BX breakdown!

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:58 pm

I'm not having a lot of luck with the BX recently, what with a dicky stoplight switch (fixed) and before that autochoke probs (fixed) and a clutch that wouldn't let me select 1st or reverse (adjusted).

This morning, while bowling along on the A3 on my way to work, the STOP light of doom began a-flickering... so I took a detour to find the nearest filling station to stop and find out what was up. Of course, being morning rush hour, I was stuck in traffic coming off the dual carriageway and I started to feel the dreaded sinking feeling!!

Got to the filling station with the power steering beginning to fail and the suspension at "half-mast". Looked underneath and ooh look, a steady stream of LHM emptying onto the tarmac from the driver's side of the front subframe

My immediate suspicion: the dreaded octopus.

I waited for over 2 hours for a flatbed truck to arrive, during which time I saw a G reg BX estate go past, and a white CX! and a T reg Rover SD1!!

The truck took me and the car to the local Citroen dealership, and what was sat "on high" in the customer carpark? A rather tatty F reg red/pink BX 19 DTR with no wheeltrims... which of course I went straight up to look at, watched by the Citroen mechanics- who I guessed were probably thinking "Why's he gone straight to look at *that* instead of the other shiny new cars?"

So I'm back home now, having told work there was no point coming in (save mileage on the GSA!) and am waiting to hear from the Citroen garage what the damage is...

I was going to book the BX in for a service in the next few days anyway!! I think this is its way of telling me not to put it off any longer!

Mark.

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:41 pm

If you saw a steady stream of LHM decending with the engine on then it probably wasn't the octopus. The octopus in my experience only dumps LHM when the car settles under no power as it is a return circuit.
A steady stream with engine on points to a ruptured HP line which will not be so expensive.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:02 pm

It could be the Octopus but a bit unlikely, could be a HP line or the PAS return pipe. I've seen one of these go and yes they loose it quickly.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:15 pm

Tim2cv has the same problem last week with his 16v, a new pipe was £12 from pleides (if thats how u spell it) and he fixied it in a afternoon, hes better on cars than me but I know hes Ken wen it comes to fixing BXs in record times!

Terry Brooks · Post by **Terry Brooks** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:01 pm

Hi Mark ........a good selection of "bits of plastic tubing" is a good thing to carry in your boot,[of as many types and thicknesses as you can muster] ..............I had the dreaded stream of LHM a while ago ......[ I drove through a deep puddle a little too fast*] ........you can always find a bit of tubing to bodge it [assuming you can reach the b****er] ............enough to get you home.
* the strange thing is ......that puddle always forms after heavy rain ..............I take great delight in hitting it as fast as I can in my 2CV ......it dont work in me BXtzd though.
T.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:13 pm

Aha!! Thanks Terry I'll remember that in future, because I've hit a few puddles at speed recently with all this heavy rain. Hmm...

Way2go: Yes indeed, it was a stream of LHM *with* the engine running.

I heard nothing from the Cit garage, so I'll ring them in the morning to find out what's what. In the meantime the GSA is primed and ready for action

Cheers,

Mark.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:14 am

OK, an update from the Citroen dealer:

Unfortunately it *is* the octopus that's gone, and they've quoted me 272 quid

as it's a 3 hr job. Arse. In a way I'm relieved it is the octopus, because it was due to be replaced soon anyway.

Anyway I've spoken to my mate at Chevronic Centre in Bedfordshire (who restored my GSA and did the rear arm bearings on the BX), and he's offered me a good deal to get the car transported up there and do the octopus, clutch, cable and cambelt all in one. So I've rung the Citroen dealer and cancelled the job...

Mark.

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:04 pm

£272!!!!!! bloody hell I am in the wrong job again, still the chevronics job sounds like it should sort the car for a while.
Stewart

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:12 pm

mnde wrote:Unfortunately it *is* the octopus that's gone, and they've quoted me 272 quid as it's a 3 hr job. Arse. In a way I'm relieved it is the octopus, because it was due to be replaced soon anyway.

That's bad news, 3 hours sounds the right time for the job. However if you are considering moving the car to Bedfordshire, The guy who did mine who is an excellent independent Citroen trained mechanic has a garage in Newport Pagnell and he did mine for £151.19 Total including the LHM. If you want his contact details just let me know.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:40 pm

Stewart (oily!) wrote:£272!!!!!! bloody hell I am in the wrong job again, still the chevronics job sounds like it should sort the car for a while.
Stewart

I`m told that`s around what our local expert charges Stewart.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:37 am

The Chevronics quote for the octopus was £192, so I'm glad I called!

We got chatting, and now it's all arranged. The car is being collected and taken to Bedfordshire tomorrow morning. Transport cost is not cheap, but what I've been quoted for the work will be substantially less than if the main stealer did it all: octopus, LHM, cambelt, waterpump, new rad* & top hose* (* which I'm supplying cos I've had them sitting around for 2 years!), coolant, clutch kit and cable, oil and filter, gearbox oil and fuel filter.

It's still a hefty sum though. Truth is I just don't have the time to attempt any of this myself, facilities at home are not suitable, and I need to rely on the BX as my everyday transport. I can use the G for the time being, but I *can't* keep doing 50 miles a day in it, with winter drawing in too...

Cheers,

Mark.

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:22 am

PM sent Mark.

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:15 pm

Well, the car's now ready for collection. Apart from all the above it needed new hydraulic and alternator belts, a couple of other LHM leaks fixing (one on a reservoir pipe, another at the doseur), a new tyre, new sparkplugs, a CV gaiter, the plastic clip that acts on the clutch release bearing, and a hole in the down-pipe needed welding up.

We're talking over 1K here, dosh-wise

and my girlfriend is slightly unimpressed

... but I'm told it now drives like a new BX. Well it better had! Upside is that i've saved money by combining jobs in this way.

Yes I know I could have bought a stonking 'valver for that amount of money...

Mark.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:24 pm

You could have Mark but a) you know your own car, b) you could have spent this or more on another BX to find it needed all this work on top and c) it`s a BX-it`s worth it!

Ian_Fearn · Post by **Ian_Fearn** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 4:42 pm

Mark, that really is a lot of dosh to spend on an old BX16 but how much would you have to spend on another car that is as good as yours is now?

I've spent thousands on BX's but its absolutely nothing compared to the money I lost in depreciation in 4 years on 2 brand new cars that STILL cost money to maintain.

This year we've spent about £500 on my TZD and about £600 on the GTi. Bearing in mind we bought both cars this year so they both needed the initial 'set-up' work, rear arm bearings, brakes, hydraulic pipes, tyres, cambelts etc etc etc.

This investment should see both cars through another few years easily with only normal oil changes.

My mate bought an 18 month old Landrover Freelander for £18000 and part exchanged it 18 months later for 8 grand