Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by wurlycorner »

GiveMeABreak wrote: 02 Jan 2018, 22:38 Not really, - this is the official recommended method when using the diagnostic tool - and I mentioned it as a precaution - as you wouldn't want to have the pump engage accidentally when the cat treads on the suspension switch... whilst you are under it working on the system.


Fair enough. Not looked into it myself - I had assumed the pump would have its own fuse though, so that could just be pulled?
(thinking a bit further though... it's probably a maxi fuse, yes - so something that Citroen say can only be removed by a Citroen main dealer :rofl2: so maybe that's the reason they don't suggest it...)
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by spiff »

Good evening gentlemen.

First question is the round item arrowed a jacking point ?

Second question is it ok to temporary jack under the tow bar ?

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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by 411514 »

I wouldn't jack using the towbar, it is only attached to the chassis using four bolts.

If just jacking up one side I often jack under round item you have noted (no idea what it is) in preference to using the sill jacking point.

If you have a high reach jack and/or want to raise both sides, there is a reinforced jacking point at the rear of the spare wheel well which can be used to raise the rear of the car complete.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by spiff »

Thank you kindly for that.

I have read that they could be vibration dampers ? on the Citroen Owners club, another member uses them to jack.

I was a member, but cannot retrieve my password or rejoin to ask more as I am not receiving an email to reset or rejoin for some reason ?

They certainly look strong enough.

I feel safe with the car on ramps while underneath, but for this job it has to have the rear wheels off the ground : )

I am not happy with just supporting it via the sills with large wood blocks, adding axel stands under those large round items sounds about as safe as I can make it.

Plus perhaps this reinforced jacking point at the rear, will have a look for that.

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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by wurlycorner »

When mine was up in the air, I supported the car via the rear sub-frame cross-member.

Don't jack under the tow bar, no.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by 411514 »

wurlycorner wrote: 12 Jan 2018, 12:39 When mine was up in the air, I supported the car via the rear sub-frame cross-member.

Don't jack under the tow bar, no.


There is a sticker on the sub-frame cross member expressly warning against using it for jacking (I suspect this is because it is aluminium).
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by wurlycorner »

Interesting - no sticker on mine.
Wasn't used for jacking, but for supporting the car on a wheels free ramp (two points of load as far to the outside as possible and with a big, flat contact area). It's a seriously chunky casting, so absolutely no problem with that what-so-ever. I can understand not using it for jacking - that would be single point load and it may distort. My suggestion was for axle stand positioning, not jacking.

EDIT:
Can't see exactly where I placed the blocks, but;
Image
Image
Last edited by wurlycorner on 12 Jan 2018, 12:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Hi Spiff - I did have a look yesterday and couldn't decide if it was these little beauties in the diagram or not - but I cannot find anything else that looks remotely like them.

Part (2) is a Rear Crossmember Flexible Joint

Part (13) is called a Vibrate Weight - from RPO 09091 (29th Sep 2001) until RPO 09332 (28th May 2002)
or a Damper since RPO 09333 (29th May 2002). So the latter in your case being a 2003. If it is a flexible damper of some sort, I wouldn't think it designed for supporting the weight of a car without some risk of deformation IMO.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by wurlycorner »

Marc, I haven't used that myself (haven't needed to) and therefore haven't looked at it personally... But surely that very item (7 through-bolting 13/12/2) is the mounting point for the sub-frame to the chassis? If so that's the very point that takes (1/4) of the load of the rear of the car from the suspension to the chassis and therefore should be suitable/a very good place for jacking I would have thought (or have I mis-pictured that location in my mind).


Also FWIW (picking up on my earlier post) I seem to recall that my blocks were positioned outside the two welds that join the outer castings to the centre beam (so weight directly on the outer casting, which takes the full weight of the rear of the car anyway, albeit not in compression load from the outside of the casting at that point). Either way, I'm a qualified engineer and I had absolutely no qualms about it's ability to take the support load from underneath.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by GiveMeABreak »

These are just what the service docs say Iain, so I'm just trying to identify the part really - as for suitability you will undoubtedly know from your own experience - Looking at Spiff's picture - it does look sort of like a flexible rubbery kind of thing - and paired with the descriptions 'flexible' / 'damper' don't convey anything solid from the description - but here's the parts list to go with it. I'll leave it to you engineers to debate... :wink:
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by civvie »

When I serviced/replaired my seals in the rear suspension I remember I had it up on ramps, didn't use stands. I remember because when I opened the bleed nipple (slowly) the car dropped down to its lowest, Then undid the feed pipe and worked on it to replace the seals.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by spiff »

Thank you all.

Marc it does look to be item ( 7 ) I have pictured it from the rear of the car this time.

I have blocks under the sill at the moment, so I cannot get in there easily to picture where it mounts too.

It is metal, I reached under with a metal pole and gave it a poke : )

If it can be done on ramps that is a far safer option.

If it worked for Steve I cannot see any reason why not ?

I take it the wheel does not rely in any way on the ram to stop the whole wheel assembly from moving round or anything such like ?

Just added de-pressuring on the nipple in the centre at the rear will drop the front as well ?

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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by GiveMeABreak »

The rear bleed nipple should just depressurise the rear, not the front.
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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by spiff »

Thank you Marc, if it was going to drop at the front as well as the back when supported on the sills, I could have seen it rocking.

Doing it on ramps appears to be rewriting the book, but I think I will try doing the job that way.

It was only a £200 car, I hope to use this body a bit longer : )

Steve did you take the sphere off or is that only necessary if doing the job on the bench.

I have the sphere removal tool from my Xantia days.

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Re: Citroen C5 2003 dripping fluid from passenger rear suspension ram boot

Post by dnsey »

I've often used those round things for support.
Considering what they're called, I wonder if this is the design modification intended to reduce rattling from the rear axle in early models? I don't recall ever seeing one without them, though.
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