LHM sight glass

[splat2]

The float indicator on my LHM tank is stuck at the top of the glass.

Question one:

How do I free it up? I've tried tapping it as hard as I dare without success.

Question two:

I guess I can get the fluid level about right by putting the suspension to the lowest level then filling the tank most of the way to the top. Am I right?

[Peter.N.]

I should think that would be OK. There's quite a wide lattitude in the 'correct' level, as long as it doesn't get low enough for the pump to suck air it should be allright.

[Stewart(oily)]

Mines the same, apparently sticking your finger in the filler hole is recommended, it should come out with an oily tip! digital LHM level
Stewart

[Mandrake]

The float indicator on my LHM tank is stuck at the top of the glass.

Question one:

How do I free it up? I've tried tapping it as hard as I dare without success.

My question is what makes you certain that it is stuck ? The design of the Xantia float guage is such that it is nearly impossible for it to stick, and its something of an urban myth that it can stick. (IMHO)

(It's literally a little float with a plastic stick in a fairly slack hole, there is just NOTHING that can go wrong with it...)

9 times out of 10 people thinking it is "stuck" is due to not understanding how it works and how it should be interpreted.

It measures the MINIMUM normal operating oil level when you set the suspension fully up and let it stabalize. Also it operates over a very small range (like an expanded scale voltmeter) - the difference between the guage being right down and right up is only about 0.1 litres. Outside this range it will be sitting right down or right up.

You can remove the guage and inspect it if you like - disconnect the wires going to it, and turn the base 90 degrees (anti-clockwise from memory) and then lift it out, tube and all. When you see there is nothing wrong with it, put it back in and recheck the oil level, as you'll probably find its a little bit overfilled.

As Peter points out the actual level is not nearly as fussy as the guage makes out... you have quite some leeway. The only risk of too much oil is having the tank overflow if you depressurize the suspension. (Very messy, but not catastrophic)

Also remember the oil will get thrown about inside the container during braking, cornering etc, and being overfull may cause some to escape during such maneuveres, although the tank is fairly cleverly shaped to minimize the chance of this.

Regards,
Simon

[citronut]

i agree with simon,all the years i have worked at citroen garages and for my self i have never seen a sticking float,and yes it is that simple to remove the float,but you cant remove the float tube in the same way,as im prity sure its part of the tank lid,all you need to do to remove the float is pull the two wires off then rotate the hole dome and base about a third of a turn and lift it out,every time i have seen a float "stuck"at the top it has just been to much fluid in the tank
regards malcolm

[Homer]

The float indicator on my LHM tank is stuck at the top of the glass.

Stupid question number 1.

You are checking with the suspension on the highest setting?

[splat2]

Thanks for all the responses. First off, I do know that the suspension needs to be in the highest position before checking the LHM level and I do regularly(ish) check it.

The reason I thought it was sticking is because with the suspension on high there is only a very small amount of fluid in the tank - just covering the bottom of the lowest part (the right hand side looking from the front). With the suspension fully lowered the tank is about half full, maybe slightly less. In both states the float is right at the top of the glass.

Maybe this is just normal?

[jeremy]

This is not normal. There should be best part of a gallon of LHM in there when the car is down. For BX if you can touch the LHM with your finger when the car is raised its about right. I expect its much the same for a Xantia. Too much just leaks out and makes a mess - doesn't kill you!

[citronut]

trust your float,as many people on this forum dont seem to and think it is inacurate,in my experiance working in citroen garages and for my self i have never seen a stuck float
regards malcolm

[Mandrake]

Thanks for all the responses. First off, I do know that the suspension needs to be in the highest position before checking the LHM level and I do regularly(ish) check it.

The reason I thought it was sticking is because with the suspension on high there is only a very small amount of fluid in the tank - just covering the bottom of the lowest part (the right hand side looking from the front). With the suspension fully lowered the tank is about half full, maybe slightly less. In both states the float is right at the top of the glass.

Maybe this is just normal?

There is 5.4 litres of oil in the entire hydraulic system, almost one litre of that stays in the piping when the suspension is fully down, particularly in the brake lines. (Also remember to open the bleed screw to see the maximum oil in the tank as the accumulator will hold about 300cc of oil when pressurized too) So at most you'll only see approx 4.5 litres in the tank.

The tank is a lot bigger than 4.5 litres... although I havn't measured it I would estimate its about 7-8 litres in size, to allow for the different amount of oil needed on different cars (hydractive vs not etc) and also to give room for the oil to slosh around during cornering/braking without it trying to come out the top...

Did you remove the float and check it ? About the only thing that I can think of that might cause it to stick is if some silly previous owner had taken the float out and dropped an object down the hole

The float chamber is a tube that goes down inside the tank to contain the float, and has a couple of slots in the side to let the oil from the rest of the tank pass into the chamber.

Regards,
Simon