i have a 1999 Xantia 1.8i estate.
earlier today the hydraulic fluid stop light came on.
I phoned for recovery and the guy who came took me home on his lorry.
he said that my LHM fluid was low and we put 2 litres in. The level indicator now seems to be stuck at the top, but if i feel into the reservoir the level is just above the tip of my index finger..
i have tried driving and everything feels ok but i now hear a sound like escaping air when i release the brake pedal. I'm not sure if this was there before or if I'm just being paranoid. Is this normal?
Xantia hydraulic fluid
Moderator: RichardW
The sudden "loss" of fluid in a hydraulic system can appear to be a "mystery" when you can't see a puddle on the ground.
It is in fact usually caused by a sphere rupturing it's internal membrane & allowing the LHM to escape into the cavity normally inflated with LHM. Your repair guy has set the LHM level about right if you can just touch it with the tip of the forefinger, but don't get a fright if all of a sudden it starts to 'overflow' from the tank. This can be caused when the car is parked for a while, settles and the extra fluid trapped within the gas cavity of the sphere suddenly finding its way back to the tank. (The look on the face when they return to the car & find a half litre puddle creaping from under the car is priceless) <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> As far as the level indicator goes; it's that long since I bothered looking at one I couldn't tell you the colour of it. The tip of the finger method is more accurate<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Regarding the hissing when the brakes are applied; do you also get a bit of a kick back in the pedal? Have you noticed any increase in frequency of ticking from the pressure regulator? Has there been any difference in ride or handling since the event?
The reason I ask these questions is that it is a pretty fair bet that a sphere has totally failed and it would be in the best interests of both you & the car if it were found & replaced as soon as possible.
Alan S
It is in fact usually caused by a sphere rupturing it's internal membrane & allowing the LHM to escape into the cavity normally inflated with LHM. Your repair guy has set the LHM level about right if you can just touch it with the tip of the forefinger, but don't get a fright if all of a sudden it starts to 'overflow' from the tank. This can be caused when the car is parked for a while, settles and the extra fluid trapped within the gas cavity of the sphere suddenly finding its way back to the tank. (The look on the face when they return to the car & find a half litre puddle creaping from under the car is priceless) <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> As far as the level indicator goes; it's that long since I bothered looking at one I couldn't tell you the colour of it. The tip of the finger method is more accurate<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Regarding the hissing when the brakes are applied; do you also get a bit of a kick back in the pedal? Have you noticed any increase in frequency of ticking from the pressure regulator? Has there been any difference in ride or handling since the event?
The reason I ask these questions is that it is a pretty fair bet that a sphere has totally failed and it would be in the best interests of both you & the car if it were found & replaced as soon as possible.
Alan S
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Dave Burns
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The noise you can hear as you release the brakes is infact high pressure oil returning from the brake lines, this is entirely normal.
The LHM fluid level is checked with the suspension on its highest setting, the float indicator should then be between the two rings on the glass, to have more than this amount of fluid in is not a problem as long as it doesn't over flow when the suspension is lowered, and even then it just makes a mess.
If the light suddenly came on and stayed on constantly there may have been a sphere failure somehwere, check the suspension for a solid sphere by forcing the car down by hand at each corner, if a corner wont go down then the sphere there is shot.
Note the regulator "click" interval, anything much less than 15 seconds could indicate a clapped out accumulator sphere.
Dave
The LHM fluid level is checked with the suspension on its highest setting, the float indicator should then be between the two rings on the glass, to have more than this amount of fluid in is not a problem as long as it doesn't over flow when the suspension is lowered, and even then it just makes a mess.
If the light suddenly came on and stayed on constantly there may have been a sphere failure somehwere, check the suspension for a solid sphere by forcing the car down by hand at each corner, if a corner wont go down then the sphere there is shot.
Note the regulator "click" interval, anything much less than 15 seconds could indicate a clapped out accumulator sphere.
Dave