Smoothing out the BX front struts.

Alan S

Alan S

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Just out of curiosity, how many have tried that trick I posted a link to a few weeks back that internally lubes the front struts on a BX?
If you haven't you're gunna kick yourself when you do; it's magic. :banana: :banana:
So easy it's laughable and is even more successful if the outer lubing is carried out at the same time.
Did mine today and it will now go from fully flat to fully raised and back to fully deflated without the slightest creak or moan & definitely no jumping or creaking either up or down.
It's so easy to do; Raise suspension to highest setting. Pull the gaitor down from the top & wipe the chrome part. Coat with silicone grease (or normal chassis grease if no silicone) & refit gaitor.
Then, remove the 2 rubber lines coming from the strut where they connect to a couple of approx 5mm steel pipes which sit on the inner guard. Get a small coffeee bottle & 3/4 fill with LHM and drop the ends of the two rubber lines into the LHM. Drop suspension to the bottom and then to the top and repeat about 3 times. Wipe the ends of the lines and refit to the steel pipes on the inner guard. Drive off and feel what a BX actually felt like when it was new. Don't let anyone (in particular a rip off merchant) tell you that this is only a temporary fix and needs mega bucks spending on it. It is possible for these struts to need reconditioning, but according to the overseas experience, most respond to this maintenance and it lasts for ages. If it gets stiff & sticky again further down the track, repeat the procerdure.
Anyone apart from I think it was Ian Wheatley who also had success tried it & if so please post the results for academic interest. :cheers:


Alan S :wink2:
 
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Alan,

I greased the rods on my BX TZI struts with some teflon impregnated Nulon grease a couple of months ago and its been like magic ever since. Rises in the morning in one smooth movement - never had one that did this before.

Don't know if the inner lube would add much as its is already lubed by the leakage that drains out the return tubes.

Ken W :wink2:
 
Ken,

Everybody overseas who has tried this have declared it a far better proposition resultwise to the outer rod method.
As I say, needs to be done in both areas as the inner lubing we feel is more a case of washing scum off than lubing and gets to areas that the grease can't and the results they have reported over there where their struts get much worse than ours is that they have all worked better than the external lubing and as they haven't bothered doing the external greasing yet get the result, that it obviously does something.
My struts now sound and feel like a tailgate strut when the car goes up or down.

Alan S
 
My BX struts have always felt perfect ... Only problem is they leak ... a lot :mad: Obviously all the LHM leaking past the seals lubricates the areas Alan speaks of :confused: That's why they don't bind at all.

I'm driving the bloody BX again today 'cos my CX wouldn't start... (bloody thing), guess which car was last in the drive too :cussing: I worked out the mongrel car would idle then immediatly cut out as soon as the accerator was touched. Yep, that's a familiar one, the hose from the turbocharger to the air flow meter has popped off the turbine. That's twice now this cars done this in the last 6years. Both times when sitting not being used :confused: :confused: I would have expected if the hose was going to come free it'd be from movement/vibration when driving, but both times it's been when the car is parked...

seeya,
Shane L.
 
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BX is a pretty nice car shane....(the plasticky bx) i think they are called. :nownow:
 
danielsydney said:
BX is a pretty nice car shane....(the plasticky bx) i think they are called. :nownow:
Click to expand...

I think you should get one Daniel, I suggest a BX1600 trs automatic would be the ideal car for you :nownow: :blackeye:

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Ken, Shane :

It's obvious you dont know of the construction of the BX front strut, since you think that leaking struts would keep them lubed internally.

The problem with dry/jerky/binding front struts are the top slide bearing bush, which is never LHM wetted internally, as the overflow/return hose is fitted far lower down.

If the strut was leaking that bad internally, that any LHM would reach the top internally, then the front would never rise.
The internals of the BX front strut are - despite what you may think - dry except for some seepage at bottom which are pumped out whenever the strut collapses during a settled suspension.

Doing the internal lube procedure thus fills up the strut internals with LHM, soaking the felt washer just below the slide bearing. Then the slide bearing is lubed from inside.

Have a look on the BX strut construction here :
http://www.rwbsmith.plus.com/citroen2/Struts/struts.pdf

If you own/drive a BX, do yourself the favour of trying the strut lube.

Then let's talk BX struts as they should be, fella's :cheers:
 
Anders,

how did you guess I hadn't studied the strut design. :roflmao: :roflmao:

If it had been daravi steering, or DS's/something really interesting I probably would. BX's have never interested me hugely (a bit like Xantias) :crazy:

seeya,
Shane L.
 
DoubleChevron said:
Anders,

how did you guess I hadn't studied the strut design. :roflmao: :roflmao:

If it had been daravi steering, or DS's/something really interesting I probably would. BX's have never interested me hugely (a bit like Xantias) :crazy:

seeya,
Shane L.
Click to expand...

No Shane, what you mean is that the BX hasn't broken down often enough for you to Have to study them that's why they had you fooled. :nownow: :nownow:


Alan S :joker:
 
I would love to get a BX or a DSpecial after the DDAY Id love a Dspecial i think they are great cars, according to a mech at penrith euro autocare they are not that troublesome....:headbang:
 
BX front struts

BX FRONT STRUTS

FULL RECONDITIONED



$120.00 a pair exchange
Incl return postage to anywhere in Aust
 
Tim,

I find the exceptionally interesting. I could not get just the parts for $60bucks a strut. Can you please define 'full recondition' for me. If the struts indead have new slide bearings and seals I would be very interested.

thanks
Shane L.
 
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DoubleChevron said:
Tim,

I find the exceptionally interesting. I could not get just the parts for $60bucks a strut. Can you please define 'full recondition' for me. If the struts indead have new slide bearings and seals I would be very interested.

thanks
Shane L.
Click to expand...


This could be interesting as I just checked out Andyspares price at A$400 each incl VAT.
Converting that to Australian prices it would be fair to imagine a minimum of A$1200 a pair locally as a base price and I'm almost positive that the kit has been quoted at around 30 UK pounds a side.
Jon would be able to confirm that; (No pun intended)
Freight costs two ways would already eat up at least the $20 over the $100 so there's not much left after that.
With a garage full of BXs this is either a godsend or a mistake. :confused:

Alan S
 
Reconditioning Terms

YOU SEND AND I RECONDITION:

New bumps stops x2
New rubber o'ring teflon sleeve seal
New top seal
Re-suface polish inner strut tube

ALL GENUINE CITROEN PARTS


$120

FUNNY HOW CRITCAL PEOPLE CAN BE IN HERE!!!

TIM TECH
 
Thanks Tim,

I've just learnt in the past anything that sounds to good to be true ... is ....

Given you must dismantle, reassemble and replace those seals, I think this is a quite reasonable price.

What do you do if you find the returned struts have slide bearings that are at the end of there service life ?? Do you have to charge extra given the returned struts can't be cheaply freshened up (much like people that send in hydraulic pumps to be re-built on exchange basis, only there exchange has a cracked pump body).

seeya,
Shane L.
 
To be completely honest ive never seen them worn??? Obviously you have. I must watch for this. Thankyou for that Shane L.

Have you seen many worn???

Tim Tech
 
Nope

Obviousy I've never had one apart. It's a fair assumption that if EVERYONE I've heard of that rebuilds them put new slide bearing in, and slide bearings are a part of the rebuild kit that the DO wear :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

I'm certainly wasn't doubting you, just wondering what you do if someones sends stuffed struts back as an exchange :confused: :confused: Obviously this isn't an issue.

seeya
Shane L.
 
Alan S said:
Then, remove the 2 rubber lines coming from the strut where they connect to a couple of approx 5mm steel pipes which sit on the inner guard. Get a small coffeee bottle & 3/4 fill with LHM and drop the ends of the two rubber lines into the LHM. Drop suspension to the bottom and then to the top and repeat about 3 times. Wipe the ends of the lines and refit to the steel pipes on the inner guard. :cheers:


Alan S :wink2:
Click to expand...
Alan

I think I will try the lube on the struts of the XM too. But just curious as to why you would do the steps I left in above? These are only return lines and how would you expect the strut to get any LHM in them doing this??

Please be gentle, the brain is still jet lagged:crazy: :crazy: :crazy:
 
According to those who have stripped a few they reckon it just sucks a few mls on the underside of the teflon seals and that washes the gummy stuff off.
Anders has done a write up on the XM & Xantia ones as apparently they work a bit different to the BX.

Alan S
 
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