Hydroactive plumbing diagram

Post by **xantia_v6** » 16 Mar 2009, 19:43

I found the LHM leak on th e"old" V6 yesterday, one of the return hose joints had popped above the rear subframe.

Can someone point me to a plumbing diagram of the Hydroactive system so that I can work out which pipe it is?

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 16 Mar 2009, 22:02

I have a diagram I can send to you. It's in microsoft XPS file format and you should be able to open it in internet explorer. I'll see if I can attach it to a PM so check your messages.

Post by **CitroJim** » 17 Mar 2009, 06:29

Usually, when a return like "pops" the reason is too much pressure in it due to excessive leakage.

It's worth doing some tests to see what, if anything, is leaking excessively. No. 1 suspect has to be the hydractive electrovalve. If I remember rightly (it's frustrating being stuck where I am as if I was home, I could pop out under my V6 and check

), it's return line dives up over the rear subframe and joins with the height corrector leakage return in the area I suspect you're leaking from.

Can you follow the "popped" return line back to source and see which component it connects to? It may not be the cause though as excessive pressure will pop the weakest link...

Post by **xantia_v6** » 17 Mar 2009, 20:28

I got the diagrams (from the parts book) from Kev, but am none the wiser, as the diagrams don't seem to match the plumbing I saw.

There are 2 plastic return tubes running to the front of the car. One has a Y junction, one leg of which goes to the LH ram.

The other goes into a rubber hose nearer the centre of the car, and it is this junction that popped. With the suspension on high, there was an appreciable flow from the rubber tube.

I suspect that it is the electrovalve leaking, but for now a cable tie is holding the offending joint together.

Post by **CitroJim** » 17 Mar 2009, 20:35

There is a potential way of proving if it's the hydractive electrovalve leaking. Pull the Hydractive ECU fuse (F8, engine bay I think) with the ignition off and this will force hard mode always. This should cut/reduce the leakage past the electrovalve appreciably as it'll be firmly closed.

I can't guarantee this is a cast-iron definite test as I've not yest suffered an electrovalve with excessive leakage. It is a good test to see if a hydractive electrovalve is leaking past it's O ring seal to the hydractive block though.

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 17 Mar 2009, 21:54

On the diagrams I sent, could the Y connector be item 10 and the pipe to the left hand ram be pipe 2, this being the LH ram leak off pipe.

Then the pipe to the centre could be pipe 6 and the junction which popped could be item 11..maybe ? Item 11 is a T junction. Is the junction which popped a T junction ?

If it was item 11 that popped then thats where the leak off from the rear height corrector meets with the leak off from the right hand suspension strut (ram).

The problem may be excessive leak off return flow from either the height corrector or the RH strut.

Post by **xantia_v6** » 17 Mar 2009, 22:05

The junction that popped was a plastic pipe running to the fron of the car and a flexible rubber hose (no tee juntion). I only dropped the LH end of the subframe, so did not get a good look at the centre or RH plumbing.

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 17 Mar 2009, 22:52

The image for later Hydractives shows a Y connector 10 with two pipes number 4 and the 3rd pipe probably returning to the reservoir (going through a grommet ?).

This could be the one. So the flow through this Y is where the leak off from the two rear struts comes together before flowing back to the reservoir. Again, pointing to a potential problem of excessive leak off from a rear strut.. maybe....possibly.

Post by **RichardW** » 18 Mar 2009, 07:45

I had trouble with a rubber / hard plastic pipe joint at just this location on a hydractive car. I'm pretty sure it was the return from the hydractive valve. I ended up putting cable ties on both sides, and then wiring them together to stop it coming off. Bodge I know, but a new HA valve would have been more than the car was worth

Post by **ekaftan** » 18 Mar 2009, 13:23

CitroJim wrote:There is a potential way of proving if it's the hydractive electrovalve leaking. Pull the Hydractive ECU fuse (F8, engine bay I think) with the ignition off and this will force hard mode always. This should cut/reduce the leakage past the electrovalve appreciably as it'll be firmly closed.

I can't guarantee this is a cast-iron definite test as I've not yest suffered an electrovalve with excessive leakage. It is a good test to see if a hydractive electrovalve is leaking past it's O ring seal to the hydractive block though.

I can confirm this. I am currently running my car with the hydractive fuse out due to this same leakage and without the fuse there only a drop or two of leak.