Hydraulic Hose going into sphere leaking...

[AlvinCitroenC5]

Hi,

Please see attached photo of the hydraulic hose that is leaking. Beside purchasing one that is from Citroen (which is very difficult here in mainland China), have anyone repair this connection using other methods? It looks like hoses / crimp connection from a forklift. Does anyone know the connection size / thread of the hose and ends? Any suggestions is appreciated. Thank you.

Alvin

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi Alvin

As you can see, that particular pipe (part number 3 in the diagram) officially comes as a complete back harness, unlike the opposite tube which can be bought separately.

Click to zoom

Because it is part of the complete harness, it costs £403.54 inc. VAT from Citroen UK! (and is still available). As you can see from the part number (5270 RN) it is 10 mm in diameter.

There is another supplier Eurocarcare that does a lot of Citroen suspension parts and they sell this harness for £230.60 (which is the outside Europe, VAT - free price):

http://www.eurocarcare.net/lds-hydrauli ... right.html

It is out of stock with them - but contact them for an ETA - details in the link above ^

[AlvinCitroenC5]

Marc,

I just fainted. But will continue on to purchase this part to restore this car.

Thanks you for your help.

[GiveMeABreak]

I’ve never needed to have this pipe replaced on previous cars so can’t say how it is assembled / joined at the leaking joints. I know you are in the former Hong Kong, so am guessing C5 part availability is scarce from breakers. Besides, if you did find one, I’m not sure how difficult a job it would be to remove and attach without contaminating!

There may be some other suppliers but whether they ship over there is another matter. Best of luck, but have you tried to get it looked at by a local hydraulic company? I was wondering if they might be able to check or redo the seal for you?

[Peter.N.]

A second hand one from the breakers would be a lot cheaper.

Peter

[GiveMeABreak]

He's in Hong Kong or China as it is now Peter - spare part availability from a breakers is not like it is here unfortunately

[Peter.N.]

Ah, sorry, my comprehension is not so good nowadays.

Peter

[white exec]

A hydraulic specialist might be able to make up a new flexible hose for you, with a suitable compression fitting at the steel pipe end. Let them take a look at the hose and where it is fitted.

Such a fitting (and hose) needs to be able to handle up to 200bar pressure (system pressure is 150-170bar usually).

[AlvinCitroenC5]

I am actually working in mainland China, near Shanghai. Luckily, I do get breaker car parts that are imported from Japan into Hong Kong, then grey marketed into China. However, I do run out of luck on parts that are not left and drive compatible (My car is left hand drive). Also, pretty much most mechanic here do want to touch the C5 or C6 with hydraulic suspension. I will first try to go to a hydraulic equipment specialist to see if they have the right hose and connections, as Marc is correct, and I am afraid that it will leak again.

Can someone let me also know if there is some sort of filter / screen that is in the pump that can be cleaned out? I was hoping to flush and clean the hydraulic system when hoses are replaced.

Thanks.

[GiveMeABreak]

Not like the older LHM systems. Prevention of any contamination is better than cure, so protect the tank and any pipes from getting any oil, dirt, grease, dust in. Always seal the ends of any pipes with a clean protective plastic bag or similar to stop anything getting in. Never reuse any recovered LDS fluid from the system. Always use new fluid.

[Sloppysod]

Hi Alvin, I had this pipe go on my Mk1 C5, I thought I would be clever and get a local hydraulic specialist to make a pipe up to replace the flex, ihe made the pipe with the correct fitting at the sphere end and supplied me with a compression union so I could join it to the pipe coming up from behind the engine. However, it worked fine for a number of months then started to weep, I think LDS is a finer oil than the pipe was designed for, so be careful.
As I did not want to pay Citroen (new) prices I got a tube from the Breakers and replaced with a lot of swearing and without removing too much.
Good luck

[white exec]

Citroen fitted almost all of their high pressure hydraulic joints/unions with not only an olive for the male thread to bear down on, but a rubber sleeve that would compress as it was tightened, and compress (seal) further under the fluid pressure. Interestingly, they don't have to be tightned with huge force to provide a good seal. Standard metal-to-metal compression fittings will tend to open up under very high pressure, and go leaky.

Citroen workshop manuals contain drawings of the olive-and-sleeve arrangement, which isn't complicated:

a = the compressible rubber sleeve
b & c = centralising/alignment arrangement
Diagram shows how a pipe would be connected to a threaded valve, for example.
A pipe-to-pipe connection could be made up similarly.

[wurlycorner]

Also, pretty much most mechanic here do want to touch the C5 or C6 with hydraulic suspension.

That's pretty consistent all round the world

[Peter.N.]

Having driven CX's for about 10 years, XM's for 15 and C5's for to long I'm fairly familiar with their hydraulics. Compared with the electronic wizardry on modern cars its relatively simple. I suppose there just aren't enough about now to warrant mechanics training for them.

Peter

[AlvinCitroenC5]

As a gift to my mechanic who is a Peugeot specialist to continue to solider on to work on my vehicle (There is no true Citroen specialist where I am, as the true difference is the suspension system), I have bought him a huge amount of oil absorbing sand, shovel, broom, garbage bags, and my own garbage bin for the used oil absorbing sand. I think a pair of new steel toe shoes is warranted. It is the 3 time my hydraulic oil has dumped all over is shop floor.