Mat's BX Blog

Tell us about life with your BX, or indeed life in general!
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MULLEY
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Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

How were the tyres?
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

I was impressed by the tyres to be honest - they cleared the water well and seem to have good grip. I've not had the chance to find out where the limits are but they certainly grip well on my usual route to and from work. Cheers for the recommendation! Just got to buy two more now...

Oh, and I've just uploaded a YouTube video of what else we did on holiday.
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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toddao
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Post by toddao »

Looks like a good trip there Mat! Plenty of the white stuff and glad that the BX performed its task well! :D
Todd


this yellow writing is really hard to read
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cacaolat
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Post by cacaolat »

nice photos...I always wanted to get away from the alps (where I am from) but only now I realise how beautiful it is there...
former BX 16 TGS Meteor Auto owner. No space or time to do own repairs. My BX is now owned by another member of this forum.
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MULLEY
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Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Glad the tyres impressed, they are excellent in the wet & should be pretty good in the dry as well, thats why i went for them.

Whereabouts in Switzerland were you?

And in a couple of weeks time i'll be skiing in France, yippe, 1st time in absolutly years, i cant wait :D
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

MULLEY wrote:And in a couple of weeks time i'll be skiing in France
I was in Siviez, near Sion. About 100 miles east of Geneva. Where are you off to? Are you driving or flying? I prefer the French Alps to be honest, but I can't put my finger on why...maybe it's just memories of the holidays there?

Gregor, which part of the Alps are you from? By the way, your starter is ready to be collected tomorrow, thanks again for the BXagon donation! =D> =D> =D>
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

Bugger.

Image

Image
Image

1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

That's a lot of green. :cry:

What's the prognosis?
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
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DavidRutherford
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Post by DavidRutherford »

You can haz cupronickel pipes niaow?
this might be a signature
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

It's actually (although the pictures don't show it well) a lot of black. Engine oil from a hole in the sump...

I will explain exactly how later.
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

Indicator stalks are no longer something to worry about! :(

What happened is that I was setting off for work, and I bashed the sump on a rock on the track leading to the road. Obviously something I've done thousands of times with no problems, so I reckon the front hadn't fully risen. With a steel sump I think I would have got away with a dent, but not on an ally sump.

The one good bit of news is that the 205 has an ally sump with A/C compressor mountings, and is finned so will help slightly with heat dissipation. The 205 doesn't have A/C (but the engine donor did) so I can replace that with a standard steel sump. Bit of a pain though, as I need to go to Birmingham on Sunday, and rain is forecast tomorrow. Looks like I'll be lying in the mud then...
Image

1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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mat_fenwick
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Post by mat_fenwick »

How can it take all day to change a sump? What a nightmare of a job!

From this...
Image

...to this
Image
(No, it's not leaking - I spilt some oil while filling up!)

No problems getting the 16v sump off the 205, that was done and a replacement steel sump fitted within an hour. The problems started when I offered the 16v sump and spacer up to the TD engine - first of all it fouled on the oil pump and dipstick tube. Not to worry I thought, a couple of minutes with a hacksaw and file will sort that out. Half an hour later, with the world's bluntest hacksaw blade (and no spares), it was modified, only to find that the sump and space fouled the flywheel. Easily fixed with the angle grinder.
Time to put a smear of silicone (no gasket on the ally sumps) on the sump and spacer, only my tube had dried up, so off to the nearest motor factors which took an hour and a half because of annoying slow drivers. One even attempted to select reverse (briefly!) as we were doing 40mph...some people shouldn't be allowed out...
So the new sump was fitted (had to shift the accumulator sphere to gain access to one bolt), and then the fun really started! Bear in mind that I had been working (mainly on my back) in the rain for several hours, and my mood was not a happy one. The alternator/compressor belt tensioner fits to 3 mounts on the sump, and I had previously welded an extension onto mine to fasten to the block using an M7 tapped hole already present (for rigidity). This no longer lined up, but I was not too worried as I can sort that later. However the 3 holes on the sump only lined up with 2 holes on the tensioner, but it seemed rigid enough so 2 will do for now until I can modify the tensioner (welding in the rain seemed even less fun).
Then came the A/C compressor - it fits to the sump using mushroom shaped rubber bushes in large diameter holes. But the holes on the new sump were about 3mm smaller, so had to adapt the bushes to suit. And then because the new sump was a few mm lower, I could no longer tilt the compressor enough to gain access to the top mounting bolts. However, I was just able to squeeze in a modified spanner between sump and compressor and tighten. Lastly I had to cut a section out of the flywheel cover plate to clear the sump, but I took the opportunity to slot the hole that sits behind the accumulator sphere so next time all I have to do is slacken that bolt, not remove it fully.

The good news is that the oil temperature sits a good 10°C lower than it used to, and takes longer to reach temperature than previously, so the fins must be doing their job. Should lessen the load on the cooling system.
Image

1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad
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stuart_hedges
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Post by stuart_hedges »

What a pain :(

I did something similar with a GS a few years ago - removed the wooden stopper on my mum's driveway gates - but was fortunate enough to hit an area of flat floor rather than anything mechanical so all I had to do was replace the underseal.

I felt like a right nob though...
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

Have you considered designing and fabricating some sort of sump guard (which would also protect vulnerable pipework)?
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
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MULLEY
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Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Mat, i was in Tignes, next resort along is val disere which you can ski across to.
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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