Changing Indicator Lens Thing

[Guest lucylnthesky]

Hello new to the forum but a zx owner since last september.

i could do with some tips on how to change the indicator lamp thing, only the outside lens has come off but when my new part arrived this morning its like half a car!! not the lens cover i was expecting and its got electrical connections and all sorts.

 

is it hard to do? my mot is due on saturday so i need to do it for then.

[Stevie]

Indicator lens dropping off is quite common with ZX's.I've lost two over 9 years and am still seeing more ZX's with same! :lol:

 

Replacing the indicator is fairly straight forward.

 

Open bonnet

Locate rear of indicator and gently pull the bulb holder out of indicator

Release spring from bodwork

and pull the indicator out.

 

Installation is just other way round.Just make sure the spring is firmly attached to bodywork and is through the small hole in indicator.

 

I would advise though putting a small bead of sillicone or some type of glue like Araldite around the joint where lens meets silvery grey back.It will help prevent it dropping off again and also stops moisture getting inside the lens-which could lead to an MOT fail.Neither genuine or pattern parts are the best of quality so prevention now saves time later!

[Guest lucylnthesky]

Thanks very much!

all done now, hopefully it wont fail on something stupid now when it goes for the mot.actually it wasnt really citroens fault it fell off, a big white van ran into that wing when i had owned the car for about 4 weeks. when it was parked outside my house . however i tracked them down like the dogs they are and it ended up costing them £500 for a new wing and mirror ect. (more than i paid for the car but i was really annoyed as they drove off and denied it) the lens stayed put til after i had accepted the quote of course! and then dropped off on the way home.

 

altho it being a common problem explains why my friend couldnt find me one at a scrap yard.

 

anyway thanks again

 

lucy

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi Lucy.

 

Sorry to hear some white van PRAT has assaulted your baby. Well done for getting them to cough up! If you want BRAND NEW indicators for under a tenner delivered to your door have a look here. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CITROEN-ZX-91-97-FRO...tem180254962038

It shows a left hand one but they stock both sides if you read on.

 

Cheers Hope this helps. :D

[Guest lucylnthesky]

Hi Lucy.

 

Sorry to hear some white van PRAT has assaulted your baby. Well done for getting them to cough up! If you want BRAND NEW indicators for under a tenner delivered to your door have a look here. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CITROEN-ZX-91-97-FRO...tem180254962038

It shows a left hand one but they stock both sides if you read on.

 

Cheers Hope this helps. :D

 

Thanks Colin,

will bear that in mind if the other one falls off.

I was so gutted when that van hit my car, Its my first car and i had only owned it for about 4 weeks, i had even spent an entire day t cutting all the marks off it when i picked it up! I have to say the bent wing gave me some kudos points on the roads for a while tho especially as i was still a learner driver at that point.

 

Actually ive got another question as talking to people who specifically know about the car model is so much better than just asking random people. I have an ongoing problem with my car flattening the battery, i had a mechanic friend check it out and its not the alternator, but it is showing a drain on the battery when the car is standing. he removed a fuse for me and that did stop the drain but i put it back in because my stereo wouldnt work without it. the theory is its something to do with the alarm or the central locking. I have to make sure i run the car at least once a day and this stops it going flat , but if i stand it for a couple of days its dead as a doornail. i bought it a new battery and it didnt do it for about 3 months but now its back to square one.

the lock on one of the back doors makes a weird whirring noise sometimes and this seems to be connected to when it goes flat. has anyone else had a similar problem and what did they do to fix it?

[Stevie]

Sounds like the central locking motor is at fault here.As a quick fix-remove the door card and unplug the motor.It will mean you'll have to lock the door manually by depressing the interior catch,but should stop you having a flat battery.

 

Colin should be along with a proper fix soon!

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi Folks.

 

Thanks for your unbounded confidence in my remote fix abilities!! The whirring noise is definitely a central locking servo motor. They are dead easy to change, albeit a bit awkward. You should be able to get one from a breakers for peanuts, but be aware that it may not be in any better nick than yours. I tried several before I found one that worked properly.

 

Take off the door card and ease back the membrane. If you have to cut it, it can be repaired with "Gaffer" tape or suchlike. You will see that the lock has varoius link rods going to it. Remember where these go. take a few pics with a digital camera or your mobile to remind you. Undo the torx screws on the rear of the door which hold on the lock and ease the lock out of position while disconnecting the links. The central locking servo can be removed by turning it anti clockwise on the stubs which hold it on. Un plug it from the loom and plug the "New" one in. NOW shut all the doors (Except the back one you're working on) and try the locking. If the servo operates quietly and promptly it's ok. Reassembly (As they say in all the best books) is the reverse procedure. It can be a bit awkward getting it all back into the door again.

 

Spare servos can also be tested by touching the terminals with a 12v supply in either direction to make them operate.

 

I'm not sure if the servo could cause the battery drain you talk about but I suppose it's possible. My favourite would be something like the boot light. Make sure it goes out when the boot is closed. A sure way to check if you have a battery drain problem is to disconnect the battery positive terminal and place an ammeter (Multimeter) between the battery and the lead terminal to see if any current is flowing when the car is stopped and closed up. There shouldn't be more than a few milliamps to keep the radio code and immobiliser/alarm (If fitted) running. Ensure you know the radio code before disconnecting the battery!

 

These things are notoriously hard to find, especially from a distance!

 

Cheers, Hope this helps. :rolleyes:

[Guest lucylnthesky]

Hi Folks.

 

Thanks for your unbounded confidence in my remote fix abilities!! The whirring noise is definitely a central locking servo motor. They are dead easy to change, albeit a bit awkward. You should be able to get one from a breakers for peanuts, but be aware that it may not be in any better nick than yours. I tried several before I found one that worked properly.

 

Take off the door card and ease back the membrane. If you have to cut it, it can be repaired with "Gaffer" tape or suchlike. You will see that the lock has varoius link rods going to it. Remember where these go. take a few pics with a digital camera or your mobile to remind you. Undo the torx screws on the rear of the door which hold on the lock and ease the lock out of position while disconnecting the links. The central locking servo can be removed by turning it anti clockwise on the stubs which hold it on. Un plug it from the loom and plug the "New" one in. NOW shut all the doors (Except the back one you're working on) and try the locking. If the servo operates quietly and promptly it's ok. Reassembly (As they say in all the best books) is the reverse procedure. It can be a bit awkward getting it all back into the door again.

 

Spare servos can also be tested by touching the terminals with a 12v supply in either direction to make them operate.

 

I'm not sure if the servo could cause the battery drain you talk about but I suppose it's possible. My favourite would be something like the boot light. Make sure it goes out when the boot is closed. A sure way to check if you have a battery drain problem is to disconnect the battery positive terminal and place an ammeter (Multimeter) between the battery and the lead terminal to see if any current is flowing when the car is stopped and closed up. There shouldn't be more than a few milliamps to keep the radio code and immobiliser/alarm (If fitted) running. Ensure you know the radio code before disconnecting the battery!

 

These things are notoriously hard to find, especially from a distance!

 

Cheers, Hope this helps. :lol:

 

 

 

 

hello again colin!

Ok i have checked the boot light and it isnt that, I checked to see if there was a light in the glove compartment, and if there is it doesnt work. so its not that.I chatted up a man with a multi meter and there is definately a drain. and it does stop draining when the fuse for the central locking and alarm is taken out. but thats not a good fix as the stereo doesnt work without it arghhh.

 

however it passed its mot first time with flying colours much to the disgust of those who mock my citroen (mostly my brother and my husband) so pffffffft to them.

 

I had a look at the door panels i need to take off and i need to buy myself some strange french screwdriver i think. because if i start pulling the card off im going to snap the plastic bit with the speaker in. and after what you said i just know even if i replace the servo im going to be back here going oops its still draining hahaha

 

anyway thanks colin

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi Again Lucy.

 

Sorry it's taken a while to get back to you. When you take off the door panels you need to remove the screws which hold on the speaker as they also hold the panel in place. There are also some screws in the armrest / door pull which need to be taken out before gently easing the clips around the panel edge. The screws are "Torx" and are now quite common in the motor industry. A set of drivers or bits for an interchangeable driver can be got from any decent DIY store or Halfords quite cheaply.

 

Regarding the drain, it's unlikely to be the servo unit as they are only energised during the locking/unlocking operation and have no power to them at any other time. You have isolated the drain to the radio/central locking/alarm circuit. Now try unplugging each of these components in turn to see if the drain stops. If it does, you have isolated the dodgy component and it can be replaced with another, serviceable unit from a scrappy or, as they now prefer to be called , vehicle dismantler/recycler!

 

Cheers. Hope this helps. ;)

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Post Deleted! I'd put it in twice!