My first Activa

[Skull]

ACTIVA II

Arriving today on a transporter ......bought blind (photos) non-runner (not starting) already

I think I'll need some help or at least some of your wisdom (irony)

What can go wrong

[GiveMeABreak]

Good luck - at least you've bought it with the right attitude - and as it's a non-runner already, there can only be improvement!

[Stickyfinger]

, well done.

[Skull]

Gutters full

Skull's nearside gutter

Skull's offside gutter

Hard to see how they got THAT full

[Skull]

Engine still not running (tried charged battery and a jump start) can smell fuel but it could be 6 years old so will probably drain it out and stick some fresh petrol in ...
I've found the leak the seller mentioned front nearside wheel arch (regulator to safety valve - top left in picture) done one of those before ....if that's the only one

Some scabby hydraulic front ram lines but might clean up ok

Skull's nsf leak

Minor bits to sort as and when:
Skuttle area / air intake has a forest inside
vehicle battery
nsr door been dinged and filled.
radio no power
cigarette lighter no power (12v socket ok)
sticky central lock nsr door and door panel loose
sticky boot button
front tyres cracked
Headlining
Wipers
Needs a clean ......

[Skull]

Still slow going ....

new pipe arrived and old one removed with a struggle .... currently struggling with new pipe going into safety valve (either access and orientation or thread on safety valve needs cleaning) ....

Old one off for comparison

removal was a challenge

access to safety valve

[Skull]

Well it's not going to plan

The safety valve end of the pipe is a torturous route to get it in place I have had to position it 5 times now trying different methods of inserting the pipe. I can't seem to get the union to bite properly ....a few times it has kidded me only to jump out.

I've done one of these pipes before and don't recall having trouble with the threads - the biggest problem is access (more so on the Activa due to additional pipework in the area)

I turned my attention to the regulator end of the pipe to satisfy myself that the union thread wasn't the problem. This seems to have needed an enormous amount of pressure on the back of the union for it to thread properly and although it looks as though it's a good fit I would be happier with another couple of full-turns going by the amount of thread remaining. There is no way I could apply the same pressure to the safety valve end so after another failed attempt I removed that end of the pipe and trimmed about 2mm off the end and chamfered the end profile. It seemed as though it was winding on with the most back pressure possible given the access angle but it still popped off

I have 2 thoughts on how to proceed:

Firstly remove the pipe from the safety valve end and trim another 2mm off in the hope that the further the flare is in safety valve the more chance of being able to wind more thread turns on to prevent the flare from popping the union back out, re-insert (sounds easier when I type it ) and pray again that it engages properly.

Secondly and probably final option is to strip out from above (lhm reservoir / ABS controller / gearbox mount / anything else in the way) remove safety valve and hopefully get enough access to connect the pipe/s to the safety valve and then refit it all.

Third (I know there was only 2 options ^) option is to cut new pipe where access is good and reuse the better old union on the new pipe and then repair my brand new pipe with a dodgy connector (I've never had to resort to this bodge on any vehicle so unless someone knows of such a suitable joint system) ...

There is no rush and I would rather have been able to complete the job satisfactorily before I turn my attention to starting the engine .....

Any thoughts

Also this diagram is similar to the one in my Haynes manual but I've yet to see the detailed taper at B on any pipes on the Xantia which would certainly allow the pipe to go on more and improve the stability of the whole connection

Citroen pipe flare diagram

[Hell Razor5543]

I wonder if 'a' is a pipe seal?

[Skull]

Yes Hell Razor

a is the pipe seal

[CitroJim]

Just seen this! Well done on rescuing this one Skull... I'll be following with interest

[Skull]

After considering stripping out from above for access it soon became apparent that it wouldn't help access to the safety valve area. I thought I'd have a further look underneath and thought that the safety valve was maybe attached to a bracket held by the torxs bolt you can see partially hidden behind an old tie-wrap in the photo above. That turned out to be a dead end as what I thought was a bracket was actually a small leg of the subframe

So I went back to the original plan and decided to trim the old seal as the new one had been shredded by the repeated extraction each time the pipe was removed I'd had to dig it out with the dental pick reinserted the pipe and had another few wiggles of the pipe into the safety valve and FINALLY a miracle happened The pipe slid in further than it ever had before and I've managed to get a few full turns The spanner doesn't have much room to swing so it's been a slow job and not fully tightened up yet but I'm hopeful .....

In hindsight I presume that either the seal (a) was stopping the full insertion or the pipe trim and taper (b) allowing the pipe to insert fully (into c) has finally allowed the union to get a proper bite on the thread before the pressure from the Citroen flare has made it pop out of the thread on the safety valve ....

What a bugger

Got to get it fully tightened up and then a bit of a grease up of the undercarriage on this corner before I turn my attention to getting the engine to start ....

[Skull]

Pipe replaced and tightened

Now to clean up that corner strip brakes down and check/lube

Photos of alternative access (final tightening without a cranked pipe spanner - christmas list)

safety valve from below left front subframe

access from engine bay 4th gear selected

spot the spanner

new pipe

spaghetti junction

[CitroJim]

Gosh! Well done Skull That took some dexterity!!!

[Skull]

Played around with the fuel pump as I was suspicious of it operating as I couldn't hear it priming like my HDi does, but wasn't sure if it would make as much noise

I initially tried fuse 9 (10 amp) in the engine bay but that seemed fine I wasn't sure which relay was for the fuel pump so moved onto the fuel pump itself I tried running it directly off the old car battery Pins 2 (white) and 4 (green) but still couldn't hear or feel anything ... Delved deeper and ended up breaking the sealing ring on the fuel tank but on removal it seemed as though the pump was only just in one piece and was tricky to maneuver out, stuck it in a bucket and tried the battery wires again directly to the pump motor .... almost condemned it but then it purred into life so pulled the terminals off and cleaned up the connection, reassembled pump and popped it back loosely in the tank, turned the key and still couldn't hear or feel anything then thought bugger it just give it a go starting .... fired up first time

She runs elation quickly turned to as I checked around for further leaks ....

pipe 6 safety valve to 'K' junction (possibly damaged in removal of pipe 3) (Citroen 5270 S9 NFP 4.5mm 186mm) (ring Automec Monday)

Pipe 6 damaged as feared

Looks like I had nicked it with the hacksaw after all as a fine mist developed into a green lake but it looks like the pipe I repaired is good so I guess I'll have to get another pipe made up by Automec if possible .....

All in all though a positive day with some progress made

[CitroJim]

And good progress too