Coolant level

[Timmo]

i tried to drop an original out the bottom and can confirm that it doesnt fit out with the oil filter inplace!! and i'd be b#ggered if i could get it out the top with out the inlet coming off,
have done a coupl eon mine and all the times its been the inlet off method (same on my old 309 8v) makes it So much easier for access and only takes about 10 mins longer!

if however, the car needs a service then whip the oil filter off and your laughing!!

[citro-geoff]

Just done the one mine and removed the manifold.Much easier.Gasket number is 0348G4 x 2 if anyone wants to know(although most of you do i expect.lol) Fitted a new diesel starter Nic found on Ebay for £25!! Starts a treat now.Just need a downpipe as the exhaust is blowing round the front box. If I can't get one,I will have to weld it up. Geoff

[Timmo]

Geoff, chop the resonater out matey! iirc the pipe around the first box is 54mm diameter, dont know that many of us that have the resonater left in! makes it a simple two box system then!!!
the original downpipe is quite rare now as it has the 'siamesed' split section all the way down the pips to the first main bend under the car, the cheaper aftermarket ones dont have this, some have it for a couple of inches but does effect the way the car drives quite a lot!
best method is to chop the resonater box out and either sleve it or weld on another section ot it (i have a length of pipe from the cut back to the intermediate pipe joined by some flexi pipe as havent got round to getting it welded in the 4 years its been on the car! ) and your laughing that way!

deisel starters are the way! the td ones are 1.1hp compared to the 0.9 of the petrol, the Mi lumps like a good spark and a quick turn over! prolly worth dropping a relay into the starting circuit too as the wiring does crumble with age incase you havent already??
just plug the relay into the feedwire (mine's located nest to the battery as it'll probably melt on the starter area!) and you'll have good power getting to the starter then! i think its on a 70amp relay?? (Big yellow spade connecters)

[Toddman]

Just done the one mine and removed the manifold.Much easier.Gasket number is 0348G4 x 2 if anyone wants to know(although most of you do i expect.lol) Fitted a new diesel starter Nic found on Ebay for £25!! Starts a treat now.Just need a downpipe as the exhaust is blowing round the front box. If I can't get one,I will have to weld it up. Geoff

That jas just spurred me on Geoff to put a sticky thread up for part numners, it can save a lot of time if we have a part number ;list on hand so the inlet gaskets are the first to go in.

Cheers
Luke

[Timmo]

twas geoff who told me the part no's for the rear strut boots and the clips!! very handy when ordering the parts!!

[Vanny]

I've got the front expansion chamber on my exhaust system, and siamesed front pipe. Quite honestly i wouldn't have it any other way, the optimum exhuast length for most 2 litre petrol, 4 cylinder engines is around 1m, and guess what, the resonator is about 1m from the block. It is the most important part of the system as regards the correct back pressure to the exhaust ports, and there is a very very good reason for it to be there. I didn't realise anyone had removed it, and i'm a little surprise it hasn't reuined the torque of the car, but then i don't think anyone other than Luke has done any bench marking?

[Timmo]

i removed mine after i put a hole in it on the inlaws drive a few years back after posting thinking it was a new pipe job, but luke gave me all the details, Gary's racer has the 2 box system too and iirc Jay used to run it on his, i know its quite a popular mod as such,
i suspect due to the price of the genuine down pipe against the £15 for 2M length of 54mm exhaust pipe from the local motor factors??

[Vanny]

well i've got the proper one, docs got the popper one, i'm pretty sure luke has, so thats a 50/50 split so far. I can understand it for the racer though, and i guess as an infrequent drive with limit cash spend then it makes sence to just lob it out.

But me, i like it as it is and i have the proper one and a spare, and i like to lavish money on the shed so don't have too much worry sourcing the right bits. I guess if it came down to it i could make one from scratch.

[Timmo]

hmmn, am sure luke has downpipe reso. removed and two box system as per normal after the rear doors!??! as we did have a good natter about it back when it happened, will have to ask him as was a few years ago!
i think Robin has the reso removed too?
either way if you have the cash then go for the original genuine downpipes like you have but if not its a good cheap alternative and i've certainly noticed no difference from it not being there with the normal 2 box set up after that point, that said, when i had the system as resonater and straight to back box it did sound Lovely and was willing to popp and burble away nicely, but after removing it the noise level did increase a fair bit! enough for me to go back to std as 1/2 hour in it gave me a headache!
hmmmn, make oif that what you will i suppose!

[Toddman]

I removed the resonator on mine for several reasons but can safely sy it doesn't appear to make any difference to the cars performance.

I used to have a standard front pipe with divider and resonator and in an attempt to quieten things down after removing the cross box I fitted a larger resonator which didn't do much for the noise levels and RR sessions proved it didn't make any difference to performance.

Mainly because I didn't have an OE front section available I welded a 54mm length of exhaust tubing to the OR downpipe and refitted a crossbox.

Several people have run systems like this and been very happy with them.

I certainly wouldn't butcher a good front section but if a repair is needed then using the OE downpipe with a length if 54mm tubing is ideal and doesn't appear to have any negative effects.

Cheers
Luke

[Vanny]

either way if you have the cash then go for the original genuine downpipes like you have

Well, one was free, one was £5 and the other £20, so i guess i can afford to kill a few (mind, one of them is holey and only to cut open and use as a pattern!)

its a good cheap alternative and i've certainly noticed no difference from it not being there with the normal 2 box set up after that point

Not only a cheaper alternative, but much easier to make a full system out of stainless. Reassuring that there are no significant/obvious differences, i suspect higher octane fuel might have something to do with it, i might have to investigate if i can blag some time on the RR at work.

when i had the system as resonater and straight to back box it did sound Lovely and was willing to popp and burble away nicely

While i know what you mean about the noise of what i would call over run, it also means just one thing, inefficiency. Damn good job the valver is a second car then! Did you try any sort of additional sound deadening or just have the whole lot back out??

[Timmo]

YAY! i'm not going mad and my memory does work when needed!!!

Vman, erm, no i had no additional sound deadening in the car, it was to be truthfull Awful like that! i think the resnater just took the edge off it?? i did run it every day witht he resonater and backbox for about 3 years before it became the second car, didnt seme to make all thety much difference on economy on a run either, i used to get 33-34mgp on a run at 80mph with the original system and witht he cross box removed i used to get 32-33, so a small loss admitadly but not al that much,

i do admit though that after telling all the lads wuth straight through pipes how inefficient they are and lost power etc and then go and hack my own one to bits is a bit of a case of practice what you preach i suppose! BUt, in my defence, the noise of a Valver on cam with a good sounding system is Addictive!

there is a place down here that makes Stainless systems by scratch and i have often thought about asking them to sleave of the Orignal downpipe and make a stainless system for the car, but for the amount its used i'm not sure i could warrant it at the mo, and knowing my love for all things shiny i might be spending a little too long underneath polishing it hahahah!