Any CX experts faimiliar with the MK2's out there?

SwissSPEC · Unread post by **SwissSPEC** » 08 Jan 2011, 20:03

I'm hoping that there's some experts out there who can help, direct me to or give me advice on my Gti 2 Turbo, i've probably got some basic initial questions as i want to get the old gal fired up, but want to do some basic maintenance 1st to ensure no damage or stress on parts as the car has been off the road for a while.

Don't be shy, make yourselves known, who knows i may have even met you at one time or another at some ccc meets

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 08 Jan 2011, 20:19

Yes, I have several, what's your plan? There isn't really any big deal when
re-commisioning a car from a lay up. The fuel could be iffy and the high
pressure pump can get seized up. The contacts in the BOSCH 'big blue'
relay that runs the fuel pump can get oxidised and prevent any fuel getting
to the engine - this lives below the driver's headlight inside it's own shower
cap but can still get tempremental.

I'd say the engine oil and cooling circuit would need flushing and renewal,
check the state of the front double wishbone bushes and the rear trailing
arm bearings. Play in the inner trackrod bushes will play havoc with tyre
wear - not something you want if running the original metric Michelins on
a GTi T2. If you are, check the x2 balljoints and the wheel alignment too!

There's every chance the wiper motor spindle on the front wiper is seized
so a removal and free up / replace job there to keep you amused for a few
hours.

Then there's the bodyshell rust protection to check over and improve on;
front floorpan ahead of the front seats and inside the rear door jambs
running up into the C pillar. the ribbing from the floor seat mounting
supports grots up where it meets up to the inner sills so check these.

Rust prevention will help in the base of teh a pillars and inside the rear
3/4 panel skins especially around the petrol filler cap and if you have a
sunroof, if it isn't riddled with rust / perforations, it soon could be!

More info to come as it pops into my addled mind.
What's the story with your Cx?

Andrew

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 08 Jan 2011, 20:54

Hello there fellow CX owner!

I've got a GTi Turbo 2, and my dad has got many CXs (into double figures)...there's a couple of CX owners on here so hopefully we can can you back up and running again.

A Swiss spec car eh? Out of interest do you have any more info or pics - would be interesting to see some...

As well as the "Big Blue" there is also the fuel pump wire that normally corrodes - it's situated underneath the driver's side carpet and it's a block connector. Best bet is to cut off the old connector and join back together using some proper electrical connectors.

Also, with CXs you HAVE to have a good battery on - if you have a battery that is slightly discharged and when turning over it's slow...it will NOT start.

The tyres will no doubt have perished after standing for a length of time. If it's still on the original T-slot alloy wheels then the metric tyres are eye-wateringly expensive (£250 a corner). A common mod is to fit Alfa Romeo wheels or you can sometimes fit others too (using Wobbly Bolts for 5x100 or ones that have been specifically drilled for the CX - we've got two sets of those.)

Flywheel Sensors can play up too.

Cheers,
Franklin.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 09 Jan 2011, 00:11

I've had three but they were all diesels.

SwissSPEC · Unread post by **SwissSPEC** » 09 Jan 2011, 22:03

Hi fellow mad people

It's been family owned since new, i think it may have been a demonstrator initially from memory. It was purchased in Switzerland which is where my parents lived at the time.

I haven't got any pics unfortunately, & i don't know what needs doing yet as i've not had a chance to get a good look at her yet. I think dad has lost interest as he's already got 2 other cars on the road (not citroen

) so around xmas he asked me if i was interested. I said yes, on the proviso i can do some of the simpilar re-commissioning jobs myself to save £'s.

It's bee garaged all its life & is a non-sunroof model thank god, so no issues with rust in the roof. Currently wont start, does turn over, so initial thoughts are that its duff fuel. I did put a posting up about this, & i think it was petern that replied, but i need to know in a bit more detail how to get the fuel cranking through the pump so that it can be extracted. I was hoping that the tank was accessable as easily as BX tanks are?

I think dad mentioned that there might be a duff sensor somewhere that might be causing it not to fire up (i forget what he called it), but said that normally he just gives it a clean & that seems to sort it. So the non starting is probably one of those 2 things initially.

I've got a stack of other questions lined up, but thought i'd take a breather for now

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 09 Jan 2011, 22:17

Check for fuel or spark first!!

After turning over the engine on the starter a few go's crack the banjo nut
on the fuel feed of the injector rail a bit - it only needs a squirt or fizz as as
it should be very high pressure. No fuel?

Then check there's a buzz like a trapped bumblebee under the rear right seat
as the high pressure pump lives there under the floor of the car just ahead of
the fuel tank. When the engine is turning over on the starter you should be
able to hear if you get your head level with the sill. Could be trigger feed or
the pump itself.

The culprit could be the BOSCH relay mentioned or the feed under the carpet
or even goosed wires onto the spade terminals. Try tapping the fuel pump
when you're turning over the engine if the problem looks like fuel delivery.

You then need to consider the flywheel pick up sensor as the ECU needs
to know the TDC timing points for the injectors operation and spark. These
do pack in. THen there's the coils which regularly pack in - is there any
backfiring on churning over the starter?

Andrew

SwissSPEC · Unread post by **SwissSPEC** » 09 Jan 2011, 22:20

No backfire, hopefully thats better than if it was

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 09 Jan 2011, 22:22

Incidentally, another thing to check. The multiplug connectors on the wing
above the battery in the main loom and onto the mounted ECU can be
dicey so check them carefully. When dragging a battery in / out of the
battery tray the critical heavy blue feed for the injecrion circuit can be
unplugged - look for x2 heavy blue feeds and a white square male / female
connector block running from the possitive terminal on the battery.

No connection - no worky Cx = easily done and I've been here before!

Andrew!!

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 10 Jan 2011, 18:09

From the sounds of it that "duff sensor" sounds to me that it's the flywheel sensor and if it's gone it will not start.

BTW, CX Basis want a silly high 99 Euros for one!

...but of course people have got spares and I doubt that anyone would pay that price for one!

IMO, if you can't hear the pump buzzing away then it's most likely to be a connection somewhere, and not the actual pump. In all of the CXs that we've resurrected, for as long as I can remember we've never had to replace the pump itself.

Any more questions fire away!

Good Luck!

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 10 Jan 2011, 18:20

I've had to replace x3 high pressure pumps on fuel injected Cx's. One holed
through it's outer shell due to rust and the other x2 just didn't output enough
pressurised fuel. Instant fix with replacement.

I've damaged a flywheel sensor years ago changing a clutch on a GTi t1
and the car would turn over for ever but without a signal pick up for TDC it
was never going to fire up. Yep, engine had to come out and split the box
again. The second engine job was done in a few hours in record time - things
you learn when you're green.

Andrew

Citroening · Unread post by **Citroening** » 10 Jan 2011, 18:58

andmcit wrote:I've had to replace x3 high pressure pumps on fuel injected Cx's. One holed
through it's outer shell due to rust and the other x2 just didn't output enough
pressurised fuel. Instant fix with replacement.

Luck of the draw then!

CGATCX25GTITURBO · Unread post by **CGATCX25GTITURBO** » 10 Jan 2011, 19:40

That was the slug on the flywheel though Andrew, not the sensor

think I gave you that bit of info too

where abouts in the North are you

Is it a T2 with coded ignition and the correct code entered?

All usual precautions regarding fuel splash and fire risk to be put in place first

fully charged battery, undo the hydraulic pressure regulator bleed screw turn and a half. Once the car is running you can tighten this up and watch listen for leaks in the hydraulics'

watching the instruments as the ignition is turned on the knock sensor light should flash once 'yellow led in the bottom of the instruments' turn the motor over, the rev counter should pulse and you should hear the fuel pump buzz.

swiss version has an o2 sensor too?

it's just the basic tests for spark and fuel

With the ignition on disconnect 'one at a time, reconnecting the other first' the black and white multi plugs on the AEI found on the left hand inner wing just above the battery. The pump buzzes as the injection relay is energized. 'can't remember which one black or white plug does this
'it will only be one if them too'

no buzz, find the big blue relay, 'with ignition on' short out the two thick blue wires, if all's well the pump will run (this will save you checking all the under car/ under carpet stuff...
if it doesn't go then do the checks, starting directly at the pump
Run a long enough cable from the battery to the positive on the pump, if that works it is the bit in the middle, poor connections etc.

If the pump runs and you want to purge the fuel out of it , undo the banjo bolt on top of the injector rail and stick it in a can or something else fuel proof. or you could just ondo the drain bolt 'if it works on the bottom of the tank

Got a strobe light? hang it on each lead turning the engine over, should flash if the ignition circuit works; else...

All four spark plugs out and earthed/grounded to the engine and check for a spark 'don't try it with only one plug hanging on a lead at a time if it sparks great, if not and you've got a mutli meter with igniton on, check for power supply at the coils multi plug 'plus side marked on the coils'

If you find you don't get either then the details to find the fault as as per the other contributors to this post should be used.

I have this lovely old school CITROEN box, it gets plugged in between the AEI and the car and takes all the pain out in minutes

CGATCX25GTITURBO · Unread post by **CGATCX25GTITURBO** » 10 Jan 2011, 19:42

Citroening wrote:
andmcit wrote:I've had to replace x3 high pressure pumps on fuel injected Cx's. One holed
through it's outer shell due to rust and the other x2 just didn't output enough
pressurised fuel. Instant fix with replacement.
Luck of the draw then!

I've swapped two pumps for others, one was full of water the other had just seized

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 10 Jan 2011, 19:45

CGATCX25GTITURBO wrote:That was the slug on the flywheel though Andrew, not the sensor think I gave you that bit of info too

Spot on Neil, it wasn't EXACTLY the sensor itself, just no signal from it as
the slug on the flywheel is detachable - the things you find out the hard way.

SwissSPEC, you're in safe hands here with Neil. I'll watch with interest!

Andrew

SwissSPEC · Unread post by **SwissSPEC** » 10 Jan 2011, 21:01

Hi guy's, cheers for the info regarding firing up the beast, very useful. What size key is the fuel tank drain Neil? Might be easier to do that messing around in the engine to empty the tank?

Spark plugs, is it worth spending any money on getting high performance one's (which one's are worth buying)? or just buy standard one's as they are fine & cheaper? should i just replace those anyway seeing as the car hasn't been used much for the last 10 years?

LHM change, is it the exact same method as doing a BX? & how many litres do i need please?

Oil changes, will a bx sump key fit? how many litres & what type of oil should i be using (10w 40 semi) for a 100k engine? Not having looked where the oil filter is, is it actually easily accessed underneath the car, or is it in the bowels & you need a long armed filter wrench to get at it?

Sorry for the stupid questions, but the car is located nr Skipton way & i'm miles away, so i've got to gather as much knowledge before i turn up to start work on the car this year (when its a bit warmer). Cheers