rear suspension arm leaking

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 27 Jun 2007, 15:10

i have a leak coming from inside the rubber guitar on the rear right suspension arm (the part the sphere is connected to), is there a way to fix it or should i replace the whole arm?

Post by **Peter.N.** » 27 Jun 2007, 16:40

Is the gaiter filling with fluid or is it leaking externally? If you have an external leak, look first at the leak off pipes fitted into the side of the gaiter, could be one has come adrift. Loss of a large ammount of fluid could be due to a leaking suspension cylinder seal.

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:24

it looks like it fills up with fluid and also leaking out through cracks on the gaiter. it's for sure not coming from the sphere but from the gaiter.
If you are talking about the seal between the cylinder and the sphere then it's dry there.
Is the cylinder the same on all xantia 2.0L models?

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:33

I had to replace the one on my 1.9TD (thanks to a certain someone tightening up the sphere with a tool rathe than losening it)
That's an estate which are different to saloons.

Just had to pop the ball joint out at the small end of the gator, then work the arm out.

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 27 Jun 2007, 17:35

does anyone can help me with a picture or drawings of that back arm?
how is it built under the gaiter?

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 27 Jun 2007, 18:33

On the estate (don't know how different it is on the hatchback) the piston is like a cup, hollow inside.
At the small end of the gator inside is a rod with ball on the end, the rod goes into the cup of the piston, free to move about swivelling on the ball in it's socket.
LHM pushes the piston against the rod, which then moves the suspension arm.
LHM can leak past the piston which keeps it lubed, and then returns to the resevoir via the return pipes.

Here's some artwork, don't laugh too much.

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 27 Jun 2007, 19:49

So, if i take out the gator/gaiter, what will i see inside?
how does it leak from there? (unless one of the return hoses is broken/loose)

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 27 Jun 2007, 20:11

wonderd wrote: Is the cylinder the same on all xantia 2.0L models?

Nope.

There are at least 3 versions of the rear suspension cylinder - pistons on hatchbacks before 1996 are 35mm diameter, after 1996 are 37mm diameter, and estates of all years are 40mm.

Regards,
Simon

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 27 Jun 2007, 23:28

wonderd wrote:does anyone can help me with a picture or drawings of that back arm?
how is it built under the gaiter?

the part you are refering to is called the suspension unit, this is a piston inside of a barrel, which has a presure seal and a wiper felt, what others are telling you is this presure seal might not be holding the fluid back, so it is filling the gaitor with cito blood
regards malcolm

wonderd · Post by **wonderd** » 28 Jun 2007, 13:56

Well, thank you all for your help, today i replaced the part with a used one, with the work the whole thing cost me 300 nis which is around 35 pounds.
The pressure seal was the faulty part.
Thanks again.