Yup - It happened - I'm once again Activa-ted

[yoseff]

(/Ironic mode on)As i had lots of time available and nothing to worry about (/ironic mode off) , i did it again... Got myself an Activa S2 from 2000
Pics to come soon , but i can advance it is an 2.0 Hdi and black - No polish & detailling for now , as i have quite a bit to do on suspension department.
Spheres blown , missing some gaiters - Yes - on activa rams - and "a few" other bits to care about - but i'll put this one in good shape with time and a bit of money.
Also got (finally) a sphere tester - so now i can do one extra thing at home.

No big leaks on the Activa (knock wood) , but even after putting some temporary spheres with 25 bar in the rear , it barely moves in the rear. I guess stiffness regulator sphere also needs to be changed , as EVs seems to be working.

Something that worries me is that I found a bottle of ZHM-Synth from Maxxus (It's also green , but seems to be synthetic ) in the boot , and according to previous owner , he just used about half a liter of it , as the one he was using before - Ferodo LHM+ , was not available at that time. /Facepalm mode on

Anyway . That fluid is to change soon , no doubt , but should i be worried about it and change it even sooner? Car is not to be used for now. I'm just worried about the orings & return piping... Could that half liter on a lot more LHM+ (it has even more than the level) be a problem? What's your thoughts?

[Jay-Bruce]

Congratulations on the new acquisition

[CitroJim]

Fantastic

[yoseff]

Now i see "the kind of friends" i get around here. I acquire a bunch of potential problems and headaches , and people look happy with it
You, my friends, suffer from Sadistic Personality Disorder (SPD)

Anyway, we enjoy strange cars, and we're happy to take good care of them.

Jokes apart , should i be worried with the half a liter of ZHS in the circuit , or is it harmless until i reach the point when i'll have all "new" spheres , problems corrected and i then clean the filters and change the green blood?

I also read around that some people are using LDS instead of LHM and that they are having no problems (the inverse seems to be a huge problem)

If i was entirely sure about that , i wouldnt mind to do it , as LDS is almost at the same price as Total LHM+ , but if that was reccomended by citroen , they would end with LHM+ already... Wouldn't they?

Here i leave the first photo of the (future) cornering machine:

[xantia_v6]

I would not worry about a small quantity of ZHS in the system.

A specific characteristic of LHM, compared to other other hydraulic fluids is the use of it for the braking system where it may be exposed to temperatures of 200+ degrees, and it needs to be stable at those temperatures.

Having said that, the Citroen hydraulic system seems to be tolerant of most "normal" oils of about the right viscosity.

[CitroJim]

It looks very smart in black

Now i see "the kind of friends" i get around here. I acquire a bunch of potential problems and headaches , and people look happy with it
You, my friends, suffer from Sadistic Personality Disorder (SPD)

Yes, guilty as charged

[Jay-Bruce]

Chemically all citroen hydraulic oils are pretty similar, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[yoseff]

Thanks for the answers. Will start by the basics - all spheres with right pressure, height and sc-car adjusted properly , and only then will clean filters and put fresh LHM & Bleed brakes. That should be a good start.
It's not a project for a hurry , but do be well done with time.
Have "Quite a bit" of spare parts for it , so that will not be a problem.
That was actually the main reason i decided that i needed another activa in my life

[yoseff]

I'm genuinely amazed with this Activa... Just today i checked main accumulator and front stifness regulator spheres, and they wewe completely dead! Zero pressure and blown diaphragm
How didnt i got the typical clack, clack, clack and car was usable for over 600km? (the trip back home)

55 Bar sphere in main accumulator (not 62 , but it will do the job for now) and 70 Bar multilayer in front hidractive fitted for now. Didnt tested yet , but it can only be better than it was

I suspect it will be a deeeep rabbithole.... But in the end this will be a great Activa

4 Spheres changed - 6 to go

[CitroJim]

I suspect it will be a deeeep rabbithole.... But in the end this will be a great Activa

Oh yes, it will be but worth it

[yoseff]

More spheres changed and more completely blown up... SC Car sphere from the rear had 0 pressure and rear regulator quite low on pressure too (15 bar if i well remember)

Only the Anti-sink and Front SC car is needing to be checked now (I suspect they're blown too.)

LHM from brakes was looking like LDS (Wanna believe that it was because of being old there) and rear sc car ram has nothing connected to the leak collector collar (but also nothing too bad of a leak from there) As i cannot find what they did to that return , i'm thinking to join that return with another that i may find around there , or , even better , to put a new tube directly to LHM reservoir

One odd behaviour is that the rear falls completely when turning off the engine and sometimes when opening a door.
If my memory serves me well , i suspect on the anti sink valve from the rear, Have 2 or 3 around , so i think i will change it soon to try if that's the problem,

Rear suspention still bit on the stiff side , even with spheres with pressure within tolerance. I'm suspecting the rear EV. I hear noise from both EV's , but maybe it's not working properly at the rear? Need also to add the diodes. Still a lot to do on this old fellow

As a bonus here's a pic from today , after some work , a good wash and some wheels (16) that i still had from my previous activa, fitted.
The old guy Is looking good

[yoseff]

After changing spheres , Activa is rigid once again and LHM level dropped considerably , so i suspect of some sphere rupture (As i dont see any major leaks)
Need to check all spheres once again.

[Jay-Bruce]

I suspect it will be a deeeep rabbithole.... But in the end this will be a great Activa

As a bonus here's a pic from today , after some work , a good wash and some wheels (16) that i still had from my previous activa, fitted.
The old guy Is looking good

Alice is going to swoon at your car, the minute she sees the word activa she'll start blushing, giggling, and fluttering her eyelashes at you...

[Armidillo]

After changing spheres , Activa is rigid once again and LHM level dropped considerably , so i suspect of some sphere rupture (As i dont see any major leaks)
Need to check all spheres once again.

If you are losing LHM, but you can't find a leak, don't forget to look under the carpet in the driver's footwell! Those brake control valve boots are a real weakness... https://shop.citroenclassics.co.uk/brak ... 2564-p.asp