Power steering fluid leak... can I fix myself?

[pcspinheiro]

Dear all,
my Xsara is at it... again... This morning I noticed a strange noise when turning the steering and, upon inspection, I saw that the hose coming from the steering pump (the flexible part, as it is otherwise metal) is leaking and the reservoir looks empty. The wife drives it normally but I usually back it out of the garage so it has not been without oil for longer than 1 day. See the picture here (not from my actual car but the best I could find to illustrate where the leak is):

http://l.bitcasa.com/qeCRtu0v" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm going to refill the reservoir so she can drive until the weekend (the leak does not seem to be very big) but I would then like to fix it. Is this something easy that I can do myself? Or would this required special attention at a dealer? I'm guessing the whole tubing, from the pump to wherever it ends, is replaced as one single part?

Best wishes,

Paulo.

[RichardW]

Should be DIY-able, if you've got ramps or stands to get underneath - it goes to the PAS rack. I suspect getting it out might be a bit awkward. Citroen list this part for a 1.4 MK11 as no longer available, so you may need to get one off a scrapper, or get someone like Pirtek to repair the existing one.

[citronut]

if you send me the last 8 digits of your chassis/VIN No. i will check/get the OE price and part No. for the correct pipe for your car,

you never know i might have an OE NOS= new old stock pipe, as i have a couple of genuine power steering pipe in my stock,

[c.morewood]

You could try registering with these guys
http://www.partsreunited.co.uk/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?
They claim to be able to find new original stock that has been discontinued.
I've used tham a few times..worked 3 times out of 5.

[harryp]

If it's leaking at the pipe join it may be possible to tap it to accept a pipe nipple. Might be worth giving Pliades a call. They repaired one on my Xantia a few years back. Hth....

[pcspinheiro]

Thanks for the replies guys! But unfortunately I'm not in the UK, I'm in Denmark...

Citronut, if you have the part and can ship it abroad I would very much appreciate it, I could even book a pickup service myself.
The VIN number is VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
Do let me know

Best wishes,
Paulo.

[RichardW]

Paulo

Here's what service.citroen says about the pipe:

Part Number Description Quantity Price excl. VAT Price incl. VAT Total incl. VAT Selection
00004014A4 HIGH PRESS PIPE 109.85 GBP 131.82 GBP

It shows as still available, and one piece from the pump to the rack. The VIN shows it as a 2.0 16V? No UK parts are going to fit, as they are all RHD, and the pipe will be different... Also shows this pipe is 2.0 16V only, so you can't use one from another car. So looks like your options are getting a reaplacement from your local Citroen dealer, or getting the old pip off, and seeing if your local hydraulic hose company can repair it.

[uncle buck]

Are there no car breakers in Denmark that you could get one from?

Other than that do as RichardW says and contact a hydraulic hose company. They could probably make you a flexible length of pipe that has a compression fitting at each end, using this you could cut out your leaking section and then simply fit the new length using the compression fittings.


Cheers.

[pcspinheiro]

Thanks for the replies guys! I have yet to contact the local citroen dealer since I'm not yet ready for the pain (£££). I have managed all repairs on the car so far but to buy an original part from the dealer in Denmark I will probably have to give them my first born child too . So far I refilled the reservoir and the noise almost immediately went away. The leak seems small so I'll see if I can find a used part first from a scrap yard or something and keep refilling the reservoir until then.

But back to my original question, I suppose the repair involves only taking one hose out and put a new one in? Or is there any bleeding to do, since there will be air in the new tube and it will likely also leak out at the bottom end when removed?

Thanks again!

[Old-Guy]

The power steering will bleed itself (as already happened when you refilled the reservoir). Replacing the pipe will be messy as hydraulic fluid will run out of the damaged pipe and the line that feeds it. It's vital to clean off before starting work and to make sure absolutely no dirt gets into the hydraulic system. Check the size(s) required and buy (a) proper gland-nut spanners (grip on 5 of the 6 faces of the hexagons) to undo and tighten the gland-nuts.