Never been in this position but know someone who is. If there is no engine in the car and the rear wheels are up tight in what would be their "low" postion, what would be the best way to get them off. I imagine there will be no pressure in the system. Would it be easy to raise the rear of the car with a jack and then lever the wheels down? Any ideas appreciated.
Dave
Getting the rear wheels off without engine power
Getting the rear wheels off without engine power
Prefer it to the Lamborghini, like Signor Gandini!
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Timmo
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i would have thought that if there is no engine in the car thehn the system will be de pressurised as you said therefore, youhsould be able to jack the car up and the rear arm should be easy enough to drop down to get the wheels off??
Timmo 
After all i am the Cornish one!
Its Because its French!
Bx16v club - Sharing the love for the unloved!
After all i am the Cornish one!
Its Because its French!
Bx16v club - Sharing the love for the unloved!
As you jack the car up, the wheels will natural hang down, the weight of the combined wheels brakes and suspension allows it all to hang down. Only problem you might have is getting a jack under the car once its all the way down. Ive wedged pieces of wood in place of where the bumb stops go (take them out) to keep the car up if you need it to stay up once you've jacked it up, useful is you need to get it on a trailer without ruining your bumpers and exhaust blocks of wood are more than strong enough to keep it there and makes access to everything easy. Still use axle stands if you need to go under though, just makes jackign the car up each time less of an effort.
I'm sorry to tell you they will not drop down...
I had a BX that was about 1 year without working, and then the engine wouldn't start. I wanted to get the rear brakes out (discs and pads) so i jacked one side of the car, but the rear wheel stayed in the low position.
I had to get something to use like a lever (?) so i could push the rear arm down while someone took the wheel off the car.
I had a BX that was about 1 year without working, and then the engine wouldn't start. I wanted to get the rear brakes out (discs and pads) so i jacked one side of the car, but the rear wheel stayed in the low position.
I had to get something to use like a lever (?) so i could push the rear arm down while someone took the wheel off the car.
mortymer, the bx has a rear roll bar so by jacking up from one side you loaded the opposite wheel thus loading the roll bar and resulting in the wheel getting 'fixed' in position. Its only two bolts to disconnect the roll bar from the trailing arms (not that i would recommend it as they are a pig to get back on), otherwise you need to jack the whole back end up in one go (ah, the benefits of a tow bar 
).
I prefer not to use wood as it can crush (unless your posh and have hard wood) and prefer to use concrete bricks (not commons though) and while there is still scope for them to break i do feel a little more comfortable that way!
If you have difficulty getting a jack in, then a scissor jack will often get the car up the first few inches, though i wouldn't try relying on one to hold weight!
).I prefer not to use wood as it can crush (unless your posh and have hard wood) and prefer to use concrete bricks (not commons though) and while there is still scope for them to break i do feel a little more comfortable that way!
If you have difficulty getting a jack in, then a scissor jack will often get the car up the first few inches, though i wouldn't try relying on one to hold weight!
Lazy persons option is to get a drill with a suitable wheel on it to put a belt round the drill and the HP pump and crank away till the car lifts. Can take quite a while, but once it's up to pressure it doesn't take long to lift especially if there's no engine weight in the car.
Of course if the hydraulics were partially removed to get the engine out......
Of course if the hydraulics were partially removed to get the engine out......
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thanuttiscotsman
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................then get a few plastic bottles and hope for the best!!!Adrian E wrote: Of course if the hydraulics were partially removed to get the engine out......
na i have done this before to a 19rd as i wanted the new tyres for my 1.4 that i blew up a while ago. but anyhoo i took them off with the car on its roof but i think it makes no difference, just have to get a slim rover metro style jack then you can pull the wheels down a wee bit then get the jack in where the rubber stop for the arm is and jack it ass down, make sure you jam it with a crowbar or something when its down cos they fly up if they slip off.
rossco
1989 BX 16v ph1 Big project chipped, k+N, scorpion s/s, weber throttle body, Nitrous injection
1990 BX 16v ph2 (now scrapped)
1990 BX 16v ph2 (now scrapped)
LOL I forgot that... well i'll remember it next time.Vanny wrote:mortymer, the bx has a rear roll bar so by jacking up from one side you loaded the opposite wheel thus loading the roll bar and resulting in the wheel getting 'fixed' in position. Its only two bolts to disconnect the roll bar from the trailing arms (not that i would recommend it as they are a pig to get back on), otherwise you need to jack the whole back end up in one go (ah, the benefits of a tow bar
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thanuttiscotsman
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erm...HELLO!!!........... you cannot just pull the wheels down! whether its jacked or not!! they are like spring loaded but upward... you would have to be super strong to hold them down and unbolt them! apart from that they spin round when you try. 
1989 BX 16v ph1 Big project chipped, k+N, scorpion s/s, weber throttle body, Nitrous injection
1990 BX 16v ph2 (now scrapped)
1990 BX 16v ph2 (now scrapped)
Mine have dropped down everytime, only time it keeps a wheel cocked up in the arch is if the other side is down, as vanny said the arb keeps it up. I cant remember if the rear struts are attached to the radius arms or not, if theyre not and theyre in the bottomed out position, then they stay there and the arm pivots away when you jack it, if they are attached (from what i can remember though, they just sit in a balled cup so shouldnt be) then they must be able to draw in fluid to allow them to extend and if that theory doesnt work...just move your height control lever to allow them to, because that would open the height controller to let fluid in to the struts. Ive never had problems with them sticking up whether ive raised the car with hydraulics or not.
thanuttiscotsman wrote:erm...HELLO!!!........... you cannot just pull the wheels down! whether its jacked or not!! they are like spring loaded but upward... you would have to be super strong to hold them down and unbolt them! apart from that they spin round when you try.
the struts will only get stuck 'up' if you happen to have pressure in the system, if you move the height lever to 'high' setting, then jack the back end up the wheels will drop. They are linked only by the ARB and the height controller, otherwise both trailing arms are independant (hence the need for the ARB).
Think about it, the car sits down when pressure is lost (engine off, fault etc) because it can not hold the weight of the car, in this loose position the hydraulics also can't hold up the weight of the arms so they will fall.
I assume the 'metro style jack' is simply a scissor jack (as i mentioned) and thus can be aquired from just about every vehicle these days, alternatively (and often easier) get some wooden blocks and roll the car onto them ( a leading edge helps). If its a scrapper then you can always use a lever under the front or rear (of a correctly chocked) car and raise it that way.