Give me a slap, Help regarding lhm and suspension.

munfred · Post by **munfred** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:28 pm

After unfortunately having my 306td written off I didnt have much money as I am still waiting for the insurers to pull their fingers out (as usual).

Last Wednesday I managed to get a BX 14TGE for £150 from the mechanic who helped me with my saxo/rallye engine conversion. I thought this was a bargin for the ammount of car I got.

Was told that everything was fine and checked before I brought it, and it was last serviced in September. I have no reason to not beleive the mechanic I brought it off as he gets alot of business from myself and a friend.

Drove it back from ipswich to Bedford on wednesday, and on friday decided to give it my own check over just so I knew where everything was. On checking the LHM levels it is still ok, but to the lower half of the 2 red lines.

Went to GSF and got a 5 litres of LHM on saturday. All I need to know now is do I need to flush the whole system and fill it back up, or am I able to top it up as required? If so how do I do this.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the long story.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:40 pm

Hello Munfred and welcome to the forum.

You can just top up the LHM. Set the suspension lever to the highest setting and fill the reservoir untill the float indicator is level with the bottom of the two marks, I usually do it to between the marks but I think the bottom one is the correct line.

I wouldn't flush out the system unless you're having trouble, might be worth while changing the fluid and washing out the filters is you're thinking of keeping the car.

Hope this helps.

Ken.

munfred · Post by **munfred** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 10:47 pm

Quality. Wasn't sure if the pressure would be affected in anyway by just topping it up. Mine is currently above the bottom line, so I guess it will be ok for a while

Ill probably be keeping it for a while. Its only done 85k on G90 plate. Nothing wrong with it appart from the bumpers.

My friend mankee is already trying to tempt me to 16v it.

Cheers for the help. Think thats answered my question. Ill take another look tomorrow just to make sure

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 11:19 pm

the WORST that can happen by over filling is two fold!

1) you'll make a mess on the floor
2) you'll waste one heck of a lot of expensive LHM, but thats about all!

tom · Post by **tom** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 9:37 am

Welcome to the world of the BX.
A word of warning:
In the words of ZB4, Mankee is "an ignorant monkey who knows no better". THis is not a compatible car with the sixteen valve engine, just don't go there. The 1.4 is a pleasant little car and does lots of things well. Though it isn't fast, it is light on fuel and it is comfortable. Use our site to collect the information you will be needing. We link to a site called BX-DIY which is a real bible for you. If you need help, ask us before proceeding because there are a lot of people who think that Citroens are just like ordinary cars. In some respects, they are but they do respond better to those with experience on type which is why this forum was put here in the first place.
Do the tests from BX-DIY and determine whether the car actually needs work first. Refilling the system isn't as easy as it appears and getting it to work again can be fraught if youdon't know what you are doing.

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:38 am

munfred wrote:My friend mankee is already trying to tempt me to 16v it.

This has to be Mankee of SSC fame surely?

I had a 14 for my first car. Its essentially an AX GT engine without the carb and cam, so thats what I found at the breakers and fitted! I thought went pretty well, at least as well as any 1600 I'd driven.
Personally I wouldn't say its worth dropping a 16v lump in unless you get all the bits very cheaply. Remember 16v's have the PAS rack and thicker anti-roll bars, plus vented discs up front. For the price of a 16 these days, I'd strongly recommend saving one from a 205 related and keeping hold of it. Gary Cole races a 16v in the classic thunder championship (and held 9 lap records last time I checked), so they can be successful when tuned. Or keep it standard and watch the value climb......as long as its tidy

Cheers

munfred · Post by **munfred** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:08 am

haha. yeah mankee from the ssc. I probably wont do anything to it. It only a work horse.

He has got his old VTS engine in his S1 rallye, and Ive got his rallye block in my 1.1 saxo.

Dont worry tom. I dont usually attempt to do things I dont understand on my own. However I do need to know the basics such as how to maintain fluid levels etc. Ill probably get a mechanic to show me how to flush the system, then Ill probably be able to do it on my own from there on.

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:20 am

All sounds good fun!

Seriously though, you'll find most normal mechanics don't have a clue about the system. But its straight forward enough, yours is even easier as you have no PAS to play with.
Flushing is a doddle and bleeding in even easier! Just give us all a shout when the time comes. You'll probably find some stuff in the search function too.

Kitch