Oil, in LHM fluid

paulGY · Post by **paulGY** » 10 Dec 2002, 04:40

Hi
I havent had my Xantia very long, I bought it off a mate, He has informed me that he put engine oil in the LHM fluid in an emergency once and hasent changed it since, would it have done any harm. The suspention is fine, so are the Brakes, the only thing i've noticed is that the suspention stays stays up even if left for days, then when I start the car it drops and comes up again.
M reg,td sx,114k

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 10 Dec 2002, 04:50

Very thin grade engine oil - 10 grade from memory, is a recommended "get home" emergency fix.
The Oil & the LHM are both mineral based so no problem will be found due to lack of compatibility. Had normal brake fluid been used you'd be in the market for another car now...that's a big no no.
The problem could occur if the oil he used was a thicker grade or a multi grade as it would be too thich to allow things to operate as they should and the symptom of staying up may be due to that; you won't know until you change it back.
I'd suggest dropping the lot out ASAP and as a precaution, using Hydraflush for a couple of thousand miles before removing & refilling with fresh LHM. Hopefully no real damage done.
Alan S

Post by **RichardW** » 10 Dec 2002, 13:43

Yeah, follow Alan suggestion about the hydraflush. Good job he didn't use brake fluid!
The car will stay up as it has anti-sink fitted. It drops when you start the engine becuase the rear anti-sink sphere is knackered, so get that changed out. Mind you, staying up without the antisink sphere means the brake valve and height correctors are in good condition!
Richard

paulGY · Post by **paulGY** » 12 Dec 2002, 04:41

Thanks for the replys.
PS: what is hydraflush and where do it get it.

Post by **RichardW** » 12 Dec 2002, 13:25

Hydraflush - hydracurinage (or some such French spelling!) is a special cleaning fluid for the hydraulic system. It's available from Andyspares / GSF or your local Citroen dealer. Put it in in place of the LHM for about 3,000 miles, then change back to LHM. Bleed the brakes,and clean the LHM filters when you do both changes. It has also been suggested that you should take the return hose off at the tank and crank / run the engine with the bleed screw open and catch the dirty LHM/hydraflush in a container, rather than just recycling it back to the tank to block the filters up again!
Richard