C5 X7 Crack in hydraulic reservoir

[Johnno]

Hi all, took the car to have two tyres replaced today (separate thread involving wheel bearings elsewhere - it was 'stepped' tyres, never come across it before). I was watching the guy jack the car up when one of his colleagues pointed to something. The beast was spewing hydraulic fluid onto their nice clean floor at quite some rate. My first thought was that the suspension leg had catastrophically failed but after popping the bonnet it was clear that a stream of fluid was exiting from the back of the reservoir just below the seam separating the two halves. A mirror (the guys in the shop were really helpful and not at all upset, though I'd probably just ensured that they weren't going home at 6pm) and a feel around indicated a small split in the reservoir. After gently getting the car out of the workshop, the suspension rose back to normal with no indication of a leak, presumably because the fluid was now below the level of the split. No warning light on the dash, so gently drove the short distance home with no further discharges.

My questions are a) is the reservoir a home-change item and b) what pressure does it come under owing to fluid bleed-back?

I can't for the life of me understand how this occurred but can only assume that the act of jacking the car up on one side caused significant return fluid to result in a rise in pressure. There had been a previous issue on the rear suspension which I had had repaired locally - perhaps overfilled? If the pressure under normal ops isn't too great, would a temporary patch be a short-term solution to ensure the fluid doesn't get any lower? I have some really excellent sticky stuff and some rigid plastic which should do the job.

Any thougthts gratefully received.

[KennyW]

John
,They have NOT followed the correct procedure resulting in ruptured tank.
Marc has thread with the correct method.
To replace tank is simple but lds fluid going into the pump can lead to problems plenty of threads on that here.
See link lds fluid at beginning of Citroen

[GiveMeABreak]

Link here, but a bit like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted - but at least you have labels you can print off for future if needed:

viewtopic.php?t=62058

[Johnno]

KennyW thanks for the reply, I did search the forum but completely missed that link. Although the method doesn't seem overly complicated I don't really have the space / time to do it right now so will entrust it to a local garage I've used before. I've found the reservoir for £72 incl. (Citroen price is now £82.38) - are there any other parts e.g. clips / hoses etc. apart from lots of LDS?

I'll try and get the tyre shop to come to the part on the cost, but it may prove to be more trouble than it's worth. Interestingly, the tank split whilst the car was on the jack and not as it was lowered - could have been fluid flow from the side still on the ground?

Cheers.

[GiveMeABreak]

It has probably been weakened over the years as a result of similar ignorance by various garages. This is what happens, then one day it will just give.

I noticed in your earlier post you mentioned the tank had been over-filled. Be aware in case you are not already, that the LDS level is always checked with the vehicle on the lowest suspension setting and the level should be between the 'A' & 'B' marks as shown:

If it's also been previously over-filled that will of course cause additional pressure in the system.

[Johnno]

Thanks Marc, not sure it was overfilled - was just musing. If I do have a rush of blood to the head and decide to change it myself, do I need to de-pressurize the whole system or just set to low, jack car up, remove filler cap and drain the tank? And do all four wheels need to be off the ground?

[Hell Razor5543]

You may find getting a replacement reservoir from Citroen will take some time. I had to get a replacement for my C5 facelift, and Citroen UK could not tell me when they could get one (although they ARE available and not NFP). I ended up getting a reservoir from EuroFrance, but it was more expensive than from Citroen.

https://eurofrance24.com/catalog/produc ... id/124274/

They are showing as out of stock, but if the stock code is correct it could be worth contacting them.

[GiveMeABreak]

Thanks Marc, not sure it was overfilled - was just musing. If I do have a rush of blood to the head and decide to change it myself, do I need to de-pressurize the whole system or just set to low, jack car up, remove filler cap and drain the tank? And do all four wheels need to be off the ground?

Basically if you depressurise the whole system with Diagbox (Citroen / Peugeot's diagnostic tool) you completely depressurise the vehicle and get more of the fluid back into the reservoir.

You can depressurise the front and rear axles independently though without a diagnostic tool.

My illustrated guide is here in this post on how to do that on the C5 X7:

viewtopic.php?p=649287#p649287

Here is my post with an illustrated guide on replacing the tank:

viewtopic.php?t=64689&hilit=Clamp+the+hose+2

[Johnno]

I ordered the part from Peugot Citroen DS Parts at https://peugeotcitroendsparts.com/ and it will be dispatched tomorrow. Citroen in Guildford would have had the part by Friday. Ordered LDS at £10/ltr on Amazon. I think I'll try and get SGG at Dunsfold Park to do it as they know Citroens, but they're now booking to 7th April with half their staff off with Covid, so if anyone knows any other garages around the Godalming area that they'd recommend?