Fabergé Greggs: Xsara won’t start and it’s all my fault

[juular]

12 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Good advice thanks! Out of interest, what’s the science behind it failing in this way? Ie, why is it only failing with vacuum assistance? Is it just as simple as a failing seal? 

A dodgy seal does tend to behave in really random ways sometimes. If there's any rust inside the bore it gets even more baffling with the sometimes working, sometimes not.

Excellent purchase btw. The fail sheet doesn't look bad at all for the age of it. The split boots are indeed shite but it would buy you a pass until the warmer weather if you felt like tackling it properly further down the line.

[Fabergé Greggs]

TAKE THAT, AGENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT 

(not sure why the garage wouldn’t have done all the CV boots but hey-ho) 

 

Welding and CV boots done for £150 which seems alright to me 

[Fabergé Greggs]

I had a jolly time today changing the master cylinder on the camper. It was all going soooo well. 

Out with the old, in with the new 

BUT WAIT! It was only after I fitted it that I noticed that the new one has a bit of a protrusion that means that this union bit doesn't quite fit.. 

 

Should I 

A) take it apart, send it back and get the right one 

B ) Use two/three crush washers like a total arse? 

 

 

[Dave_Q]

If it's pretty easy/cheap to get one that's right then A, otherwise I personally would gently* take a grinder to the m/c or the fitting to make it fit, being very careful to barely grind the sealing faces at all and only get a medium amount of metal filings into the hydraulic system.

[Matty]

4 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

I had a jolly time today changing the master cylinder on the camper. It was all going soooo well. 

Out with the old, in with the new 

BUT WAIT! It was only after I fitted it that I noticed that the new one has a bit of a protrusion that means that this union bit doesn't quite fit.. 

 

Should I 

A) take it apart, send it back and get the right one 

B ) Use two/three crush washers like a total arse? 

 

 

Option b. You know it's wrong but it feels so right 😆

[artdjones]

I would file the fitting just file the protruding bit until it's level with the sealing surface. It should be possible to do that without impinging on where the sealing washer sits. Don't use a grinder, the smallest slip could ruin it all. 

[Mally]

It needs an extended adaptor, male/female, same thread.

I mean I haven't got one like but..

[Crackers]

You still got that Focus, mister?

[Fabergé Greggs]

On 3/29/2023 at 9:33 PM, Dave_Q said:

If it's pretty easy/cheap to get one that's right then A, otherwise I personally would gently* take a grinder to the m/c or the fitting to make it fit, being very careful to barely grind the sealing faces at all and only get a medium amount of metal filings into the hydraulic system.

 

On 3/29/2023 at 10:08 PM, artdjones said:

I would file the fitting just file the protruding bit until it's level with the sealing surface. It should be possible to do that without impinging on where the sealing washer sits. Don't use a grinder, the smallest slip could ruin it all. 

Would I be better to file the M/C (iron or sommat?) or fitting (brass?) 

[Fabergé Greggs]

On 3/31/2023 at 11:27 AM, Crackers said:

You still got that Focus, mister?

Yeah! It’s still ace! Just got back from a 1200 mile round trip to Scotland in fact. I’ve kind of outgrown it, but rather than getting something bigger and inferior I’ve just got a humongous roof box.

[Mally]

8 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

 

Would I be better to file the M/C (iron or sommat?) or fitting (brass?) 

As it's the master cyl  that's different, I'd alter that. Hacksaw/file/dremil? Just need a steady hand.

[Crackers]

18 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Yeah! It’s still ace!

Fantastic, I'm pleased it's still doing well!

[cobblers]

Yeah I'd just grind the corner off the master cylinder, there's a lot of material to go at. 

Bollocks to filing it though, just get a flap disk on the angle grinder. probably bung a bit of blue roll in the hole or something

[artdjones]

1 hour ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

 

Would I be better to file the M/C (iron or sommat?) or fitting (brass?) 

Probably the fitting. Is there any way to make a new pipe that just screws straight into the m/c. That fitting is there to avoid having a very tight 90°bend in the pipe, probably to make it easier to deal with the air cleaner. But it probably would be possible to make a tight bend in a new hard brake line that would do the job. Something like this:-

That should still allow room for air cleaner removal.

[Fabergé Greggs]

55 minutes ago, artdjones said:

Probably the fitting. Is there any way to make a new pipe that just screws straight into the m/c. That fitting is there to avoid having a very tight 90°bend in the pipe, probably to make it easier to deal with the air cleaner. But it probably would be possible to make a tight bend in a new hard brake line that would do the job. Something like this:-

That should still allow room for air cleaner removal.

Good shout but the fitting also joins 2 brake pipes into the one outlet on the M/C. 
 

Thinking a bit more about it, I reckon I’ll screw in a sacrificial banjo bolt and crush washer to use as a guide for grinding the M/C. That way if I take a tiny chunk out by accident it will protect the sealing surface 

[Fabergé Greggs]

That went well using a cutting disc on a dremel with a washer as a guide. I was miles away from the sealing surface. 
 

it’s all back together with the pedal jammed down with wood- I’ve had success with that bleeding method before but I’ve never known why it works.. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

44 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

it’s all back together with the pedal jammed down with wood- I’ve had success with that bleeding method before but I’ve never known why it works.. 

I was told it allows air trapped in the system to 'float' up into the master cylinder overnight. Next day when you allow the pedal up the air gets pushed out of the master cylinder up into the reservoir.
Only time I tried it was on a Renault Master clutch  but that turned out to have a shagged slave thingy (one that hides in the bellhousing - b*stard thing).

There was also a story about the old Series Land Rovers that if you parked them uphill overnight you could do the same with their brakes - never got that to work  

[Talbot]

I've had success with the "lazy leg" method of bleeding before.  The argument given to me was that the seals in the system are liquid-tight, but not gas tight, so if you leave the system with pressure in it, any air bubble adjacent to a seal will leak out past said seal.

Sounded like a load of old rubbish to me, but the process worked.

[Fabergé Greggs]

[Fabergé Greggs]

It’s been a fallow period of purchasing/fixing old stuff thanks to all available funds, time and energy being diverted to raising a new human.

Can I even remember how to do this? 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Euston, we have (hopefully not) a problem

[Supernaut]

24 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

 

It’s been a fallow period of purchasing/fixing old stuff thanks to all available funds, time and energy being diverted to raising a new human.

Can I even remember how to do this? 

First, you make sure you have not quite enough money. Then when you turn up, you write a made up name and address on a thing called a V8, that isn't an engine?

 

Something about counting poo?

[Fabergé Greggs]

Lovely day innit. Surely not even Avanti can fuck this up 

[Cavcraft]

Safe journeys, captain.

[hairnet]

3 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Lovely day innit. Surely not even Avanti can fuck this up 

 

Brave words

[Fabergé Greggs]

Well the collection was supposed to be 940 shaped but was thwarted by something sticky caliper shaped. 
 

It was a dream to waft along in the DS though! 
 

To be continued… 

[bezzabsa]

BFH needed????

[hairnet]

26 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

BFH needed????

Non shady mot needed ( joke chris)

[Fabergé Greggs]

Did a buy! 
 

Through Facebook I caught wind of a guy who decided to buy himself a Jag on his 70th birthday. 
 

The Jag is at a premium (Mclarens and the like) car dealership in Norwich, our lad is up in Fife (CAR WAS IN FIFE).
 

His plan was to start driving at midnight on the very second of his birthday from Fife to Norwich to collect his Jag, arriving as the garage opened. Only problem is that he is then left with a surplus Xsara Picasso. Did the Mclaren garage want it as a trade-in? No they did not.

So he posted on Facebook- can anyone come and collect this car for above scrap price? A bit of a scrabble ensued but it came my way and  we agreed I’d meet him at the place and time of his choosing (a tasty 5am start for me) and we agreed a price of £500. 
 

It’s many of the things I’m looking for: spacious, family friendly, auto, climate control, cruise control… but it’s also a Xsara Picasso. Can’t have it all I guess! 

Best thing is that it has 48,000 miles and a full Citroen service history including cambelt a couple of years back. 

It drives really nicely, lovely elevated driving position, supremely wafty ride and ideally suited to the slushy auto box. If it wasn’t for the interior plastics that remind you this is a family car, you could imagine being in something very much more premium. The journey back was faultless- with 35mpgs shown in a mix of motorway and London stuff. 

Problems: tires are a bit old and perished. One area of sill might need a tickle (TADTS) but mainly it’s very musty which I think might be because it hasn’t been used and the last owner didn’t use the air con. I’m guessing pollen filter and disinfectant in the aircon system? Any tips? 
 

Props to @Dave_Q who called it when I was looking for something in this thread: 

 

[Stinkwheel]

Well bought that man, these are dissapearing fast and are better than most think they are