Moogies Mutterings - French Stopping

[The Moog]

Finally landed back in the UK today after a mammoth 20 hour journey from Cambodia. Whilst away i had bought a 306 from a guy on the blue forum and had it transported to my mums house.    Battery was known to be knackered so chucked a new one on it, check the oil and water and tried to start it. No joy, the car is just flashing its lights (no siren) and whilst I get the dash lights on I think there is an immobilizer stopping the car starting. If I turn the key nothing happens.    Any ideas? Do these come as standard with them? Any idea how to bypass them?   

[Micrashed]

Is it not a keypad immobiliser on these?

 

Sorry, forgot to add - the immobiliser is hard wired as part of the diesel pump, its under the protective plate on the pump that is a real pig to remove and bypass (well it would be) but it is possible to remove the pump and destroy the ally plate that covers the immobiliser, remove and bypass it - there is some information on FCF about doing this.

[Micrashed]

If its not got the keypad have yu tried truning the key to position 2 and then long press on the buttin behind the steering wheel to deactivate the immobiliser?

[The Moog]

No keypad, will try the key at position 2. 

[The Moog]

Yep that got it. Cheers

[Pillock]

What an excellent idea, an immobiliser deactivation button.... I assume no criminals will ever know about it? Lol...

[Jim Bell]

What an excellent idea, an immobiliser deactivation button.... I assume no criminals will ever know about it? Lol...

 

I thought that.

But then I thought, you still need the key.

But then I thought, screwdriver.

[nacho man]

Exact same thing happened to me after I changed the battery on my 306 didnt even try to see if it worked because I thought battery fitted, thats it. Me and the missus went to get in and the indicators started flashing. Thats odd I said, then it wouldnt start, then she gives you that look. Oh oh best sort this quick.

[The Moog]

its ok though... they have especially labelled it with siren picture for the thicker thief!

[Cavcraft]

If it's got a Bosch pump and it's a turbo it'll be knackered. You'd be best of selling it to me for £45.

[The Moog]

erm....I have been watching that car dealer programme and know I should be asking for flaps n mats...

[The Moog]

Today has started being a bastard to start... needs cranking and lot of go pedal.. then starts in cloud of smoke. Is this glow plugs, air getting in, fuel draining back or D)all of the above.

 

Doesn't make difference whether hot or cold.

[Cavcraft]

If it doesn't make a difference hot or cold then I would doubt it's glow plugs, purely because mine can be a bastard to start when cold but fine when warm. Isn't a lot of smoke related to unburnt fuel?

[Micrashed]

Pump fuel bulb, if it starts first crank its air. 
firtst port of call will be leak off pipes by the injectors.

[M'coli]

Try a double dunt of the glowplugs first.

[RichardMoss]

Fuel lines from filter to injector pump go hard and then allow air in. 

[The Moog]

Replaced glow plugs which improved starting, also changed leak off pipes (which were screwed but didnt fix it). Still got a smokey start but got lots of fuel line to replace including primer. Ordered and awaiting delivery of it. 

 

But after having a lot of love thrust upon it, the 306 has decided to respond by ditching its dipped beams. Got full beam and sidelights. Which is great as I love* electrics. 

 

Hunting on internet it looks like there should be a metal cannister that goes bad, went out and looked and mine has just got twisted wires instead.  They have been working with those wires as they were, so I have left alone. 

 

Next suspect seems to be the relays. I dont have my HBOL with me (it is 600 miles away). Is it just the one green relay under the dash to replace? Anyway of checking whether it is knackered or not? 

 

I think it might be this as the buzzer for the lights worked but now it doesnt. 

[dollywobbler]

Metal cannister is probably the dim-dip, a British market mod of the time that made the headlights come on dimly with the sidelights. Sadly I can't really help with your query but relays are often cheap.

[Faker]

I have come across this fault on a few 306's, along with the fan wiring going tits up. The loom for the lights runs under the rad, and across the front crossmember. The wire for the lights fractures and you loose the power to the light switch believe it or not. Quick fix: ( temporary measure) there are a number of power feeds going to the fuse box in the diesel 306 which are not used. Take one of these feeds and wire it into the power in on your light switch and hey presto your lights should work.

[The Moog]

Had a look at the crossmember and it looked ok. Being a bit of a beginner at electrics I have tried to work through things logically. Especially as HBOL is in London and info online is sparse. 

 

Checked the voltage at the lights and it is just 8v so hence why only dipped. I took all the green relays out and put 12v across pins 1 & 2 and they clicked open, then measured the resistance across 1 & 2 and they were all in roughly same range. I cleaned them up and put them all back in and no change. 

 

I read somewhere online about the stalks going on these and a symptom of this is that they will click relays at random. I had clicking relays a while back but ignored it as I thought it was the keys banging against the steering column.  I removed the indicator stalk and tested all the contacts until i found the lights one.  When I switched on the lights I got a reading but then if I turned on to the full setting nothing changed.  Therefore I have ordered a new (2nd hand one) from ebay to try that. At £12 seems a good try. 

 

Fitted new primer bulb and pipe going to it. Hasnt made any difference to the smokey start. Will get on and swap all the fuel lines later on in the week. There is air getting in somewhere when it stops as the pressure is going and it is white smoke at start, but then runs fine. 

[The Moog]

Seem to have fixed the lights issue.

 

Swapped over stalk with a good one, but that made no difference.

 

Went through the fusebox carefully and replaced the couple that were bust (now with working clock). Pulling the shunt fuse reset the alarm so when I replaced it the lights started flashing.

 

Reseting the alarm (using the magic button) and now I have lights!

 

Indicator doesn't light up on the dash and the beeping noise when you open the door doesn't work either but better than when started the day

 

Going to get another relay because not sure the one in there is that good.

 

[The Moog]

Decided to sort out the front discs on the Xantia this morning. Within 5 minutes I knew it was going to be one of those days! 

Wheel off and Xantia jacked up. Anti Squeal out and tapped out the pad retaining bolt. No problem so far. Pads out then on to the Caliper bolts. Then hit a brick wall.

 

For starters the caliper mounting bolt had snapped inside and was only held together by the rubber outside. The the caliper bracket bolts were tighter than a very tight thing. Finally got the first one out after an hour of persuasion.

 

The second duly responded by rounding itself. Nothing I could do to get it out including heat etc. Got medieval on it with an angle grinder and ground it flush to get the bracket off. Except that the bolt needs to be removed to get that off! So I ended up cutting the bracket to get it off. 

Next tried the disc retaining screws. These had be liberally dosed in Plus gas for a couple of days. No go.. ended up grinding them out and taking disc off. 

So now I need to source 

 

A caliper mounting bolt (might as well get two in case the other one is broken) 

The bracket (again might as well find two in case) 

And the bolts to go in them. 

[ruffgeezer]

can you show me what you mean by caliper mounting bolt? I have never seen one of those break before!

 

Are the caliper carrier bolts the tx55 type? I may be able to dig one of those out, be aware that the rd estate brakes are different to both the hatch and the hdi if memory serves.

[DSdriver]

I only know about marine diesels but I have got this tattood on the inside of my eyelids

Exhaust smoke

White smoke = water (i.e. steam)

grey smoke = oil burning

black smoke = diesel (engine labouring)

[Bobthebeard]

I always assumed the white 'smoke' when trying to start a cold Diesel engine was just the unburnt fuel being expelled.?

[The Moog]

Will get a pic of the broken bolt. It is the spindle type bolt that the caliper swings on. When I looked the metal had sheared but wasn't obvious as it was still inside the rubber

 

Managed to get 2 calipers plus all the mounting bits for 50 quid delivered from a breakerz. So I think that is fair deal. Citroen wanted 110 plus vat for caliper yokes plus 50 plus vat for the spindle as itcomes in a kit. all would have to be ordered from France.

 

Still means I have been out of the house all day so no bad thing

[The Moog]

White smoke I think is unburnt diesel. Got to change the hose from fuel bulb to filter and fuel filter to pump to see.if that fixes it. Only happens on the pug at start up when cold and has been sitting.

[The Moog]

Pics of the broken spindle

 

 

And cars themselves 

 

[The Moog]

So went out all eager this morning with my new toy 

 

To attack the stubborn caliepr spindle

 

Two minutes and it was out

 

Next I disassembled the s/h calipers and started to try to put them on the car. At that point I discovered that the Estate has bigger brakes than other Xantias! Fucksticks. 

 

I have also got a bit stuck in the head of the new spindle. It is currently sitting in the freezer and I am going to leave it there for a bit before dropping it in to boiling water to see if that will release it. If it wont then I may need to find a way to apply local heat. 

 

So now back to chasing breakers to find another caliper yoke. 

[The Moog]

Caliper carrier ordered, right size this time.

 

 

Now stuck on pug again. NSR brake lights and driving lights don't work. When testing the voltage I get about 0.5v at the lights.

 

Someone previously to me has lobbed in another earth but also handily scothloked some towbar electrics in.

 

Reversing and indicators do work and I have checked the bulbs and they are fine.

 

What are the possible causes of just less than 1v flow?