xantia hydraulic leak

[jgra1]

chaps.. car has been off the road since sunday due to lost LHM..

just managed to get underneath and one of the pinion valve pipes was green.. I dried it and started the car.. sure enough there was a drip-drip from the pipe's entry into pinion valve..
I get back out and applied light pressure to steering, and could see LHM dripping out much faster.. I had no helper to enable me to see under at same time, but 95% sure the bigger leak must be from same place.. nothing else obvious,., Am I on the right lines, so to speak?

is there a seal for these two metal hyd pipes, into pinion valve, and if so does anyone know the part number? or is it just a generic seal for that size pipe, all over the car?

many thanks,
John

[CitroJim]

Hi John,

On a MK2 Xantia (and late MK1s) all pinion valve seals are of the conventional brake flare type. Conventional in the sense that it's similar to the type found on non-hydraulic Citroens and so on...

Only early MK1s used the conventional rubber seals and then only on the high pressure feed pipe...

Can you identify which is leaking? Looking at the pinion valve there's the high pressure in from the pump, the functional return next to it and on the other side the two short pipes going to/from the ram...

I expect the leaking pipe has either a loose union or a hairline crack on the flare...

[jgra1]

hi Jim
looking from underneath and behind the rack..
it was the right hand of the two going into valve.. I may take a pic in a bit.. I didn't follow it anywhere back though :O..

i did tighten it, but it was not loose really.. I got half a turn on it but was already out of comfort zone really..

[CitroJim]

Sounds like the high pressure in John

Bit of a cow that one... Flares will seal with just a nip, they don;t need to be hugely tight. The HP feed in goes into a boss rather than direct into the pinion valve. This boss is threaded into the pinion body and it's sealed with O ring. It's just possible that O ring has hung up its hat...

[KennyW]

John,

I've still got the pipes in the garage from the rack I sent you earlier. if you wanted them they're yours.

Kenny

[jgra1]

damn

I was hoping just a 20p seal and back on the road..

ok Jim..

will investigate more over weekend..

[jgra1]

thanks Kenny..

I was going to ask if anyone had any pics, but I googled and got yours

http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu41 ... G_1496.jpg

I am quite sure it's the upper most pipe entry in that pic..

[addo]

It's more likely to be the return line dripping down, unless you have specifically ruled that out.

[citronut]

are you absolutely sure its not running down onto the pipe from the pinion seal John,

the other thing is if you over tighten you will almost certainly fracture the pipe at its neck,

regards malcolm

[jgra1]

thanks both..

I need to check, with someone helping.. will do this tomorrow..
100% sure that the drip is from that small metal pipe into pinion valve, but not as sure about the massive leak when steering is turned..

[CitroJim]

Sorry, didn't realise you had TWO leaks John... Sorry, the old brain is not firing on all cylinders at the moment

but not as sure about the massive leak when steering is turned..

That could well be the the functional return. It starts off in metal (it leaves the pinion valve next to the bossed input pipe) but quickly turns into a rubber pipe and these can perish and let go where rubber joins metal. Heat from the exhaust doesn't help... There's a heck of a volume of LHM at low pressure in this pipe...

[jgra1]

thanks all will do a proper update..

I thought i had one leak that became a torrent when steering was bring used..

anyway.. will become clear tomorrow (or murky!)

[citronut]

thanks all will do a proper update..

I thought i had one leak that became a torrent when steering was bring used..

anyway.. will become clear tomorrow (or murky!)

whats that as clear a mud John

regards malcolm

[jgra1]

lol

ok.. finally back under..
sure enough, that little metal pipe is the only leak.. a drip at idle turns into a stream with steering,
quick question, do I need to depressurise to remove this? i cant see I do, being part of the steering not suspension.. life would be easier if I can keep her on high..

about to operate,,

[CitroJim]

Nope, no need to depresurise John, It'll leak a lot of LHM though and keep dripping.. Wear a hat!