Citroen DS oil filter assembly
Posted: April 16, 2016 Filed under: Engine, Servicing | Tags: Citroen DS oil filter change Leave a commentHave you seen our oil filter set and wondered where all the bits go?
The set consists of the oil filter, 2 x O rings, the cover plate gasket, copper washer for the filter bolt and a sealing washer for the oil drain plug.
Here is a video showing where all the bits go, apart from the drain plug washer which is pretty obvious!
Below is the workshop manual page from the end of the video for your reference.
Head gaskets for pre-1963 H Vans
Posted: October 14, 2012 Filed under: Engine | Tags: gasket, headgasket, HY78 Leave a commentDue to the difficulty in finding the correct head gaskets for pre-1963 H vans with 1911cc engines (78mm bore) we are having some made.
A number of websites appear to offer these gaskets, but when they arrive they are not right. The gaskets for the 72mm bore version are available, but will not work properly on the larger engine, but the ones we are having made will work properly on both engines.
These should be available within a few weeks – check our webshop for the latest price and availability. I’ll list them on there when they come in.
Valve stem seals
Posted: October 6, 2012 Filed under: Engine 1 CommentThe original type valve stem seals fitted to post 1967 Citroen D models were made from a white plastic material, possibly PTFE, and they worked very well. The same type of seal (but different size) was also used in other models like 2CV, GS and CX. Lately we’ve noticed that the reproduced versions of these seals, although looking the same, did not fit as easily or as well as they should. In fact, we found they were becoming dislodged in service, so not working at all and causing smoky engines at idle and on overrun.
We conducted some tests and found that when fitted, the seals were a tighter fit on the valve stem than they were on the valve guide, so no wonder they were coming off! They were also so tight on the valve stem that it was making them difficult to fit without damaging them.
We took it up with the supplier and they agreed to speak to the manufacturer, but also said that as the manufacturer was a major European gasket and oil seal manufacturer, they would probably not listen to a small customer who only orders a thousand gasket sets a year.
Upon hearing this, I decided to take matters into my own hands and researched all I could about valve stem seals. It turns out that there is a better, more modern design which happens to be made in the right sizes for D and CX models. The exhaust valve and guide sizes are a bit unusual though, so it is harder to obtain this newer type for the exhaust valves, but we do try to keep them in stock. These are a much tighter fit on the valve guide than on the valve stem, so no danger of it coming adrift and it still seals the valve well too. We now only sell this type of valve stem seal, although if you order a complete gasket set, at the time of writing, it will still come with the old white plastic seals and the better ones will need to be ordered separately.
The older original style valve stem seals which we no longer use as they are now made incorrectly.
Factory model designations for all Citroen DS and ID models from 9/1965
Posted: June 13, 2012 Filed under: Engine, Workshop Manuals | Tags: Citroen DS21, Citroen DS23, Citroen ID19, Citroen ID20 Leave a commentFactory model designations:
DE = ID19A 09/1965 > 09/1966 (1911cc) Old model engine and gearbox, but with later hubs and 5 stud wheels.
DV = ID19B 9/66> (1985cc) From 09/1969 onwards was called D Special.
DT = ID20 10/68> (1985cc) From 09/1969 onwards was called D Super.
DY = DS19A 9/65 > 10/68, DS20 10/68> (1985cc)(DY models are semi-automatic)
DL = DS19MA 9/65 > 10/68, DS20M 10/68> 9/69(1985cc)(DL models are DS’s with manual gear shift)
DLF = Estate version of DL models, but continued until end of production in 1975
DYF = Estate versions of DY models, only made from 2/1968 onwards (DYF models are semi-automatic)
DX = DS21 09/1965 > 07/1972 (2175cc) 07/1972> (2349cc) (DX models are semi-automatic)
DJ = DS21M 09/1965 > 07/1972 (2175cc) 07/1972> (2349cc) (DJ models have manual gear shift)
DJF = ID21F 09/1965 > 07/1972 (2175cc) 07/1972> (2349cc) (Estate version of DJ, except that estate versions always have ID trim and dashboard)
DXF = ID21FH 09/1965 > 07/1972 (2175cc) 07/1972> (2349cc)(Estate version of DX semi auto, except that estate versions always have ID trim and dashboard)
DP = D Super 5 (2175cc) This is an ID variant, basically a D Super fitted with DS21 engine and 5 speed manual gearbox. Only made from July 1972 onwards.
For a table of engine codes, their horsepower and what model each was fitted to, click the link below.
Surcharges on reconditioned parts
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: Braking, Clutch, Drive shafts, Engine, Hydraulics, Steering, Suspension, Uncategorized | Tags: Citroen parts, reconditioned, remanufactured citroen parts, surcharges 1 CommentWe are having problems getting people to send old exchange parts back to us for reconditioning when they buy reconditioned or re-manufactured items. For some items this is becoming a problem with supplies of old parts suitable for reconditioning running dangerously low. Of course not all old parts are suitable for reconditioning, so supplies will slowly diminish anyway, but this makes it even more important that as many parts are sent back for reconditioning as possible.
Until now the refundable surcharge has been a token amount, but we find most people just absorb the cost rather than send the old parts back, or maybe just never get around to it, so we are having to increase the surcharge to provide enough incentive for people to send the old parts back.
We were discussing this with some of the main suppliers in Europe last week and they are having the same problems. It’s not about the money, we do not make anything from the surcharge because whatever amount it is gets refunded, it’s about keeping the system working. Therefore the surcharge has to be greater than the cost of sending the old parts back or else it all grinds to a halt. All our surcharges will have to rise because of this, unfortunately.
If you have old parts that should have been sent back to a supplier somewhere, not just us, please send them back as soon as you can to help keep the system working.
If parts have to be made new from scratch due to lack of items to recondition, you will not like the quality or the price, so it’s in all of our interests to do our part in keeping the system working.
Rusted core plug in Traction Avant cylinder head
Posted: April 26, 2012 Filed under: Cooling system, Engine, Workshop Life | Tags: 11b, citroen light 15, coolant leak, core plug, legere, swiss, traction avant, water in oil Leave a commentA Traction Avant came to us for an MOT today and after the 1 mile each way journey, it had a lot of steam coming from under the bonnet. When we opened the bonnet to investigate, we found the steam to be coming from the engine oil filler / breather not the radiator!
We pulled the dipstick and found lots of emulsion instead of oil, but the puzzling thing was the amount of coolant that had got into the oil in a short space of time – too much to be a head gasket and the car was still running sweetly.
I suspected a rusted through core plug in the head and upon removing the rocker cover I found coolant squirting out of 2 tiny holes in one of the core plugs. By the time I’d got the camera it was a welling, rather than squirting, but it did explain things. An easy repair by replacing the plug and a change of fluids later it was all was sorted. The other 2 core plugs were still nice and solid.
Video of coolant welling up from below!
