Practically Classics Forum

Well I only went and bought a hydropnuematic Citroen...!



Initially I was sensible and tried to buy a Focus, but the seller reneged on the deal; then I went a bit bonkers and nearly bought an untaxed Citroen C5 which hadn't moved for months, was a bit mouldy inside, and needed a fair bit of work (luckily the seller turned down my low offer). Finally, I split the difference with this tidy looking Xantia HDI 90. I've already got stuck into the suspension, which is wafting up and down very well after a new sphere and some linkage cleaning. I get both fabulous economy and a slight but constant sense of unease about what's going to stop working next, which will keep the journeys interesting. Thanks for all the advice..!

A good choice- Xantias are the last of the proper hydro Citroens where suspension, braking, and steering are all linked- the C5 was seriously dumbed down with a conventional braking system. The hydro system is really pretty easy to deal with if you forget about tinsprings and think Citroen. Most jobs are easier in fact- bleeding the brakes? Car does it for you

A few Xantia things to look out for- struts have been known to appear through bonnets (check for unseen rust), always leave it in gear- the handbrake works on the front discs, you park up, the disc cools, shrinks slightly, and the car starts to roll.....and tthree words every Xantia d.i.y er dreads...........clutch clip failure!!!!!!!A two quid part known to be an absolute pig to change Gawd knows why they didn't just carry the BX pedal assembly over, most of the rest of the car is basically BX. One horror they didn't carry over was the metal BX razor edged fluid reservoir, a guaranteed slit wrist every time you reached in to the filters, at least the Xantia got a nice soft edged plastic one. Keep the hydro fluid clean and clear and you'll have no problems..most hydro trouble stems from tin-spring trained grease monkeys not understanding what they're dealing with and being phenomenally heavy handed, spheres are only done up hand tight, no tighter than an oil filter,and the pipe unions are not compression fittings like in a 'normal' car, they're rubber seals which swell with pressure, and are only done up with a delicate touch. You can always tell when a tinspring gorilla has been near them, they're nipped up mega tight and hence leak like a sieve.

I want another hydro car now!!!