For sale: BX Meteor

[purplebargeken]

So Mr Greggs, when are you bringing the BX over for a bit of licking?

[Fabergé Greggs]

2 hours ago, purplebargeken said:

So Mr Greggs, when are you bringing the BX over for a bit of licking?

Away the next few weekends, but we should definitely have a catch up- maybe around Christmas/new year

[Fabergé Greggs]

Flips sake, Citroens eh? 

Noticed a little patch where this has been sitting for a couple of days, and closer inspection revealed that it's LHM. Hey ho, at least it looks very fresh!

This is the rear suspension arm bearing area, so it could be coming from the strut I'm guessing. This has appeared as the rear suspension has sunk, so does that mean that it's a low pressure return pipe? (Crosses fingers)...

[somewhatfoolish]

It's spontaneously preventing rust.

[Fabergé Greggs]

Fitting the new filter in the dark. FUN! 

the flipping hose to the filter is 10mm which has scuppered my plans.. any reason why I can’t put the priming bulb AFTER the filter? 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Currently like so, just to get it running 

[strangeangel]

On 11/21/2019 at 3:53 PM, Fabergé Greggs said:

This is the rear suspension arm bearing area, so it could be coming from the strut I'm guessing. This has appeared as the rear suspension has sunk, so does that mean that it's a low pressure return pipe? (Crosses fingers)...

 

 

That was what happened at the front of mine not long after I got it, and I just had to replace the low-pressure return  pipe where it had snapped. They both went within a month of each other. I didn't get a neat little puddle like that though, the stuff pissed out everywhere while the car was in the process of settling!

 

[vulgalour]

Only reason I can think of it working better before the filter is you've not got to fight the extra resistance of the filter pulling the fuel through.  Interestingly, that leak at the back mine had too and then the leak just went away.  I assume I just had a bit too much LHM in from when I massively overfilled it.

[Fabergé Greggs]

17 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

Only reason I can think of it working better before the filter is you've not got to fight the extra resistance of the filter pulling the fuel through.  Interestingly, that leak at the back mine had too and then the leak just went away.  I assume I just had a bit too much LHM in from when I massively overfilled it.

It seems to be running much better now with the new filter housing. Just the glow plugs to do now, if it even needs them.. we’ll see at the next cold start. 
 

I had filled mine pretty full too and the leak hasn’t happened again.... hmmm! 

 

[Fabergé Greggs]

More quizzical things... 

it’ll start happily but seems to stall after a couple of seconds. It’ll start after a couple of goes and run really nicely. 
 

closer inspection reveals some foamy bubbles coming back out of the pump once it’s stopped. Does that mean air is getting into the pump somehow? Seals? Leak off pipes? you can just about see the bubbles in this video. 

Anyway, that’s enough for tonight. I’m cold, tired and hungry. Progress has been made. 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Stupid question: does the Bosch pump have a bleed screw? 

[Lacquer Peel]

No it is self-bleeding. Check all of the clips you've fitted, and the unions, also that clear braided hose isn't the best.

Is it only bubbling from the return line? No bubbling from the filter?

 

 

[Fabergé Greggs]

43 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said:

No it is self-bleeding. Check all of the clips you've fitted, and the unions, also that clear braided hose isn't the best.

Is it only bubbling from the return line? No bubbling from the filter?

 

 

Ahh, thanks. The only bubbles I can see are when you turn the engine off, bubbles start coming out of the pump, back towards the primer bulb. Having said that, I've taken it for a run now, and it seems a bit better. 

[Lacquer Peel]

That's probably not the pump but an air leak in the line to the pump, maybe a clip or loose banjo bolt.

[Fabergé Greggs]

Another obstacle between me and a happy life is this flipping ancient immobiliser chip. I’ve only got one, so rather than risk losing it I just leave it plugged in all the time. 
 

The connections are a bit dodgy and you sometimes have to give it a bit of a press to get the glow plug relay to engage, which isn’t helping me diagnose an occasional reluctance to start. 
 

How hard can it be to get rid of it? If you try starting without it in, the glow plugs don’t light up but the starter turns. If you yank it out when it’s running, the engine dies, meaning it must operate the stop solenoid? Could it just be those two things or am I missing something? 
 

How do they work? Are they wired to the fusebox and interrupt the existing relays or something? 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I wonder if it might be possible to give those immobiliser key contacts a wipe of fresh solder to see if connections can be improved. 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Yeah maybe. I’ve got some switch cleaner that I could spray into the socket too. I’d love it to be gone entirely though 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

What brand of immobiliser is it? Someone out there probably still has a wiring diagram. 

[Mr Pastry]

2 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Another obstacle between me and a happy life is this flipping ancient immobiliser chip. I’ve only got one, so rather than risk losing it I just leave it plugged in all the time. 
 

The connections are a bit dodgy and you sometimes have to give it a bit of a press to get the glow plug relay to engage, which isn’t helping me diagnose an occasional reluctance to start. 
 

How hard can it be to get rid of it? If you try starting without it in, the glow plugs don’t light up but the starter turns. If you yank it out when it’s running, the engine dies, meaning it must operate the stop solenoid? Could it just be those two things or am I missing something? 
 

How do they work? Are they wired to the fusebox and interrupt the existing relays or something? 

That doesn't look very sophisticated .  It might be worth having a careful look at the loom and seeing how it is connected.  Does it just break into certain circuits and reconnect them when the key is inserted?

[ruffgeezer]

No such thing as a wiring diagram, I have removed a fair number of these though, you find the box for it first and then trace where it intercepts the car's loom.

[vulgalour]

Hey, you know the bubbles returning thing?  If you find out what that is, can you let me know.  Mine was super reluctant to start today and on turning it off I got the same bubbles returning.  I'm assuming it's something to do with some seals sucking air in somewhere, probably the pump.

[Stinkwheel]

Hey, you know the bubbles returning thing?  If you find out what that is, can you let me know.  Mine was super reluctant to start today and on turning it off I got the same bubbles returning.  I'm assuming it's something to do with some seals sucking air in somewhere, probably the pump.

If you are very unlucky it’s the actual pump, usually it’s either the hand priming pump or diesel filter housing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vulgalour]

I'm not getting any bubbles going into or out of the filter housing, the bubbles appear out of the pump fuel inlet when you turn the engine off.  I assume this points to pump rather than filter housing as the cause.

[wuvvum]

On 12/8/2019 at 2:23 PM, ruffgeezer said:

No such thing as a wiring diagram, I have removed a fair number of these though, you find the box for it first and then trace where it intercepts the car's loom.

Indeed.  I once removed a dealer-fit immobiliser from a Subaru Justy after I lost the keys, and I am a complete electrical numpty.  Once you find the box it's a piece of piss.

[Stinkwheel]

I'm not getting any bubbles going into or out of the filter housing, the bubbles appear out of the pump fuel inlet when you turn the engine off.  I assume this points to pump rather than filter housing as the cause.

I would think so yes. Having said that, my 1.9 n/a diesel estate does the same thing. And I haven’t found any issues with it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fabergé Greggs]

Fun and games in the dark- I had a spare couple of hours so took a look at the immobiliser again. I haven't actually found a box, but I can see where the fusebox has been hacked about, including what looks like a failed attempt to undo the immobilisation. 

Anyway, the main thing is that it's kind of working by making good the fusebox wiring- I've definitely got the glow plugs working as they should. Now it'll start like a champ, but cut out after a couple of seconds, like exactly a couple of seconds. It'll start again no probs, and even if you give it a few revs, it'll stop dead again after a couple of seconds. No stuttering, no hesitation, just dead. This is accompanied by a click from the fuse box, so I'm guessing that something is activating the stop solenoid after a couple of seconds. what do you reckon? It did it about 10 times, and maybe didn't do it once. 

It was doing this before, but no with such regularity. I previously put it down to air in the fuel hose. I'm guessing I still need to find this flipping immobilisor box and see if there's another connection being interrupted, but the 2 second delay thing is confusing me- you would think it would just interrupt the stop solenoid altogether? Anything else that could be causing this? 

 

 

[smellypoo]

This is probably going to sound a bit daft, but to trace the immobiliser box, try starting from the socket for that key/chip thing. That socket will lead you straight to it. Then the box will have other wires for where it'll get power, interrupt the ability for the car to start/run etc.

It's probably behind or under the dash.

[Fabergé Greggs]

1 minute ago, smellypoo said:

This is probably going to sound a bit daft, but to trace the immobiliser box, try starting from the socket for that key/chip thing. That socket will lead you straight to it. Then the box will have other wires for where it'll get power, interrupt the ability for the car to start/run etc.

It's probably behind or under the dash.

Not daft at all, I did trace it but it led me straight to these wires in the fusebox.. I think i must have missed a concealed box though...

[Noel Tidybeard]

jubilee clips are not fit for purpose on a diseasel engine because they dont tighten properly "round" like the other clips you will find fitted at the factory

[Fabergé Greggs]

1 minute ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

jubilee clips are not fit for purpose on a diseasel engine because they dont tighten properly "round" like the other clips you will find fitted at the factory

Thanks- I've some of the proper clamp type ready to go on!