fluid leaak

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kennatt
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fluid leaak

Post by kennatt »

08 c5 estate 150thou slight leak from rear offside ram gaitor,on inspection coming from vent pipe. When I pull off the return pipe from gaitor I get fluid trickling from it, is this normal ,Cant quite work out how fluid is coming from return pipe,even if seals are very worn the fuid would be leaking from the gaitor not the return, not sure how this system is supposed to work,where does the other end of the return pipe fix to,because that has to be where the fluid is getting into the return. Not had much to do with this system so any advice welcome ,suspect the seals will need replacing.
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Ok, so here is the rear strut, the Rear Supply Piping and the Rear Return Piping:
X7 Rear Strut A.PNG
X7 Rear Supply Piping.PNG
X7 Rear Return Piping.PNG
Rear StrutRear Supply PipingRear Return Piping
You can see the pipe (1) Oil Back Harness on the last picture above is connected to the Rear Suspension Rigidity Regulator identified on the diagram below marked (2):
X7 Rear Rigidity Sphere.PNG
So that is how the oil gets returned to the BHI - via this single pipe.
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Marc
kennatt
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by kennatt »

thank marc but its the leak off return pipe from the ram gaitors that's got me puzzled and where and how fluid is trickling back down this pipe rather than going the other way back to the tank. The question is, is it normal for fluid to run out of this pipe when you pull the end out of the gaitor.I take it that the fluid in the gaitor is pumped back into the tank via the pipe when the gaitor is worked like bellows as the suspension works.Is the fluid that i'm seeing just that which is left in the pipe on becoming stationary ,running back or is there another cause.I suspect that the seals have become too worn and there is too much leakage into the gaitor for this action to work and therefore the fluid is being pushed out into the vent pipe.
I wonder if ,to check this,I clean off the area then drive about, but on parking up drop the suspension to low,then see if there is any leakage when the car is not trying to stay level and therefore the pump is not working.If it stays dry then its obviously the seals ,is this a logical idea.
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by GiveMeABreak »

There are no leak back pipes from the gaiters on the X7. It's a different system than the MK I and MK II

If you have a leak from the strut - then it's likely you need a new strut. These struts are non repairable - they have bonded rubber to the metal strut. A horrible design. There are no strut seals or spares - its a whole new strut. Many of us have already had a front one go.

See on the picture below - this is a MK II design - plenty of seals, gaiters and as you can see there is a leak back pipe from the gaiter (item 3) - there is no such device on the X7 as you can see from the strut picture I showed you in my previous post and no spares or seals - zilch. It's a complete replacement if it is leaking from the strut which is likely as it won't leak upwards to the strut. The only other place is the sphere - but that is highly unlikely too.
C5 Old strut.PNG
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kennatt
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by kennatt »

we are at cross purposes here mark I have a m11 c5 with the system as shown above leak back pipe and vent to the chassis
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Right, a late registered MK II! That’s why, then as generally the X7 was from 2008. That explains my assumption. Always better to state the mark or better still post your VIN to save confusion, as I couldn’t tell from your profile on the left either.

So rewind and scrub all that 🤪

Post your VIN up so I don't have the same problem, as the pipework is different depending on H3 system.
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Re: fluid leaak

Post by xantia_v6 »

On the matter of LDS flowing back down the return pipe, that is probably quite normal, as the point that you have disconnected is probably below the level where the return enters the tank, so fluid that has accumulated in the return system (including from other hydraulic components) will follow gravity and exit through the lowest opening.
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