Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

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Sufii
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Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

Hi guys!

I have problems with the steering rack leeking on my Citroen C5, I want to try Omega 917, because of the leakage is small. Someone used this product and had results?

And I also want to change the steering fluid, someone have a DIY on how to flush the steering fluid? And witch fluid should I buy?

Thanks!
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by bobins »

If it's the standard steering rack leak where the pinion seal has worn out then any of the miracle seal rejuvenators like Omega 917 just won't work. The problem is that the pinion shaft rusts and rubs into the shaft seal and wears it away. The issue isn't that the seal has worn slightly with use - which is what Omega 917 is designed to fix in the short term, the issue is that the shaft seal has worn a lot by being abraded by the rusty pinion shaft. Even if you put a brand new seal in it, it would fail very quickly unless you replaced the rusty pinion shaft.
A new or reconditioned steering rack is the only solution (or getting rid of the car !!) if you've got the standard leaking pinion shaft failure.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Whoops, looks like another one!

Forget trying to seal it, it won’t work. There are plenty of us here who are already on our third steering rack on the X7!

The steering pinion usually rusts through water and salt contamination, collects at the bottom of the pinion seal and starts corroding the pinion, causing the seal to deform and hence the leak.

Even the new Citroen replacement I had failed in under 20k miles. I now have a reconditioned and refurbished rack that has been completely coated, and have added a rubber steering gaiter to the pinion shaft to try and protect it.

Citroen do not sell the seals separately although you can buy these from other suppliers.

If you have a leak, you really need to get the rack replaced, due to the corrosion that will contaminate the whole system inside the rack causing a break down of those seals.

You have metallic suspension, so will have the small separate power steering fluid reservoir. The ONLY fluid you must put into these systems is LDS made by Total, or other suppliers.

There are several threads on the forum about this issue - my latest one is here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=60155&hilit=Steering+rack+again
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

Bad news, Im going to take a new look and try to indicate where the leakage is coming from, crossing my fingers that maybe it is the pipes. :-)
My oil sump is wet all around and leaking as well, tried to take it off and put new silicone around the old sump, but it just made it worse. Maye I did something wrong, dont know.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by GiveMeABreak »

You really can't seal these leaks with silicon and other stuff - the causes need to be identified and rectified / repaired. Leaks of any oils should be prioritised before any damage occurs as a result of lack of lubrication or operation in the case of the steering.

Best way is to wipe away any oils spills from the suspect areas, leave a piece of cardboard under the engine bay area overnight and then come back in the morning and see where the puddle is accumulating - and then trace back to investigate likely source of the leak.

Try and eliminate one problem at a time - and don't overlook the obvious - maybe the oil sump seal has gone - when was the oil last changed and was a new seal used?

As for the rack, you can always inspect the pinion from the access in the driver side footwell access. That should allow you to inspect the condition of the pinion and see if it is rusted and whether oil is accumulating there.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by jgra1 »

I think if you have a sump leak (not a by-product of the rack leak) you need some special hard-setting sealant for the sump pan.

I had some from another job, when I took my sump off, and has worked fine for many years. AS Marc says, clean (well) and ID the leak(s) before changing the wrong parts :)

edit

I have the rack leak. and oil around the sump.. the oil is from the air pipes which run from Turbo to inlet, the rack leak seems to coat the subframe more than the sump.. although as yours is LHD maybe its different.. but - if oil around sump is black its not from the steering rack (assuming you have an HDi)

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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

How do you check the steering fluid? If theres enough fluid or not.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by bobins »

Depends on whether you are on metal (coil) springs or hydropneumatic.
The most recent posting on checking the LDS level for hydropneumatic C5 can be found here:
https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/ ... =3&t=56238
If you're on metal coil springs then the level should be roughly around the half way point (actually just below) the small LDS / Fluide DA power steering reservoir that's on the left hand side of the engine bay as you look at the engine from the front of the car.

If you haven't already read it, I'd suggest you read my posts about the steering rack on this topic:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57734
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by GiveMeABreak »

He’s on springs Robin.


Look on the power steering reservoir left hand side of engine, the markings on the container should show max and min arrows as I have marked in yellow.
4930DCE6-76E2-4F56-AB94-88DC2F3337E9.jpeg
Top up only to the max level.

Edit: correction, the OP has the DV6TED4 engine and metallic suspension, so has a coupled pump instead of an electro pump and the correct tank is shown in my next post in Green
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by bobins »

In that case, if the level is more than 1 centimetre below the minimum mark I'd say you've got a rack leak. That small reservoir only supplies the fluid for the steering rack and should stay at the same level - if it's low, you've got a leak.
You can top up with Total LDS fluid, or Total Fluide DA - they're both the same, and one type might be easier to get than the other.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

I havnt seen this type of holder on my car, its a big black box. Maybe I have too look somewhere else? Or?
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by GiveMeABreak »

My mistake - you have the DV6TED4 engine and metallic suspension, so that means you have a coupled pump and a slightly different tank:
Suffi Power Steering A.PNG
So this is the tank that contains the power steering fluid, which should be a black tank. Standing in front of the bonnet looking towards the windscreen, it should be on your left near the front corner.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

That means that I check the leven like "bobins" explained ?
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Bobins was referring to my earlier picture for the other models without the coupled mechanical pump.

Have a look inside the neck and see if you can see any markings - there should be some lines to show Min / Max levels.
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Re: Leaking rack on Citroen C5 2009

Post by Sufii »

Thanks guys :-) I went to the car to the mecanic, and he located that the rack was leaking from that pin you guys told me earlier, because of rust.

The leakage I thought were from the oil sump is coming from between the motor and gearbox. What could it be guys? He were going to send me a price for the job.
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