TXD Turbo Fuel pipes....(sorted, and now MOT'd!)

[mountainmanUK]

Hi chaps!

Are there any particular problems involved in fitting replacement front to rear fuel pipes on Monica (93 17TXD Turbo-D)?

They were an advisory on last years MOT, and I'm taking her for this year's Test on Tuesday, so am expecting the worst as I havn't done owt to her since I did the clutch/gearbox last August!

The pipes themselves appear to be readily available from both GSF and my local Main Stealers, at surprisingly cheap prices too!

All advice gratefully accepted, as I'm not particularly looking forward to getting on my back underneath the old lass! I don't want to bugger up my recovery, which is otherwise going well!

Cheers

Dave

P.S. If she fails on anything "mega", then I'll be on the lookout for a cheap BX WITH Tax & MOT, if possible! I DO have a few possibilities, but don't want to commit myself just yet!

[docchevron]

They're pretty straightforward Dave.
The fiddliest bit is getting the rubber pipes onto the metal pipes at the back end, but there's usually enough slack in the rubber pipes to pull them through the hoop in the corner of the tank fit them, clip them, then shove the whole lot upward.

Allow about an hour working at a really comfortable pace.

[mountainmanUK]

Cheers Chris

Methinks the wife might be missing her Fairy liquid for an hour later this week then!

Is it easier to fix the back end first, before tackling the front?

[docchevron]

Thats the way I've always done them.
Sort the arse end out, then fit the metal pipes in the clips (make sure they cross over where they start travelling inboard from the sill, er, like, as they should be now!).
Then shove the rubber pipes on at the front end, do up the clips, bleed the air out. Job done, pint in hand inside the hour!


EDIT: One thing to bear in mind. The new pipes sometimes area bit long at the back end (IE where they turn through 90deg upwards) and may require cutting down slightley to make fitment a damn site easier.
Just compare the new with the old.

[maxgreenwood]

i'm looking to change my very rusty fuel lines this week for semi-rigid (braided) nylon fuel hose - 6mm and 8mm as i gather searching through the forum - is that the internal or external diameter?
any extra things to look out for with this approach?
oh .. and how do you bleed them once they're done?

[jeremy]

Why not use the real thing - they're cheap enough from Citroen - £10 - £15!

Pipe is measured by its internal diameter, tube by its outer.

[mountainmanUK]

I've got mine from GSF....

FRONT-REAR FUEL PIPE METAL SUPPLY N18406 £9-00
FRONT-REAR FUEL PIPE METAL RETURN N18402 £6-95

[mountainmanUK]

Just a quick update....

New fuel pipes fitted this morning, without too much difficulty.
I see what you mean about the back (tank) end! Not a lot of rubber to play with there!
Also, the new pipes were shaped ever so slightly different, so a little careful bending was needed.
The only minor disaster was a sudden outpouring of diesel/veg oil mixture, flowing down the street at quite a rate, when I disconnected the front end of the larger diameter (feed?) pipe. Stopped it by shoving my gob over the end of the pipe and blowing back into the tank, thus breaking the syphon effect.

Job done......now for this afternoons MOT!

(Also did a bit of a lube job on the front HC while I was underneath, and wiped a rag over a couple of suspicious-looking wet patches on the hydraulics. Further investigation required later, methinks! )

Cheers
Dave

[mountainmanUK]

Bugger! She failed....on a longish list of smaller jobs! Thankfully nothing too expensive (1 x front wheel bearing, screen washer, headlamp beam, a small tad of weld needed at the rear of the o/s sill, front wiper blade shagged, slight LHM leak on o/s strut return (I did the n/s for last years test!), and some suspicious leakage around the front HC).

Hopefully I will be able to get most of these little jobs sorted over the next few days, so I can bob her back for a retest middle of next week.

I can assure y'all that Monica has every intention of attending the National!!!!

Dave

[Tim Leech]

Good job Dave, Im sure you will have those job slicked by next week.

[docchevron]

Good man Dave!
Thats not too bad at all given that she's been laid up for a while.
Are you able to drink beer mate? I'll keep a few local specials in stock for you if you are, which of course you can recieve at the national.
BTW are you staying over the Saturday night, or just dropping by for the day?

[mountainmanUK]

Well, I'm f*&kin' annoyed today!

Got all the little jobs sorted over weekend, and took Monica back down my friendly Testing Station, fully expecting to be able to Tax her before I got home.

Everything listed on the original fail sheet was fine, except that I had absolutely NO brake lights at all!
We had a quick check on fuses, bulbs etc. but found nothing wrong.
The guy was really sorry that he couldn't give me a certificate with the complete lack of brake lights, so I brought her home again!
I've had a rummage around and found that the two wires to the brake light pedal switch were BOTH disconnected, but nothing still works after reconnecting them. The switch itself looks completely different from a normal BX switch, and I've checked online and found the correct Intermotor compatible switch (part no. 51460) which again looks different to the 'thing' that I've got!
The thing that is worrying me is..... when I tried joining the two wires (thus bypassing the switch), I would have expected the brake lights to work....but they STILL dont!

It's getting a little late now to be grovelling around in the footwell tonight, so I was wondering if anyone might have any other ideas?
I'm going to fit a correct switch anyway, but I doubt that that is the only thing wrong.
Funny how I always thought that my brake lights were OK, as I've never been fl;ashed or told by other drivers (or the Ecilop) to say "Oi mate, your brake lights are out!"

All suggestions gratefully considered.....I want this bloody MOT!

Cheers
Dave

[DavidRutherford]

The thing that is worrying me is..... when I tried joining the two wires (thus bypassing the switch), I would have expected the brake lights to work....but they STILL dont!

That's a concern. They should.

Check that there is +12v on one of the leads. If not, then that is your problem.

If there is +12v on one of them, Jam the two cables together and then remove the N/S lamp cluster and wiggle the plugs. This is what was wrong with mine.

If you still have no lamps, check to see if there is +12v on the brake lamp feed. If there is +12v, then start checking the contacts all over the place.

It can't be anything more than that, as the brake lamp circuit on the BX really is that simple.

[mountainmanUK]

Thanks David........ pretty much what I was planning to check in the morning.
Assuming that I can't find a +12v feed to the switch, I presume that I could simply run a new (switched) feed from some other handy spot in the dash loom?
I've already cleaned every little piece of the rear clusters, and swapped around / wiggled / sprayed all the plugs and connectors while checking bulbs. I'm hoping that the feed to the switch may be all that's duff!

Thanks

Dave

[jeremy]

Had the brake light problem on my TD Estate in february - and jumped to th conclusion it was the switch - got a new one and changed it (horrible job) and still no lights. Evetally traced to the multiple plug in the nearside rear light - cleaned everything and about 5th timeit worked and has continued to do so.


Have a look at the nearside rear light cluster and the plugs and sockets. The corrosion is of a super strength variety and virtually impossible to shift - using switch cleaners, small files, screwdrivers, sandpaper . . . . . .- but the cure may well cost nothing!