Mulley's New 19TXD

Tell us about life with your BX, or indeed life in general!
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MULLEY
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Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Changed the fuel filter yet again, this one was sludged up with slime, it kinda appears to be sticky stuff, no idea what it is, except its annoying me. Managed to clean one of my old filters & am in the process of cleaning another one.

I think biodiesel is a nono with me for the mo, perhaps in summer it may prove to work better. I did take back approx 5+litres back to the depot where i got it from, for them to do some analysis.

I'll try & give them a bell shortly & find out if theres an issue!!!

Phil, do you have any probs using that high a % of veg oil in winter? or do you use a heat exchanger to warm up the fuel so that it doesnt knacker the pump?

Interesting bit of info that i managed to find out, veg oil freezes at not much below zero, sunflower oil doesnt freeze until -12, so if you can find cheap sunflower oil, that may work best in winter....

Did you manage to find out what booster u were using in the end Phil?
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MULLEY
Over 2k
Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Car went to the garage today to get the fuel pumped out of the tank.

Bloke said he couldnt find the hole underneath the back seats, so couldnt drain it from that end of the tank, so had to go in at the other end (apparently not as good?). Anyway, plonked 10 nice new litres in & fuck me, its still the same old shite, no power, crawling along at 40mph flat out & then it would eventually get slower & slower until it would cut out again. Getting really pissed off now.

Not sure what else to do??? i'll check the filter again tomorrow, is there anything else that anyone can recommend, to try & get the car running properly again?

Basically the car is undriveable now.....
tim leech

Post by tim leech »

Sorry your having bad luck Matt, ssounds like a fuel pump issue or maybe clogged injectors? ( Im no expert) if you get it running again I would stick to diesel, ive never held with this idea of mixing it with chip fat as it seems to give trouble.
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demag
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Location: West Midlands
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Post by demag »

Hi MULLEY,

Sounds like mixing your derv with veggie and bio has mushed everything up and clogged the filters. I would use new filters and bin the old ones while you have this problem cos you can't be sure you're cleaning every bit of gunge out with white spirit. Think about it. What's cheaper a fuel filter or a Bosch pump?

Also, where your tank sender unit is (sure it's under the back seat!) That's where the take off is for the engine. On the bottom of the pickup pipe is a plastic/nylon mesh/gauze filter unit. If that is clogged you will really struggle to pull any fuel up at all. This could be caused by old age and not necessarily your fuel problems or a combination of both.

So,

1, Disconnect wiring block. Remove sender unit and clean the pickup filter. (Don't spill derv in the car!)
2, Change under bonnet fuel filter.
3, Use fuel booster. (It might help with your current problem).
4, Use normal derv until the performance picks up.

Make sure you fit the new fuel filter correctly so it doesn't suck air and sometimes the sender units can be a pig getting them back in the tank properly. (How do you think I know that? :oops: )

Hope this helps.
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MULLEY
Over 2k
Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Hi demag, i've posted this problem in the techie section.

The issue wasn't my mix of fuels, it was dodgy bio-fuel as the supplier confirmed. It looks like normal bio-fuel, but apparently it then goes extremely cloudy with lots of residue build up in it when the temperature goes low, & by that i mean nowhere near freezing either.

Its this cloudy residue which i've been finding in the fuel filter, so i suspect the pick-up filter must also be clogged with this crap as well.

Why is there a filter in the tank anyway? & would it be safe to use without one?
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MULLEY
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Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Just an update, off the back of my post called "Faulty Fuel Problem", it has now stopped being a problem hurrah!!!

The trick of just putting in 10 litres at a time & it swilling round the tank seems to have worked, last time i took the tank filter out, it was clean as a bone....

Filled up with a full tank of diesel (nothing else in it, except some Redex) & nothing to report regarding any further probs....

This Sat thats just gone, i did my pilgrimige to see Ken, who kindly sorted out one of the rear arm bearings, totally fxxxed it was. Usual story nothing is ever straight forward & it was a bit of a git to get off (Ken was doing this not me :oops:, managed to get it off.

However, when inspecting the rear caliper & brake discs for both sides, oh dear, lack of maintenance meant a major effort by Ken again to get the 8mm bolt out & when they finally came out after much wd40 & wiggling with mole grips the brake pads fell to bits....

Luckily i had some new pads which were duly fitted, & everything was copperslipped etc... to ensure that next time it should only be a few mins rather than about 3/4hr to do (each side)....

Need to get some dust guards as both were missing, well one was on but was rusted to bits & that fell away as well. Typically i've got a nice set of rear discs sat in the garage, but not whist at Ken's....

So with a bit of sandpaper we both sanded away at the discs to remove the rust, pitting & scoring, whilst not perfect, were a damn site better than they were, will see if the brake pads bed into them ok & clear some crap off the discs....

Also cleaned out the rear hubs & put some nice black grease called "Molly" into them, instantly quieter & smoother, must remember to do the fronts as well sometime.

Noticed that one of the pipes from the rear strut was bust, & then we forgot to fix the bleedin thing, only remembered half way down the M1.

Never mind, it was the one that doesn't appear to be pissing out LHM thankfully, so will have to have a look at repairing that this coming weekend. Or can i buy a new pipe (its the plastic/rubber one)?

So, once the rear arm was back on along with new pads & refurbished discs, the car decided to not want to rise up at the front, sticky height corrector. Booh!!

Again, poor Ken had to get underneath & lubricate the necessary bits & manually activate the corrector, & hurrah, the white beast rose once more.

Also kindly oiled the pipes under the car & the bottom of the boot to stop rust.

Once again, many thanks to Ken for his labours/sweat on my poorly maintained car (typical maintenance issues apparently). Well i dont know what i'm doing or need to do, do i!!!

Went for a ride in Ken's TZD Turbo estate, nice smooth drive & looking in good nick for a car with over 180k on the clock.

Got a VOW veg oil heater, so will post up how i get on with that once i get it fitted, future cheap motoring with anyluck, or could it be more blocked filters....arghhhh!!! i hope not :lol:
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MULLEY
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Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

I've got a new clutch fitted, hurrah :D, wow what a blinking difference, i didnt realise the clutch pedal was so notchy & stiff before & how smooth the gearbox actually should be.

I'm convinced the car is a bit quicker & is also quieter as well.

Thanks to Ken for supplying & fitting, superb. I had no idea how much was involved in doing this, i thought it would be relatively easy, no idea how much needed to be removed to get at the clutch in the 1st place :oops: . Even a broom handle was involved in helping with getting the gearbox back in :lol:

Noticed on the front driver side that the brake pads had uneven wear, the outside one was a lot thinner than inner. Hmmm, turns out caliper was seized, so once again with the combination of wd40, a hammer, screwdriver & some copperslip & Ken of course, it now works a treat.

I'll get a caliper repair kit as the seals were looking a bit shagged.

Cheers Ken for keeping Orca alive & well.....
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MULLEY
Over 2k
Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Orca is now sporting a new cambelt, the old one came off & it looked like new, then again, in 5 years it had only covered about 13k, but no way was i going to risk it. Got a nice Gates one off e-croc for about £6, bargain...

Both the fuel pipes were replaced as well, needed the usual thin pipe cutting down a bit, & then it still didnt fit that well, Ken managed his usual magic to get the bugger to fit....

Its due for an mot shortly, so both brake pipes were coated in a special mixture of, lhm, used oil, derv & some veg oil, luverly, so Ken painted the new fuel pipes & all the hydraulic pipes underneath as well, also greased the height corrector as it was looking dry.

Cleaned up the flexis, look like new, marvelous. Both handbrake cables were adjusted so that the were in balance, as they weren't before, couple of zip ties put them in a slightly better position to keep them well away from my fat tyres :D & greased up the eyelets where the cables go through to reduce friction, jobs a good un now....

Also sorted out the bust rear suspension return pipe, another job crossed off the list. It didnt appear to leak any lhm anyway, but i guess mot man wouldnt have been happy....

Once again, many thanks to Ken for keeping Orca on the road & making her feel even better, even though i'm racking up the miles in her, i'm doing approx 1k a month, not bad for a 16 year old car.

I'm hoping that she'll pass the mot with flying colours, can't see anything myself that would cause a failure, however, we all know mot guys, which is why i always take mine to the same chap who is honest.... Watch this space, probably will get done sometime next week....

Got wifey to sort out the road tax for me while i was up in Sunny Wakefield today, £185 effing quid for a year.....bloody govt.....

Been an expensive couple of months ownership, insurance renewal, clutch, rear arm bearing, cambelt & road tax with impending mot costs as well....

Bloody lucky to have a damn fine friend in Wakefield who has helped do most of this stuff, otherwise there is no way i could have afforded to get these jobs done at a garage, it would have been on e-bay or just scrapped....

The plus point is that these are major jobs, so now that they've been done, they wont need doing for quite a few years, they'll probably outlast the car :D

Just got to get the radio code again, due to disconnecting the battery, so it was another pleasant drive home today without a radio :D
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Philip Chidlow
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Post by Philip Chidlow »

Excellent! Ken shows his mettle once again. And you too - many would have been tempted to give up.

I think Orca deserves a polish and a few portrait shots for the gallery 8)

See you at Crich on the 20th April?
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
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MULLEY
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Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Possibly?
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MULLEY
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Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Orca passed her mot today with no advisories, hurrah, cheers Ken....another 12 mths happy motoring hopefully....
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ken newbold
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Post by ken newbold »

Good car that! always said it :lol:
They think it's all over, it is now!
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MULLEY
Over 2k
Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Cheers for those kind words Ken.

Nothing to report really, car seems to be working great, still got a noisy driver side strut, which once the weather gets a bit nicer i'll have a go at curing, its a bit annoying to be honest....

Still getting decent mileage, last tankfull i got 660miles for 60litres, not bad as this is mainly commuting mileage. One day i'll have a long drive & will find out if i can get in the 50's to the gallon like some of the other bx'ers out there have managed....

Another little niggle i noticed, when the indicators are being used, sometimes there is a bit of a squawking sound & the indicator speed changes, gets faster, then slows down, also a bit random, sometimes it does this & sometimes its allright. A bit like when a bulb is bust (but there isnt in this case), anyone know what the prob might be?
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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MULLEY
Over 2k
Posts: 8406
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: Derbyshire
My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

Car went to Crich & back no probs, well it was only 25mins away :lol:. The noisy indicator sound seems to have dissapeared for the time being.

Driver side struts seems to have gotten a bit noisier, will have a go with the usual lhm up the pipes trick to see if that quietens things down....

aside from that, the only other fault is the psgr side interior light doesnt work, changed the bulb its still dead, fuses checked, again ok, so what else could it be??? wiring?
2002 C5 2.0 HDI Estate - Jasmine - Now SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - My daily
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired.
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN

I'm not just a username, i'm also called Matthew.
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stuart_hedges
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Location: Surrey

Post by stuart_hedges »

MULLEY wrote:aside from that, the only other fault is the psgr side interior light doesnt work, changed the bulb its still dead, fuses checked, again ok, so what else could it be??? wiring?
Frenchness.