting episode of 'Clutch Street'

( lubricating components)

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:27 pm

Ok, this is the last unbelievably unexciting episode of 'Clutch Street'..

It's all finished and works and I'm chuffed. A strange side effect seems to be that the car stays up longer at the back - the only reason I can think of for this is that when I primed the pump and bled the system this had some effect??
It was good to have a 16v gearbox lying around that I picked up in Uk last summer for a tenner as this provided the right hand side driveshaft dust seal that wasn't there on mine. I'm not sure how essential this is though.
Thanks to everyone for help and advice. I've really learnt quite a bit doing this.
Now we don't have to call 'Taxi Heidi' when our baby decides to emerge, we can go in BX style to the hospital!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:41 pm

Well done Chap!!!!

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:50 pm

Congrats, a sense of achievement me thinks.

Not to mention the spondulas still in your pocket.