Hmm, no FD on the car, but it does have a pressure regulator (well it's internal to the bit the accumulator sphere plug into isnt it?). I thought the ball in the FD was just to prioritise which bit got what, ie make sure the brakes are the last to die? This function is carried out in the pump rather than the FD on mine which i guess makes sence?
I'm very sure the changes in the hydraulics are NOT the cause of this catastrophic failure (nice crack propagation, maybe it could be a project?). The difference in pressure is only something like 10psi between BX and Xantia pump and when i originally spoke to Pleides the impression i got was that the two PAS racks (Xantia and BX) are fundamentally identical with only really the pinion valve being slightly different, and the control arms being longer!
Just to put more perspective on the problme and a possible cause the story goes like this;
We had a leak on the rack which was quickly identified as one of the pinion to ram pipes not being tightened (
). After sorting this we took about sorting out why it had no PAS, and assumed an air leak. As advised we tried the lock to lock procedure. It turned easily to the laft (with engine running) then turned about 20degrees back to the right and got stiff and made something of a loud hissing noise (kinda like the FD makes whent here isnt enoguh fluid). By applying pressure on the wheel to the rightit slowly turned and bacame a little easier to turn, what i would describe as an air lock clearing. it then turned easy back to the left. But it became very heavy to turn right (a lot heavier than the first time). So we got the book out and it had nothing useful to say and so with the engine off we tried again to turn to the right, solid and very much so. started her up again and still solid, but resistance grew on application of force.
Anyway here's the down falling, i let my 'friend' turn the wheel while i investigated. He decided the wheel would turn under force, so did, and it was stiff but from his description it was hard but eased (like an air lock) and so he turned it back to the left to try again. On turning to the right the second time it was initially stiff, then became easy, then the ram exploded! I was watching for drips at the time so watched the ram explode (and cried a little).
The options as i see them are;
1) there was an air leak, which cleared, but the ram was already weakened and on applying the pressure from the system it gave in.
2) the reconing of the pinion valve went some how wrong, and caused the air lock and the added force caused the ram to fail and the increasing resistance was due to the increased compression of the air.
3)The car is actually called Christine and Mr Steven King wasnt actually writing fiction on that one!
Having briefly perused the haynes, it seems confident that the rack is easy to change with the engine in the car HA HA HA HA HA Worth a shot though!
I think the best plan might be to go look for another PAS ram (will probably have to be a Xantia one!) and see if that blows up as well. Then when it fails try swapping the rack with engine in place. At the moment i cant even get the bloody thing out fo the garage!
Just as a couple of pointers;
1) suspension is rising and falling smooth as hell, i've only seen one BX as good!
2) it starts in literally 1/4 of the cycle with the new battery on it
3) the alternator seems to have sopped going on fire (again, i suspec thte new battery)
4) she sounds absolutley sweat (so i just cant give up the last remaining shred of hope!)
5)when the ram exploded, it evacuated VERY LITTLE lhm, weird!
at least its only the ram, they're easy to change.
