BXProject

Hi,

I'm a new Citroen owner. Not a new Citroen though; a '92 BX 16V. I LOVE IT! But... after 2 months of driving it around I've noticed two quirks that I need some help with.

Issue 1 - Rising idle speed: Every now and then when I stop at a traffic light, the idle speed will rise and rise until it's at about 2500 revs, and sit there, making me feel awkward and stressed. It happens more frequently after a long freeway drive. Sometimes the problem will "switch off" there and then, and the idle speed will return to normal. Other times it stays high until I start driving again, and usually by the next traffic light the problem will have resolved itself. I have a feeling the bad traffic lights will get more and more frequent if I don't do something about it...

Issue 2 - Hydraulics warning alarm sounds when driving: That annoying-alarm-with-warning-lights comes on when I'm driving around a hard right turn. It's as though the momentum of the fluid against the turning of the car, pulls the fluid off the warning sensor. Which would make sense except it seems to sounding more frequently. Which subsequently would make sense if the car was losing fluid or was at low LHM level, except that it still sounds more frequently after I topped up the LHM level. This is happening maybe once every two trips, and only on hard cornering, so perhaps it's nothing to really worry about... but I think as a new old-Citroen owner I have reason to be slightly paranoid!

Any help or experience with these would be greatly appreciated... thanks!

1) what are the ambient temperatures and do you have AC?

2) Sounds more like your PAS is passing a lot of fluid and thus it might well be the system pressure not the fluid level that is the problem. But just in case, how are you checking the fluid level? The guage on the tank is prone to sticking and miss reading so its best to use the ole 'middle finger' dip test (as simple as it sounds).

Interestingly we don't have an audible buzzer for hydraulic faults, i believe these where only fitted to Australia spec cars becuase of a fear of the unknow with respect to suspension.

No audible alarm? I'm moving! But yeah it makes sense we have it, Holden's don't actually have suspension at all. At least now I won't feel guilty at the thought of "modifying" the car when I rip it out.

1) Ambient temperatures are around 20-28C (I'm not moving!). And the car is fitted with AC, though it's out of gas so I leave it off. What are you thinking?

2) Any tips on checking the system pressure? And can you elaborate a bit on the middle finger test... Where's the fluid meant to be up to on my finger?

thanks

hmmm, could be the idle control valve, also though, I'd cjeck to ensure that the second choke butterfly is fully returning to closed when you took your foot off the throttle.
Mine did exactley the same as yours, and I changed the ECU, ICV, AFM, the coil, the Ign. AMp, bloody everything before discovering that the second butterfly was sticking open a touch allowing the revs to increase.
If I was a bit brutal witht he throttle pedal, ie, floor it and lift off very quickly the engine would stall but would run fine after a restart until the next time I opened the throttle enough to open the second choke.
Bit of WD40 of plenty of working the throttle did the trick.

LHM level, well, there's various methods, but I've always put the car on low and left the engine off for a while thus ensuring the most amount of fluid possible is in the tank, then topped it up til it's at the top of the bowl.

Oh, and welcome to the best, crudest and mouthy internet car forum on the planet!

The middle finger test is testing the level at worst case, ie suspension on high, engine running, remove the little cap on the reservoir and put your middle finger in. it should touch the bottom of your finger. Tried and tested.

It should also be flourecent green, if its yellow or worse still brown, then your problem is likely with viscocity rather than volume.

In the case of the AC, well i was wondering if the idle jacking function was going a bit nuts, if the AC is struggling to make suitable pressure then it might increase the engine revs. It is a very simple system so if there is no gas it will have no effect.

I think Doc is pointing you in the right direction for the revs issue!

I thought the middle finger test was swearing at the car and giving it the bird whilst walking off in disgust!

Sticking butterflies was always a common fault on most twin choke carbs. even Webers.
I always thought it seemed to happen more during dry spells, so perhaps that's the issue.

Bye the way If your are thinking of fucking off back here, the ambient is about -3 today

-3(c), you lucky fucking bastard, it is -20c where i was today!

Vanny wrote:-3(c), you lucky fucking bastard, it is -20c where i was today!

Have you now established whether the light does actually go off when you close the door?

Vanny wrote:The middle finger test is testing the level at worst case, ie suspension on high, engine running, remove the little cap on the reservoir and put your middle finger in. it should touch the bottom of your finger. Tried and tested.

It should also be flourecent green, if its yellow or worse still brown, then your problem is likely with viscocity rather than volume.

Oh, I'd better put me trousers back on and go wash my hands then

Vanny said

-3(c), you lucky fucking bastard, it is -20c where i was today!

If you were at work it serves you right for being sent to Coventry.

I'm still in beautifully sunny Wigan where we have a mild -3 all day and have missed all but a light snow shower.

Would it were the same where I'll be off to in a couple of weeks they had -10 today with more snow. They now have 1/2 a meter with showers forecast for the next 10 days and plummeting temps at night. Dig out longjohns Phil...........

Thanks fellas, I'll go give my car the finger. I'll let you know if I make any progress.

If the suspension spheres haven't been changed in a long time this can make the system miraculously seem to lose lhm without leakage. The sphere diaphragms retreat further into the spheres under system pressure and get displaced by lhm - but this assumes the previous owner didn't check and top-up the fluid over an extended period. Was the BX in regular use before you bought it?

On the other hand, you'd have probably started comparing the suspension to a Holden by now if that were really the case...

Fish_Botherer wrote:If the suspension spheres haven't been changed in a long time this can make the system miraculously seem to lose lhm without leakage.

Maybe, Mr Botherer, but by that stage you tend to feel the severity of the sleeping policemen especially the supermarket plastic type and get the "bouncy-bouncy" effect of your headlights on the roadsigns at night!

Wouldn't disagree (hence reference to Holdens) - though I missed the obvious

it still sounds more frequently after I topped up the LHM level

Fish_Botherer wrote:Wouldn't disagree (hence reference to Holdens) - though I missed the obvious

it still sounds more frequently after I topped up the LHM level

Mmnh, not sure about that. Surely if the spheres were shot then the compression of the (inside circle) struts on cornering would return more fluid to the tank and make lights/alarm more unlikely? I do wonder if OP is topping up tank to the correct level while on high setting rather than when on normal?

Yes, I agree. It must be done in highest.

The only other thing is what Vanny or Doc said earlier, about pressure. It depends on what the audible beeper (whatever) is taken from. If it somehow operates on pressure at the accumulator and the accy is fubar, then it wouldnt make any difference if the resevoir was overflowing, it would still sound, if something like steering took extra pressure ..........I think

Philhod wrote:If it somehow operates on pressure at the accumulator and the accy is fubar, then it wouldnt make any difference if the resevoir was overflowing, it would still sound, if something like steering took extra pressure ..........I think

I'm sure that I remember posts from M274259735... or Kiwi from the distant past that the buzzer was an additional level warning device stipulated by their govt approvals boards for the import of hydraulic Cits.

Bang goes another theory.