GT mediated Awesomeness

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Pongo
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Location: Underneath the motor.

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Pongo »

Nice pictures mate.
Nearly always underneath the motor.
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saintjamesy89
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1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Thanks, she is a work in progress. Do you have a BX Pongo?
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
mds141
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by mds141 »

Looking good Tom. Hopefully she'll be on the road before too long. :)
Mark Smith

Is it just me or is everything shit?

1989 BX GTi 16 valve. Blanc Alpine. Completed the Citroen Classic Challenge Ecosse and 1337 miles without a hitch.
2000 XM VSX 2.1 td Auto. Rouge Magenta.
TGD saloon many years ago.

1990 Swift 'Corniche' 12/2 aka BXClub HQ.
Honda Firestorm. Gone, but not forgotten.
2015 Triumph Tiger Explorer XC.
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saintjamesy89
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1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
x 123

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Thanks for the kind words chaps.

Spent an hour or so with her tonight, I re-seated the spheres and filled 'er up with the green stuff, and after a while she rose! There is a small leak from the coiled suspension pipe that is close to the accumulator, and the radiator is leaking - I noticed last visit that sh had no water in the radiator so filled it up, but there is none gain today - and there is a rusty vertical seam with that white deposit below it that says antifeeze leak.So I shall be looking for a new or good used radiator. I was going to do 15 mins citroebics, but didn't as i'd have run out of water - I don't want to risk overheating her after all we've been through. I must change the accumulator too, can't hear the PR ticking at all, so cant judge the click time, but the steering is very heavy at idle.

I fully intended to change the oil and filter today too, but left all my sump keys at home, d'oh! The next time I will be able to go and play is a week Sunday... At least I can amass all the items i need in that time.

She will be employed in my upcoming wedding, so she needs to be sorted and pretty by September. There's a deadline to get me going.

Normal ride height
Image

High ride height
Image
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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Tim Leech
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Tim Leech »

Well done Tom,

keep the faith!
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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saintjamesy89
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198x Citroen BX16 TRS auto
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
x 123

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Changed the oil tonight, it smelt quite petroly/solventy like and god only knows how old it is, so i'm glad that's done.

I intended to start doing the other C pillar window but didn't have any implements to help remove the goopy black stuff that stuck it on. So did the oil instead. I also realised why I can't hear the PR clicking in, because it's open all the time! The accumulator must be totally flat - best get that done sooner rather than later.

Image

I have a new radiator, new thermostat, boot struts and a good set of used Michelins with Peugeot steelies on their way. Would 10mm wider tyres and maybe half an inch wider steelies be too wide for a MK1 rear wheel arch?
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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Tim Leech
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Tim Leech »

Those wheels will be fine as long as your rear arms aren't shot, the digit that Franklin restored had 185 tyres on them.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Kitch »

The wheels I bought off Phil for the TRS don't fit the back, and they're only 175 section tyres. I think the offset is the key, rather than the width. My Dad's GT runs 175's on the alloys with no issues.
One third of a three-spoke BX columnist team for the Citroenian magazine.

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1983(A) 16TRS (Rouge Valleunga)
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saintjamesy89
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Got the accumulator changed this evening, what a faff in a MK1! Am I right in thinking MK2's have no brace from the radiator bottom to the front wiushbones/suspensiony bits? It got right in the way, I had to unbolt the pipe support (the coiled HP pipe that goes from the PR to somewhere towards the drivers footwell area, this is the pipe that is leaking and it's quite crusty so I was loath to move it - however when the support was unbolted, I could move the pipe the couplé of inches I needed to get an oil filter removal mole grip tool. No way was the sphere tool going to fit in there!

I think the carb may need looking at, if I run her for seemingly any period of time and turn the engine off before it's at proper operating temperature - she will not start again, at all. I wait until the next time i'm there (usually days, if not a week or so), bung a new jerry of petrol in and she will start again. If I run her upto operating temp, so the fan comes on she wil restart perfectly. The carb does look dirty, so i'll get some carb cleaner in there and see if that will make any difference.

Image

Also put the battery clamp on, nice and secure battery - thanks Cliff!

I have a new radiator and some boot struts coming, so hopefully I can get those on next week/end. This week and weekend are now booked up with other stuff. More progress!
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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saintjamesy89
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198x Citroen BX16 TRS auto
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
x 123

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

I booked yesterday off and have Monday off too so I can really get cracking on the GT - I hope to take her to the garage to get her MOT on Monday afternoon.

So yesterday I put the new radiator on, about half of the top panel retaining screws sheared off, but the remaining four hold it securely. It was quite a challenge to get the new one in without scraping and bruising the fins, the air box was in the way as was the fuel usgae measuring thing that feeds the computer by the gear lever that GT's have. I wasn't so careful about removing the old one as it was bruised and rusty anyway.

Image

The new radiator wwas quite dirty, I rinsed it inside but the water still looked dirty when I filled up the system - this isn't such an issue as when she goes to the garage she'll be getting a new water pump - so they'll need to drain the coolant (there's just water in there for now). I like the idea of the waterless coolant Kitch mentioned, but money wise I need to concentrate on getting her roadworthy first. I also popped in a new thermostat for good measure.

Image

I also reassembled all the plastics in the engine bay, i'd removed most of the air intake pipework for ease of access so now it's all back on. In time I will replace the cold and hot air intake hoses as the foam inside has degraded to a powdery loose substance and will clog the air filter. The cold intake (from inner wing to air filter) is too far gone to use, so I've left it off. I need to measure the diameters so I can look at getting some industrial/other replacements.

Image

The other bog job I did yesterday was to get the other opera window put in. I'd been putting it off as the silicone and other adhesive originally used was so well stuck onto the car that the only way I could get it off was to scrape it using a screwdriver - not ideal. The paintwork suffered for it, going through to bare metal in one or two tiny places but I made sure all these areas were well covered with new silicone adhesive - hopefully that should stop any rust forming. White spirit and petrol didn't seem to make any significant difference. This opera window didn't quite fit as well as the other side, it seemed a couple of mm too tall.

Image

I also aimed to replace the boot struts, but there must be a difference in MK1 and MK2 types, MK1 seem to have just a hole that slots ontot he bottom peg, then a split pin keeps it in place. The MK2 have a plastic female universal joint that is held onto the car with a clip that goes around the outside and through slots in the side to keep the male part secure. So i'll have to find me some MK1 ones soon.

MK1
Image

MK2
Image

Won't get down there today, but I have all of Sunday and Monday to:

Put new wheels and tyres on
Bleed brakes (whilst doing above)
Change gearbox oil
Investigate speedo not working
Check all bulbs (think I just need a number plate bulb)
Clean! She is filthy inside and out.
Fix temperature warning lights - neither work.
I also need to investigate how to tax her as she's been off the road since before SORN.
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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Tim Leech
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Tim Leech »

Well done Tom, keep it up!
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by Tim Leech »

With the carb when its warm and you crank it hold your foot to the floor and see if that works, if not it may be the carb needs a rebuild.
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
mds141
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Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by mds141 »

Looking good Tom. As above, hot starting requires a the accel pedal to be depressed. It even states so in the owners manual.
Mark Smith

Is it just me or is everything shit?

1989 BX GTi 16 valve. Blanc Alpine. Completed the Citroen Classic Challenge Ecosse and 1337 miles without a hitch.
2000 XM VSX 2.1 td Auto. Rouge Magenta.
TGD saloon many years ago.

1990 Swift 'Corniche' 12/2 aka BXClub HQ.
Honda Firestorm. Gone, but not forgotten.
2015 Triumph Tiger Explorer XC.
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saintjamesy89
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Posts: 1994
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 8:01 pm
Location: Somerset
My Cars: 1985 Citroen BX19 GT
198x Citroen BX16 TRS auto
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
x 123

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Thankls for the tips guys, she will restart p[erfectly with no throttle when at proper operating temp, it's just the temperatures between cold and operating that she struggles with - but today using full throttle restarted her when lukewarm, although she chugged at 3/400rpm for about 30 secs before waking up (still at full throttle, stalled when released).

Did some more productive things today, although I didn't enjoy it! My hands and arms are cut to ribbons (thanks, dashboard...) and the LHM leak has turned from a slow drip to almost a steady stream, so I comprised a bodge of some foam insulation (with a HP pipe sized inner recess, conveniently) with a large amount of sikaflex in the middle, at either end and along the lengthways split in the foam - it stopped the drip that still persisted when the engine was off - but im not sure if LHM soaked silicone sealant will cure. My concern is that I wouldn't get much past the first junction or two on the way to the garage before i'd run out of LHM! It isn't cheap.

Image

Wheel trims aren't as good as they lokk, all are scratched or scuffed, i'd love a set of TZ style ones (can't afford Tim's atm shamefully). I got the new wheels and tyres on, they are 306 steelies (same offset as BX ones) but have 185/65 michelins on, they DO rub the plastic in front of the tyre unfortunately, but only when on low or if you push the back down hard - I really hope that doesn't mean an MOT fail.

Had to replace with rear discs with new ones (I bought some ages ago from Wooscary) as the old had the locating pins on them and the 306 steelies had no holes for them. I thought i'd have to give up as those rear caliper bolts did not want to come undone! But got there in the end. Bled one rear, the LHM that came out was fresh and green so didn't do any others (also worried about the amount of LHM coming out of the front leaking pipe when on high setting).

Image

Image

The rear brake pipes looked almost new. Still black and shiny.

Image

Rear quarter window secure and not too misaligned, but I did my best! Can't quite bring myself to take the protective plastic off yet.

The other job I did today was to investigate the non-functional speedo. After removing the various dash bits (easier than expected, but still piss poor access), it seemed that the white plastic clip that holds the cable into the back of the speedo had sheared between the metal collar and said clip, the connection between the inner and outer was loose too. What a curious way for citroen to do it! The inner cable even goes into the engine compartment, why not just have one longer cable?
I bodged it in the end, the car came with a good used exterior cable, sods law that it was my inner one that broke! I taped the two broken bits together, then used a jubilee clip with a section of old cambelt as a lining to try and secure the two together - I think it worked, will be able to see tomorrow. Then I had to put the dash back together, ouch! What a pain in the proverbial.

Cleaning tomorrow, I made the interior filthy today with the dashboard reassembling saga. New mudflaps and floor mats, investigate why rear windscreen wash doesn't work. Then off to MOT! Huzzah! (Still need to book it, so may not actually be tomorrow)
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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saintjamesy89
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Posts: 1994
Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 8:01 pm
Location: Somerset
My Cars: 1985 Citroen BX19 GT
198x Citroen BX16 TRS auto
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
1991 Saab 900 16v convertible
2007 Lexus RX 400h SE
x 123

Re: GT mediated Awesomeness

Post by saintjamesy89 »

Investigated taxing her, just have to get a MOT then can do it online! I was picturing having to take her on a trailer to a DVLA office for inspection. She is on the DVLA website as last being taxed in 1996 and last being MOT'd in 2008. That seems quite odd to me, but she was owned by the Ruggs, so perhaps trade have their own tax?
I was worried that I would get prosecuted for not having declared her SORN when I bought her a 3.5 years ago, but apparently if a car has been untaxed/off the road since before SORN came into existence (1998 I believe) then you are ok. I shall still be a bit paranoid though, we all know how money grabbing the DVLA are, I have heard many stories about people SORN's cars being removed from 'private property' which the DVLA defines as a place inaccessible to the public (has to be physically inaccessible, so a driveway doesn't count, unless it is walled off with gates etc).
I'm not a Saint, or a James, but a Tom Saint-James!

Mes voitures:
1985 Citroen BX19 GT
1988 Volvo 740 2.0 GL Hearse
2006 Lexus RX 400h SE hybrid
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