fitting a new pinion valve

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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Xantia owners seems to have an issue with the steering axle cardan joint - that gets dry and then binds - making the steering heavy or rough. I'd imagine that could happen as well on all our now well grown up BX'es.
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Charlie

If you have amendments or improvements to my text, please write them up and send them to Jon for inclusion on the DIY section. Every little helps!

Oscar
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charlie
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Post by charlie »

hi oscar

thanks for writing up your instructions i would of been lost without them

the things i mentioned are just fiddling around the edges really

what really threw me mind was the new pinion valve having a completely new top to me old one!!!

the difference the power steering has made is like having a new car

and i swear that it rides better as well
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Yes, it makes a huge difference, doesn't it? I wish I'd done mine immediately instead of waiting 18months.

Oscar
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charlie
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Post by charlie »

:oops: me as well mate, me as well :oops:

though i did look and scratch me head loads :roll:
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Kevin B
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Power steering update....

Post by Kevin B »

Having now finally rectified my BX heavy steering problems.

I had reconditioned a pinion valve ready to put on the car in anticipation this item was at fault.
As the flex coupling needed changing for the MOT, I took the oportunity to strip out the old pinion valve, apart from a slight weep coming from the top oil seal it was in perfect condition, so I replaced the oil seal (from a rebuild kit that was missing bits) and proceeded to put it back on the car.

Two more hydraulic pumps later the steering has returned to normal, I now have three hydraulic pumps that are suspect, and no more diesel hydraulic pumps left that are any good in their present state.

Noting the excellent STICKY articles on rebuilding various hydraulic parts, ie FDV and Doseur valve. How about one for rebuilding hydraulic pumps :idea: . As the cost of a buying this item reconditioned when compared to a DIY rebuild could mean the difference between keeping a BX and scrapping it for some people.

Obvoiusly some special tool would need to be manufactured to enable the end can to be removed so as to access the internal parts, however I remember seeing an article on the internet someone who refurbished a Citroen DS pump, any ideas folks? :)
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

It´s a very specialised piece of engineering and I´m not sure that it´s a suitable task for a DIYer. I´ve seen a diagram.

THink about it - it´s engineered to deliver millilitres of fuel thousands of times a second. I wouldn´t want to open one up.
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MikeT
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Post by MikeT »

I appear to have a top seal weep on my pinion valve (though it's a xantia, not a bx), got any tips/hints/advice for me as I'm looking at £60+ for a recon unit? Thanks, Mike
Kevin B
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Post by Kevin B »

Oscar wrote:It´s a very specialised piece of engineering and I´m not sure that it´s a suitable task for a DIYer. I´ve seen a diagram.

THink about it - it´s engineered to deliver millilitres of fuel thousands of times a second. I wouldn´t want to open one up.
While I appreciate this is a very precision peice of engineering, with care and attention, it should be possible to at least have ago. If you have as many dead pumps as I do what have you got to lose.

After all if stickies had not being created for the overhaul of the FDV and Pinion valves, people would still be fitting an unknown s/h item and taking a chance, or laying out some significant wedge for a recon unit.

Regarding the weeping pinion valve top seal, getting the pinion valve assembly off the car and back on, is the most time consuming aspect of this job. If your only going to replace the top seal be sure the internal seals are in mint condition, otherwise you could be doing the job again.

Also inspect the body to confirm that no significant wear is apparent on the sealing ring surfaces, on the one I reconditioned but didnt use. I gave it a very light hone with very fine emery, so as to give the sealing rings a good surface to bed into initially.

Internal sealing ring replacement is tricky but a set of O ring picks makes the job alot easier if not essential (mine were Draper and were a set of four, they cost less than £5), as does immersing the sealing rings in boiling water prior to installation so as to to make them more pliable.

Work each seal onto the pinion shaft in a slow and methodical manner taking care not to twist the seal, depending on the final location of the seal work it on from either end so as to take the shortest route as it were. After installation of all three sealing rings. I found that its easier to temporary assemble the pinion into the body from the bearing end as their is a large chamfer on this end of the body, use plenty of LHM, and take care not to trap / nick the sealing rings as you push the pinion valve into the body (at this point the neither the top or bottom seal had being fitted , and the ball race was not fitted to the shaft either). Leave it for a day or so, so that the sealing rings return to somewhere near thier original size. Then reassemble with new seals top and bottom, the old bearing, and circlips etc. You now have a refurbed pinion valve ready to go back on the rack.

You may experience problems getting the pinion valve assembly back into the rack, as their is a spring loaded pad which forces the rack against the pinion gear, just release some of the spring pressure by slackening of the bolts which hold it in place.

A word of warning be sure to get the sealing rings in the right grooves as there are only 3 sealing rings supplied and 4 grooves.

The description above is how I did it and it worked well for me, also read the sticky on this item as well, as it has some really good advice.

Seal kits maybe available from GSF, as they list one for the BX, the BX one may also fit the Xantia as there are loads of bits that are always left over. They may even be a common kit of parts but you will need to confirm this.

Good luck.
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Post by jeremy »

There are instructions on dismantling the pump in the DS workshop manual - and from a brief glance it looks a similar pump to the BX one - with a metal can covering it.

DS workshop manual can be downloaded here - Katalog is a parts book - so you want the other one.

http://citroeny.cz/servis/servis.htm
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Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

Kevin

I completely misread your post :oops: I thought you were referring to the FUEL pump, not the hydraulic pump.

Oscar
(Red BX 1.7TZD ("Well, it is a style icon" - Tom Sheppard)) "Was", Tom, "was"
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