[car_overhaul] Yet Another Laser Green 1.9! Photo Heavy

[AndyCrom 64]

shiny new!

 

I would like to add, and Im sure some eagle eyed bod will see that this isnt the right dizzy ie, the **** *** 066, but actually the virtually identical **** *** 064 from the 1.9 Citroen BX XU9J2, luckily a friend of mine works for Bosch Automotive in the UK and looked at the spec sheets for both units, and the 064 needed retarding just 2' to gain the timing it needed to suit and even the spring loads and bob weights inside were the same on vac advance which is handy, so this little bestie from Citroen cost me just £18 as its ex-stock , its been on now just over 2 weeks and its not missed a single beat yet and doesn't feel like its lst any power either, which is always a bonus!

Edited September 18, 2012 by AndyCrom

[AndyCrom 64]

Just a quick question to anyone how can help.

 

When I started the headgasket I noticed that the valves wernt in the best condition so im thinking of sourcing some new valves cams etc but as I use this as my daily drive i dont want it to be off the road for too long so my theory is to get an additional 1.9 head and send it off for a skim then when I get it back rebuild it with new cams valves etc ready to go on the car one weekend so my question is...

 

Are all the 1.9 heads the same?

 

thanks in advance

Edited September 24, 2012 by AndyCrom

[AndyCrom 64]

Well just a small update as i tried to crack on and not take a million photos again!

 

Since replacing the head gasket I had a few times where the oil cap popped off while driving hard, so a quick compression test later and I noticed that chamber 2 was down about 15% on all the others so I suspected bore or piston rings and decided to replace the lot with new over the Christmas holidays and whilst I was there do some other parts whilst I was there.

 

So yet again I got her back in the barn and shut the doors, it may not be a heated garage but its loads better than working in a gazebo in -3'c

 

 

 

 

 

whipped the head out and onto the bench, dropped the box off and engine block out then with a sprinkling of OCD bagged and labelled up up all the parts

 

many cans of carb and oven cleaner and a head skim later...

oh and before anyone asks I got 8 washers, engraved 1 thru 8 on each and slid down the valve stems for id tags

 

put in new valve guides stem seals re-shimmed, not to mention new piston rings, new jackets, new crank seals, new 6 bar spring, new water pump, new tensioner, new wishbones, new clutch, new cv joints and boots, new track rod ends, new steering rack gaiters, new engine mounts all round etc etc

and rebuilt the head

 

...after locating a new mini head filter!

 

2 weeks later I'm thankfully completing the final parts and emptying out the last bag!

 

even had some spare time to paint the front badge, I know its not "how it should be" but i thought it looked alright, I'd like to hear your views on this one!

 

and even mother arranged some new spots for the front end!

 

and last but not least I set a camera on a tripod during the re-build and took various shots and photoshopped them together just to see what it looked like and I ended up with this...

 

next on the menu and a little later than planned is to re-trim the interior and possibly a front 307 brake set-up? whats your thoughts, yes upgrade the brakes or leave them as they should be?

 

Thanks all!

Edited January 17, 2013 by AndyCrom

[cRaig 265 1 Cars]

Looking good! LOVE that last photo! Very cool!

[allye 530 3 Cars]

 

 

I like this a lot!

[AndyCrom 64]

Cheers lads, I've now added it to the photo of the month list so has anyone got ant further thoughts on the 307 brake upgrade, to do yes or no?

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=136055&page=5&do=findComment&comment=1326076

Edited January 20, 2013 by AndyCrom

[AndyCrom 64]

well today another strange problem reared its ugly head, this morning I went to start it and it sounded like it was running on 3 cyl, after a bit of poking around with no tools to hand "long story" I found the problem on cyl 1 (flywheel side) in that if I remove the ht lead from the plug and hold it 2-3mm above then the engine is running fine, yet when I reconnect the lead to the plug the issue returns, if i do the same on any of the other leads it makes no difference, its only on cyl 1 when I make a small gap between ht lead and the spark plug top that it runs ok.

 

My first thought was to get some new leads but in the same thought wondered why if I add an extra gap for that lead, ergo further for the spark to travel that it solves the issue.

 

any ideas welcome

[Anthony 1,000]

Not moisture sat pooled in the plug well is there?

 

As for the brakes, it's unnecessery in my opinion and also 307 isn't the ideal choice due to the available of pads compared to GTi-6. However, plenty of people have gone down that route and prefered it, particularly if they're used to brakes on newer cars.

 

Nice picture btw

[AndyCrom 64]

There was nothing that I could see in there, well nothing blatantly obvious, I even rolled the cover back up the lead so nothing else was in there just the plug and the end of the bare metal clip from the lead directly atop of it, I have some spare leads at home that I could try tomorrow but alas due to the snow I cant get the car within 2 miles of home as I live in the middle of nowhere with 1:4 gradients either side, so much so I had to use crampons to get a loaf of bread this weekend nevermind carrying a tool box 2 mi!

 

re: the brakes, you may have somthing there, its just that the wifes car is a 307 and I just prefer the feeling of them to the 205's ones, but whats holding me back is that if I get the interior leatherwork fully restored back to factory fresh will changing the brakes from standard de-value its originality too much later on in life, this is the same reason why I've kept away from Mi or GTi-6 lumps!

Edited January 23, 2013 by AndyCrom

[AndyCrom 64]

So this weekend after getting annoyed just how cold it is in the car I decided to take a look at the heater fan, when I got the car last year I had to replace the heater matrix as one of my first jobs so I knew the lack of heat wasn't down to that nor the thermostat as that was also changed over Christmas when I had everything else out.

 

So before I took the old fan unit out I used my digital anemometer that I use for kite surfing and measured the output by closing off all but one face vent, set the fan to high and took a reading of just a measly 1.13m/second, with this I decided to give the blower an overhaul and along the way I took some photos on each step in-case anyone else wanted to do the same and try to increase the air flow from an old blower unit.

 

After removing the unit from the car I removed the fan blade unit by removing the retaining clip from the motor spindle, once this was off I sanded the motor spindle smooth with some P400 as mine was rough from the rust build-up, this is to ease the removal of the fan blades from the spindle unit.

 

 

Once the motor spindle was nice and smooth I used 2 screwdrivers on opposite sides and prised the fan blade assembly up the motor spindle, (mine was very seized up)

 

 

once it had got so far, 1/2 inch or so, i used some pliers to lift it the remainder from the spindle

 

 

once it was off I got two rolls of gaffa tape stacked up (pointless photo)

 

 

Then flip the motor housing upside down so the motor unit was above the void within the gaffa tape rolls then removed the rubber plug and two screws from the motor housing and inserted a small long socket into the hole where the rubber plug once was

 

 

then firmly tap the top of the socket to push down and out the motor unit from the casing, watch the wire that enters the casing, you may need to push it in as you knock loose the motor unit, then voila its out, its surprising just how much rubbish there was in there!

 

 

make a note of which way around the wires are connected, on my unit there was a green trace on the terminal itself and also a green sleeve on the respective wire

 

I then used a soft brush to remove all the muck from on and in the motor

 

 

it was quite surprising just how much had built up in there from the last 20 or so years

 

 

next, carefully remove the clips from the motor brushes on either side using a screwdriver

 

 

but watch out for the springs inside as they are not attached to the brushes inside

 

 

 

 

once the springs are out withdraw the motor brushes from their guides, i used a screwdriver under the brush lead to slide it out

 

 

you may notice scouring on the surface of the brush

 

 

I then lightly sanded with some very fine sandpaper the surface of each brush, if you do this ensure to keep the radius on the face of the brush the same as it was before.

 

 

once both were clean, I then used some cotton buds dipped in carb cleaner and cleaned each contact within the brush opening on the motor spindle by turning the motor by hand, this is to remove the carbon build within the motor, once this was done I slid each brush back in with its spring and clipped it all back into position, then using a power supply I connected the motor up and let it turn slowly for 10 mins (4v), this is a good time for a cup of tea, coffee or whatever your poison is, during this I occasionally sprayed silicon grease onto the top and bottom bearing and allowed it to work its way in, you may notice black goo coming out of the bearings, this is just the crud that needs to come out, I just kept adding more spray grease until it starts to run clear

 

 

next before you put the motor back into its housing go and clean the motor housing and the fan blades, washing up liquid and a pipe brush worked well to clean it all up, once this is all clean and dry check the motor spindle to lateral movement, if there is any play this can be corrected by putting the top of the motor spindle on a hard surface and using a 7mm socket to drive down the bottom bearing retainer clip a little, then apply a good amount of copper grease to the bottom bearing work it into the bearing and insert the motor into its housing, watch you don't twist the wires as it goes back in.

 

 

flip the unit back over and apply more copper grease to the top bearing and also work it in, then align the two screw holes within the motor to the motor casing and screw it all up and reinsert the rubber plug, once you have done this get some cardboard to use as packers to ensure the fan blades do not rub on the motor housing and slide the fan blade unit back onto the spindle and push down fully until the cardboard is trapped, don't remove the cardboard yet!

 

 

with the cardboard still in place, next slide on and align the tabs of the fan blade unit retainer clip with the holes within the fan unit and drive home the clip securely with a socket into the fan blade unit

 

 

once this is done turn the fan by hand to remove the cardboard packers and you should be left with a gap like so

 

after this the unit is finished and ready to be re-installed into the car, if you also wish you can swap out the brushes for new ones, but just cleaning and re-greasing all the bearings made a massive difference, so much so the fan output went from 1.13m/second to over twice that at 2.78m/second, needless to say its nice and toasty in the car now and I'd even say it runs quieter!

Edited January 28, 2013 by AndyCrom

[Anthony 1,000]

Excellent write up on the fan ovalhaul there

 

The only thing that I would add (having had the pleasure of doing similar myself a few weeks back) is to be careful removing the plastic parts from the motor itself, as if you use too much force, it is easy to slightly bend the bearing support legs (for use of a better word) which causes the motor to bind.

 

Both of the ones I stripped down had multiple dead spiders inside oddly

[AndyCrom 64]

...Both of the ones I stripped down had multiple dead spiders inside oddly

 

I'll see your dead spiders and raise you for a Cockroach and 3 Moths!

 

Oh and going back to the misfire, I disconnected the battery, reconnected it and the problem has gone again, which makes me think it may have something to do with the ignition amp as its not a Bosch one.

 

watch this space...

Edited January 28, 2013 by AndyCrom

[GLPoomobile 958]

May I suggest that a mod copies the above content about the fan overhaul and makes it a topic of it's own? There's only been a few such topics over the years and this is definitely the best illustrated and explained guide I've seen so far.

[welshpug 1,621]

nice, I had taken a ZX fan motor apart a while ago but never any further than removing the motor from the housing.

 

I would suggest using a different grease than copper for the bearing, it is not a lubricant, something like moly grease would be more suitable.

[omega 82]

May I suggest that a mod copies the above content about the fan overhaul and makes it a topic of it's own? There's only been a few such topics over the years and this is definitely the best illustrated and explained guide I've seen so far.

 

its a sad day when you have to agree with what this gentleman says!

[GLPoomobile 958]

Blow me

 

(that's your face, licking my tip)

[kyepan 291]

That fan overhaul post is one of the best things I've read on here in months..

[AndyCrom 64]

I would suggest using a different grease than copper for the bearing, it is not a lubricant, something like moly grease would be more suitable.

Tbh that's a valid point but alas copper grease was all I had to hand at the time, thatsaid I do have some lithium I probably could have used instead! Duh!

Edited January 28, 2013 by AndyCrom

[Robbiedundy 58 4 Cars]

and then I started to discover just how good the wiring is in a 205

 

In this picture, what's the cable with the light and brown casing for? I've started taking my dash apart and it was just dangling there

When you trimmed the steering wheel with orange thread, was that done by hand or machine?

Very nice guide on how to restore the fan, I need to do this myself, mine makes such a noise!

 

Very nice work so far!

 

Robbie.

[AndyCrom 64]

I believe its the light for the cigarette lighter or the clock illumination, tbh it was a while ago but I'll take a look tomorrow and confirm.

 

 

 

Re the stitching on the wheel, its all done by hand, I worked for a spell in the trim dept for Bentley on steering wheels, it takes about 3 and half hours to fully trim a wheel of which an hour to just stitch the wheel with just one long continuous thread usually about 18 times the diameter of the wheel in length, if you do attempt to try it look out for another "how to" guide in the near future on retrimming the interior, this will be subject to sourcing 8 new hides for the car and at £160 each for good ones, some pre skived for more cost its a mission set for a day when I'm feeling more flush lol

Edited January 29, 2013 by AndyCrom

[Robbiedundy 58 4 Cars]

Okay thanks, I think trimming my steering wheel would be tedious as I've never used a needle before , but the leather on it is looking very tired and the stitching is coming loose so I might just give it a go!

 

Robbie.

[AndyCrom 64]

well joy of joys, yet another problem I think owning this car will end up to be a case of "fix everything as it will break"

 

The other day the clutch arm snapped around the pin, so armed with one from a 405 from the scrapyard (that came off easily) I set about changing it on my BE3 only to learn that the pin will never come out, I even welded a nut on the end and no matter how I persuaded it it would not budge and ended up snapping the half of the pin that was welded up.

 

"Marvellous", I thought as I was really hoping not to have to drop the box again as it was only off a month or so ago since it was last off.

 

So now I've come to a decision,

 

The box I have is a 1.9 BE3 and it currently has a synchro problem between 3/4th (only crunches on heavy gear changes)

 

so do I strip, powder-coat, rebuild and replace the synchros on both 1/2 and 3/4, seals etc etc

 

get another box that may be an unknown and still have to rebuild it anyway

 

or get a gti-6 box

 

I'm unsure about the last one as I don't know if it's a straight swap or does it need some mods to get it changed over

 

One last question as my gearbox knowledge is limited... If i do rebuild my box is it worth anything using the 1.6 1st/2nd gear sets to improve on acceleration and is there a longer 5th gear I can swap into it, I.E from a derv etc

[welshpug 1,621]

Get a donor box, take it apart clean it replace whatever is worn and put it back together, fit that

 

Leave it bare alloy IMO, a nice hot wash sorts them after you get as much of the much off as you can

 

 

Its what I've done, though not re-fitted as I need some decent planet gears, one of the BE's weak points.

 

 

 

6 speed BE (other than the PTS one that fits inside the 5 speed casing) = no right turn

Edited February 5, 2013 by welshpug

[AndyCrom 64]

thats what I was starting to think, just wondering do all be3 boxes have the same diff inside or if i get a 1.6 box do I need to change the diff from my 1.9 to suit driveshafts etc?

[welshpug 1,621]

crownwheel will be different but the diff itself is the same, note that if you get a non 205 box for the synchro's etc that some have the larger diff, like the xsara vts box and TD boxes.