xantia rear brakes not working

i have just bought a 95 xantia td, i have replaced spheres on all four corners of the car, and replaced both rear disks and pads but now find that i have no braking whatsoever on the rear of the car, can anyone help !

Reply to
z-c-dickens
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( snipped-for-privacy@supanet.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Common problem.

Take the pads out, push the pistons in, and put it all back together with plenty of copaslip.

Then drive around for a while with a big heavy load in the boot.

The rear brakes on hydraulic Cits do very little work if the boot's empty, and they can stick. It's not serious, and cleans up easily.

You say you changed the four wheel spheres - did you do the other two as well? Accumulator and antisink. If it's a VSX there's also the two Hydractive spheres.

It's almost certainly also worth changing the LHM - if it's *REALLY* filthy (should be vivid green), then put Hydraflush (from GSF etc) in for a thousand miles or so.

Reply to
Adrian

You need to bleed the rear brakes ..... The feed to the rear brakes comes from the rear suspension and air has got in the pipeswhen you changed the spheres. When you change the spheres you should lift and drop the car up and down a few times to purge the air from the rear suspension. If during this time you press the brake pedal you will let air into the rear brake lines. The pressure comes from the rear suspension four way union and then the feed pipe goes to the brake valve at the brake pedal, then returns to the rear brake 3 way union and then to rear wheel calipers. Be aware that the pads often sieze in the calipers, when you changed the rear pads did they come out easily? Its well worth giving the calipers a good clean out as there is often electrolytic corrosion between the steel pads and the alloy calipers, jamming it all up. Oh and the bleed nipples are a bastard for snapping off ( steel in alloy again) heat helps. One great advantage of the Citroen is that you dont have to faff around pumping pedals to bleed the brakes there is a reserve of pressure in the rear susp , put the lever to high, and when you are ready just loosen the bleed nipple and press the pedal down , Hey presto. Steve the grease

Reply to
Al Gorithm

Reply to
z-c-dickens

The front brakes work on the full hydraulic pressure , the rears only work on the pressure in the rear suspension, that s why you should have the lever in the high position , to get more pressure in the rear suspension, with some patience I'm sure shewill come good . I agree with other posters you should change the accumulator at least. Steve the grease

Reply to
Al Gorithm

Reply to
z-c-dickens

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