Buggeration...

[capri]

Have hit a bit of a low point with the BX today.

Drove it the 2-minute drive home from a friend's house today and when I got back the stop light was on. I parked up to find green blood all over the road. "Bugger," I thought. I can't see very much but what I can tell is that it's dripping down from somewhere behind the sump on the o/s centre of the car. It was weeing out something proper when I parked up but seems to have stopped now. The car didn't sink immediately - stayed up where it should be - but has of course now dropped as per usual. I can't get under the car for a good look so I'm not sure what it is but Kitch advises me it could be a number of things, with the octopus looking like a likely culprit. Not a bill I really need right now, I have to say!

This comes just a week and a bit after I found that one of the oil seals on the turbo has perished, and as such the turbo's not boosting as it should and the intercooler's got oil in it. Fortunately, the good Doc has reserved me the replacement bits for this so it's not as bad as all that, I guess. And in addition, I still need to sort the ride height out, as she's still sitting too high.

Obviously I can't risk driving her because of the nasties that could await me when I try and brake, so she's sitting forlornly outside at the moment. And now I've got to get the RAC man to try and take me back to Southampton on Saturday, and then get her sorted out - next week I really don't have time though, so I'm going to have to use the Capri, which is not particularly healthy itself Oh, the joys of cars! Sorry, just felt like a bit of a whinge as I'm feeling a bit down at the moment.

[jeremy]

This sounds like a return pipe - ie part of the octopus. If it is the return pipe system it just makes a mess and won't kill you.

HOWEVER it could be nasty. A couple of years ago my TD was loosing a little LHM - say a teacupful every month and if I looked underneath there tended to be a drip on one of the curly pipes running under the engine/gearbox. I thought it was the return pipes and as it wasn't bad thought it would be picked up on the MOT and I could get the pipe spliced while it was on a ramp.

On holiday I suddenly had the light come on when I went round a roundabout - and having established it was the level function rather than pressure I carried on - loosing a couple of litres on my holiday.

It passed the MOT - so I had to do something and after a very good look I still couldn't find any problem with the return pipe. I then covered the curly pipe with a rag to prevent anything dripping onto it - and it formed another drop of LHM when I started the engine.

The main HP pipe from the regulator had been chafed by a plastic clip where the pipe runs under the clutch and a minute (but porous) split could be seen. Cost £23 for a new pipe.

So it may be worth investigating the leak to see if its HP (dangerous) or returns - (dirty) and if its returns - how bad is it really (ie when did you last top it up and how much has gone over what mileage)

Turbo - you're very unlucky. There's always oil in the intercooler (comes from the breather system) and you make no mention of clouds of blue smoke which I'd expect if a seal had gone. I take it you have checked the air filter - which can get soaked by oil from the breather system.

[Stewart (oily!)]

Not as bad as it first seems, I wouldnt worry about oil in the intercooler, I would be more surprised if there werent any, if you had lost a turbo seal you would be putting a gallon of oil a day in, and be being followed by clouds of smoke everywhere, as Jeremy says you need to investigate the LHM leak further, likeley by getting the front end up on ramps and getting under with the engine running, the good news being that LHM leaves your skin lovely and soft Ah the joys of citroen ownership.
Stewart

[jeremy]

Lack of turbo-boost is usually simply a failure of the thin pipe which communicated the boost to the additional fuel device on the injection pump. What happens is that the pipe splits somewhere, and the turbo pumps furiously and no extra fuel is pumped in so it feels as though the turbo has been nicked.

The pipe comes off the intercooler (middle if its a Roto-diesel pump) and runs to the pump - find this pipe and check it thoroughly - including the limb that runs to the overboost warning light switch which is under the battery (again on Roto-diesels) - and if its split - replace it. The connections are push on - which is adequate as the maximum pressure is 15 psi. Its also worth having a good look around at the turbo piping - I had the main boost pipe blow off after the injectors had been changed by specialists!

[docchevron]

Nope, the turbo is bu**ered. It's blowing oil out the impeller casing over the engine, theres more than a little oil in the intercooler, it's filling the pipe to the inj pump, the pump overfuel valve is full of oil. The breather is no more oily than any other TD I've seen TBH, oddly it doesn't seem to be burning huge amounts of oil, but the waist gate is stuck up and the oil emitting from the turbo casing is bad. and yes, I did check it carefully.

[Kitch]

The turbo's definately shafted on it....it feels slower than my Xantia TD

I was always lead to believe that a shafted seal doesn't always create smoke anyway, as when the turbo boosts it seals itself and would only smoke on the overrun.....of which diesels don't get much of as far as I'm aware.

As far as the leak goes, as I said mate...sounds like Octopus, but where I don't know. There are lots of rubber pipes that are pressed onto metal ones, and it a clip has gone it could just be a pipe that's come off.
The car hasn't sunk quickly, so it shows its probably not a HP side, plus you'd get a fair amount of condensed LHM to breath in while its running if that were the problem.

I'm going with returns at the back of the engine, probably the hardest one to get to.

[BX Bandit]

Do you have to take it the way to southampton mate? As others have said, it would seem as tho' the leak is in the returns pipe, so it could well be possible to fix it temporarily and limp over here to have Doc work his magic...
If you want me to pop over tomorrow I can have a wee look...I'm picking up an octopus tomorrow as it happens you can have it if you need it and I'll order another one as I have no rush for mine

Let me know if I can help and as I say, if it saves you a packet taking to Southampton and can limp over here then you are more than welcome..

[capri]

Crumbs... sorry Bandit, I didn't see your reply there! Thanks loads for the offer of help. Managed to get it back to Southampton at the expense of the RAC But I really appreciate the offer!

Well, good news is afoot - she seems to be fixed *touch wood*! I have to say a massive "thank you" to Kitch for giving up his Thursday evening to sort it out for me - after spewing LHM all over the driveway in the course of getting the suspension up in the air so we could get it on some ramps, Rich had a bit of a play around and found a split iright at the end of one of the octopus pipes - I'll leave him to explain the which and the what because he'll know better than I will! But suffice to say that he's patched her up and she's good as new for the time being!

Thanks to Kitch for his time - now I just need to book an appointment with the good Doc to get the turbo and cooler sorted and she'll be back stronger than ever!

[DLM]

If you're still in Southampton in 2 and a half weeks, there may be a turbo and intercooler available. Due to change of rolling stock, demise of red-on-top, rusty-on-bottom TZD for parts seems on the cards.

[Kitch]

It was actually one of those problems that is so glaringly obvious, you look straight past it.
Had a nose underneath, LHM absolutely everywhere! Up the back of the engine, on the driveshaft, on the turbo etc....so I was stumped as to where it could come from if it was a LP leak.

However theres a metal pipe which curves round and the lowest pipe on the Octopus connects to it. I looked at it again and realised it had TWO jubilee clips on Wondering what on earth could warrant such a bodge, I undid the clips and found that one was holding the pipe on and one was a weak attempt at keeping the split sealed up!
I cut the pipe shorter, so that the split part was gone and hooked it back up with just the one jubilee clip.....seems fine! The quality of the rubber wasn't ace, so I think it might want looking at again in a year or so, but for now it seems good.

No problems with my time mate, I was gonna give the valver a run anyway.