C5 X7 rear struts L&R removal

[aerodynamica]

I have also had to use the hammer/chisel technique to remove an (otherwise) irremoveable sphere. The way I did this was to initially (and carefully) smack the chisel directly into the seam a few times, to create a purchase point. Then I would angle the chisel so that it would cause the sphere to unscrew. The combination of the impact shock and the twisting action would then get the sphere moving.

Gonna be honest, I think the C5x7 spheres are the worst for being stuck solid

[CitroJim]

It's good to hear from you again Jim, I feel I've not heard from you in ages. I'm not on any other groups or forums these days

And you Graeme I've been absent for a while but truly back again now... My blog will give you a good round-up of my current activities

[aerodynamica]

I now have the regassed spheres back from Plieades and fitted - been looking forward to fitting the final pair of renewed spheres. That's all 7 spheres done now and I hope they last out.

Quick check on the sphere tester and they're 50 bar now (not that I doubted it .. :D)

The temporary green LHM spheres came off very easily

Copper grease on the mating face as ever

And to do the best job, fully depressurised and LDS topped up. It took just over half a litre

LDS level just above the lower mark - took 600ml

Dropped to the bump stops like an old proper Citroen

Hopefully all bled and I noticed the BHI pump was pretty quiet this time after I'd noticed on occasion it was louder when making any raising to the rear.... possibly caused by air trapped. I think it's purged of air now.

The ride back home with 7 spheres renewed was pretty serene. A real difference at the rear and showed how firm the temporary spheres had been over the last week. Quite chuffed with how it rides now. Next.... front control arm inner bushes.....

[CitroJim]

Excellent result Graeme

[aerodynamica]

Thanks Jim! Bit different to work on than the old LHM system but in many ways much simpler.

[KennyW]

Well done Graeme, I must admit I'm tempted to do my rear spheres but the rust is putting me off, plus I have do the work outside no indoor facilities.

Kenny

[Jay-Bruce]

It's a pity I'm so far away or I would have let you nip them off on my ramp, 200+ mile round trip with fuel prices being what the are, negates the advantage of working inside for an hour or so...

[aerodynamica]

And my 'workshop' is really my parents' garage 20 miles away from me.. I have to move a lot of stuff out the way every time I'm there.

I'd wait until the spring Kenny. You need to be able to deal with possible problems concerning those or strut spheres- really can't see how they'd come off without removing the struts and then that means disconnecting the pipes all before the epic effort to get the spheres of the struts. Then you can get problems with the strut mating face corroding so these things can see the car of the road for weeks. I'd already chosen to replace the pipes so I was ready to cut them off if I needed to..

The 2 middle spheres however are reachable if you have enough space underneath for a BIG breaker bar. Front middle sphere is impossible though - full regulator has to come out after lowering the sub frame.. at least you've done that before!

If you're really keen on getting the middle spheres off I could come over with a selection of persuaders... success is far from certain though. It has taken me 11 months now I think of it to get to this stage...

[Jay-Bruce]

I actually found the X7 easier to change the spheres on than the BX; on the BX for the rears you had to crack them with the system fully pressurised as there was nothing locating the cylinder and stopping it rotating, but the X7's cylinder design keeps the sphere's socket fixed. In fairness, I was doing this on a two-poster, so had a fair bit of height and room to get cheater bars on it whereas on the BX I was doing that on axle stands.

The front "middle" sphere wasn't too bad to do when I eventually found it, as it's not in the flipping middle By virtue of being tucked in behind arch liners and kept cosy by the engine, it wasn't anywhere near as rusty as the back spheres. The backs did take gorilla force to get them undone, but as I've said, because they didn't have the added complication of locating the cylinder, weren't as bad as my memories of BX back spheres were...

When I start that little triflingly insignificant job on her X7, I'm going to have a pair of serviceable cylinders going spare, you can have a loan of them as a standby-option, if you cannot get the sphere off, stick on my cylinders, send me your original cylinders, and I'll gorilla them off in a vice with my 4ft chain tong, and you can swap back.

[KennyW]

Thanks for the kind offers but I'll wait until spring at least.

Kenny

[Ceenine]

Graeme
I have just read the full discussion on the strut and sphere replacements, all very interesting. So where have you sourced replacement struts from? There appear to be a very few manufacturers of same around the world. I found a German one the other night but can’t find it again; starts with an “A” and is a hyphenated name.

I got my replacement pipes from Milan in the Czech Republic. So far I have installed the LHS and will do the RHS when I replace the strut. Interestingly I too replaced the torx bolt T40 size as it is very difficult to extract and more so to replace. It is a ridiculous type.
The RHS is weeping badly. I tow a small van with my car. Do you think the extra work involved in towing would have contributed to its demise. I suggest it is probably no more impactful than carting two teenagers around in the back seats and a whole lot less quieter and cheaper.
Don

[aerodynamica]

Hi Don, I didn't actually replace the rear struts with new, I only cleaned the ones up. They were not leaking. This part was from a couple of years ago and there were new struts available at the time. I fear they are now beginning to run out of supply.

Re. The tirx head screw for the pipe union. The one fitted at the front is still in place and not a slight leak. If you're getting leakage there at yours I wonder if there is corrosion at the pipe or strut casting where the O ring sits. I think that this type of pipe union isn't one you can tighten further to seal better.

[Ceenine]

Graeme, After I lifted up the plastic gaiter I found that the chrome shaft was covered in LDS fluid. This tells me that it is completely stuffed. The replacement strut is 270 pounds (540 AUD) sourced from an Australian supplier. Installation should be far easier than doing the fronts.
Don