Hello from Spain

Anything about BXs
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benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Hello from Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

Hi all,

Just a quick hello to you all from sunny Spain. I will upload the photos of my bx19GT as soon as possible.
I have just been given my bx for free from a friend. NOTE....ONE OWNER FROM NEW, 50,000 MILES AND FSH!!!
I HAVE JUST REMOVED ALL THE INTERIOR TRIM TO GIVE IT A GOOD CLEAN AND TO REMOVE 29 YEARS OF CRAP THAT WAS LODGE BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS AND CENTRE CONSUL.
BODY HAS ZERO RUST ON THE BODY AND UNDERSIDE.
Last edited by benifotrem1 on Fri Sep 26, 2014 3:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
Mothman

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by Mothman »

Welcome to the club bud. Look forward to the pictures.

Andy
benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

Thanks, will post the pics a.s.a.p
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

I always said I would NEVER EVER have a bx again because in 1995 I bought a second hand TZD estate. It was terrible, 2 x cylinder heads and 1 x head gasket in one year. Also all the pipes were replaced etc etc. I love the shape of the bx, especially the first series BUT once bitten twice shy, or so I thought lol, 19 years later I am now back with a dreaded b.s., BUT this time I have more knowledge and more importantly, more money to fix those leaks
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
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electrokid
1K Away
Posts: 1764
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:14 pm
Location: Woking

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by electrokid »

Welcome to BXClub !

Well you shouldn't have too many leaks - properly fixed they last a long time - I've only had 3 in 8 years (admittedly 2 of those were fairly disastrous). And if you're running an Audi Allroad 4.2 then yes - you should have enough money to fix the BX :) and when you've got the BX running to your satisfaction I'd be interested to hear your comparison between the supension adjustment of the BX and the Audi !
1992 BX19 TGD estate 228K Rusty - SORNed
2002 C5 HDi SX estate
benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

Hello and thank you for your message.

I drove the bx from it's last owners home to my house (pax 20 miles) firstly I was very surprised at how quick it is! Secondly the road holding. I live in the country with some excellent b roads and the bx flew round the bends with not even a squeal.
Regarding the Allroad, yes it's very thirsty but comfy and quick. The suspension on the Audi is air suspension. It's a clever piece of kit and if I drive at over 130 on the motorway the car lowers it's self and later returns to normal ride height. The suspension on the Audi is not as soft as you would imagine and it is also VERY VERY expensive to fix. Last year I had to change one suspension leg, 1000 euros (none Audi parts)
The Citroen is a lot more comfortable.
I have previously owned a Bx, a mehari 4x4, 2cv, lna, visa and an ax. So it's safe to say that I love Citroens. I now wasn't a C15. They where on sale here in Spain until 2006 although production stopped in December of 2005

Excellent forum
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
User avatar
electrokid
1K Away
Posts: 1764
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:14 pm
Location: Woking

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by electrokid »

Sounds as though the BX supension is already working as it should and interesting that it's more comfortable than the Audi. I've seen some of the spares prices for the Audi suspension on eBay - scary ! Does the Audi have the ability to set the supension in 'high' as on the BX for floods / rough terrain etc ?
1992 BX19 TGD estate 228K Rusty - SORNed
2002 C5 HDi SX estate
benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

The suspension is working very well on the BX but it does have a bad leak at the front under the engine (looking at the car the leak is on the right hand side, any clues?) Due to the leak I can hear the regulator working more than normal. I knew about the leak but I cannot complain as the car was free and it's in very good original condition and with very few miles under it's wheels.

Regarding the suspension on the Audi, it has 4 settings,
N°1 for high speed, lowest setting to be more aerodynamic.
N° 2 normal everyday setting.
N° 3 off road
N° 4 occasional extreme off road and you cannot exceed 10mph.
Also when you want to change a wheel I have to press both the up and down buttons simultaneously, the car will the raise to level 4 and lock the suspension, it CANNOT be driven in this mode, not unless you want a £4000 plus repair bill lol.
Round town the Audi does a whopping 14 miles to the gallon, this will make the bx look positively frugal in comparison.
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
User avatar
electrokid
1K Away
Posts: 1764
Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 2:14 pm
Location: Woking

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by electrokid »

Thanks for the info on the Audi - interesting. The last time I heard the words '14 miles per gallon' was when I went to look at an Australian Ford Falcon - it had been advertised as an 'Australian Granada' which is why I went to see it - similar bodyshell to the German version Granada ( of which I've had 6) but with a 5.3 V8.

Anyway - ENOUGH of other marques (mea culpa !) :shock: back to the BX...

Likely places for leaks on that side - steering rack / suspension leg. If the hydraulic pump is mounted on top of the gearbox it could also be there. We normally refer to the 'regulator working more than normal' as 'the tick time' - how many seconds between each regulator operation. As the pump is loaded, the belt driving the pump can vibrate quite a lot and this may be the most significant sound that can be heard making the tick time more obvious and easier to count. It's important to make sure that the belt is tight - that on it's own can lead to the belt slipping and the pump being less effective and a decreased tick time.

I'm going to have a complete guess here - might be helpful or not... You have a decreased tick time and a leak - not neccessarily related ! Decreased tick time could be the accumulator sphere needing replacing or a loose belt, the leak could be on the low pressure returns either from the rack or the suspension leg rather than any of the high pressure pipes. If you need to replace the leak-off pipes from the suspension leg then try to find some genuine Citroen ones because the aftermarket ones don't seem to be compatible with LHM and sometimes don't even last a year !
1992 BX19 TGD estate 228K Rusty - SORNed
2002 C5 HDi SX estate
Tinkley
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Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:27 am
Location: N Hants England
x 8

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by Tinkley »

Leaks can be traced usually. Check the front return pipes behind the struts first. Then if a Y joint or similar small link is gone, change the accumulator sphere and the junction. After that it is most likely the Octopus or Little Octopus. The former takes a couple of hours on a ramp, the later about half an hour even without a ramp but supports. If you had a hard pipe ie pressure pipe burst you would know about it... :wink: The rubber gets old and perishes, however new parts will last 12-16 years on the Octopus and Little Octopus.

My guess is that the accumulator sphere has not been replaced when the other spheres were. It is not as obvious, but itis good practice to change it when you do change the others. So mostly all 5 spheres are changed in one go. You may be able to find a place that can test the pressure in them, in which case you can confirm this. Note different models have slightly different sphere pressures and sizes so make sur you get the right ones.
benifotrem1
Confirmed BX'er
Posts: 60
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 5:41 pm
Location: Benimarco,Spain

Re: Hello from the Spain

Post by benifotrem1 »

Thank you for the valuable information. I will be buying a second hand Haynes manual from eBay so this will help me to have a play.

The tick time is constant on the accumulator and I know that is not normal. My old bx used to tick very little. I hope it's not going to cost a fortune! Here in Spain the BX is mostly unloved and has very little value. There is a 1993 BX 16 valve for sale for only 1000€ and a BX 14 RE for 300€ both runners, taxed and mot'd.
Benifotrem1

1985 BX19 GT
1970 SEAT 124 ESTATE (same as FIAT)
1971 HONDA PC50

MODERN CARS:

2005 AUDI ALLROAD 4.2
2000 SKODA FABIA 1.9 TDI ELEGANCE
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