Xantia Accumulator Sphere Seal

Quackers · Post by **Quackers** » 14 Jun 2006, 11:26

Does anybody else find these last about a year then just go?

I have had 3 Xantias now and i've replaced many times the seal on the accumulator sphere(that O ring rubber thingy), it just breaks. Last august i changed all the spheres on my Activa, this week, the seal broke on the accumulator sphere.

Am i doing somthing wrong? How long do they last for everyone else?

Amazon Activa · Post by **Amazon Activa** » 14 Jun 2006, 11:31

I have had my Activa for over two years and not had a problem. Front and rears were changed around a year ago, but no leaks from it.

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 14 Jun 2006, 11:58

Maybe you're overtightening it- it should be fitted hand tight only,spin it on like an oil filter until it stops, and thats it.

Make sure the mating faces are clean, there's no trace of old seal stuck anywhere, and don't use any tools!!!

Post by **RichardW** » 14 Jun 2006, 11:58

Make sure you use the proper square section seal (not the round O-ring supplied with some aftermarket spheres), lube it with LHM and fit it to the sphere mount, NOT the sphere. Should last forever.

Quackers · Post by **Quackers** » 14 Jun 2006, 13:12

RichardW wrote:Make sure you use the proper square section seal (not the round O-ring supplied with some aftermarket spheres), lube it with LHM and fit it to the sphere mount, NOT the sphere. Should last forever.

Now i am lost. I buy my spheres from GSF and i just use the seal that comes with them. Where do i get this special square seal?

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 14 Jun 2006, 13:49

Pleiades do them- see sticky thread. The groove the seal sits in is square in section, and the correct seal sits in it nicely.

Edit- sticky thread now come unstuck and gone......

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 14 Jun 2006, 14:01

Pleiades gone to the 'Useful links' pages:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=19218

There's also still Citroën that does the seals.
Part Nº 527215, called ‘square seal’.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 14 Jun 2006, 14:26

If your spheres were new from GSF they probably came with the correct seal. Its quite distinctive as it is square in section - and as has been stated must be fitted in the socket (regulator or strut) rather than round the sphere neck. If it is fitted round the neck it will be pinched and possibly cut - then after 6 months or so it may start to drip.

Some recon spheres are supplied with a large 'O' ring instead. I had a pair of front ones and an accumulator like this. The accumulator lasted a month or less and the fronts 1 year - but the 'O' rings were no problem.

Is your accumulator sphere still OK? - a flat one could cause very strong pulses of pressure in that area which might cause a drip.

Quackers · Post by **Quackers** » 14 Jun 2006, 15:01

jeremy wrote:If your spheres were new from GSF they probably came with the correct seal. Its quite distinctive as it is square in section - and as has been stated must be fitted in the socket (regulator or strut) rather than round the sphere neck. If it is fitted round the neck it will be pinched and possibly cut - then after 6 months or so it may start to drip.

Some recon spheres are supplied with a large 'O' ring instead. I had a pair of front ones and an accumulator like this. The accumulator lasted a month or less and the fronts 1 year - but the 'O' rings were no problem.

Is your accumulator sphere still OK? - a flat one could cause very strong pulses of pressure in that area which might cause a drip.

Yeah the sphere is still OK, ticking every 30 seconds. I've got another one to fit tonight to my V6 Xantia, that one is ticking like every 1 second, a bit dangerous and annoying, ordered yesterday.

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 14 Jun 2006, 15:53

I never noticed the shape of the section of the seals, I just used the ones that GSF provided, hmm perhaps thats something I may check on Sunday when we do the service with my BIL.

Quackers · Post by **Quackers** » 14 Jun 2006, 18:38

Well, after 2 hours of trying, i cannot get the sphere off, not because its stuck, but on the 3.0 V6 its like so hard to get to the presure release screw its not even funny! Looks like you need a special spanner. So could not depreasure the system. Not as easy as when i did it on my 2.0 SX or Activa

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 14 Jun 2006, 21:01

As others have pointed out the seal will last the lifetime of the sphere, and then some without leaking. They don't "just" fail without a good reason.

I regularly reuse the same square section seal if a new one isnt available and I've NEVER had one leak, ever.

There is some debate about the merits of the o-ring type and the square section type - Citroen themselves used an o-ring type seal on the DS, but later switched over to using a square section seal, so go figure.

If you look at a cross sectional drawing of how the cylinder/sphere interface fits together its pretty clear that a square section seal will give a more reliable seal with more sealing area and better mechanical stability under pressure. (It fills up the entire cavity, the o-ring type doesnt)

With any seal the trick is to lube it before fitting and always fit it to the cylinder, not around the sphere neck. Fit it around the sphere neck and you're guarenteed to pinch it.

This is where the square section seals excel - trying to put an o-ring seal on a cylinder that is lying horizontal (like the pressure regulator on a Xantia) or upside down and expecting it to stay in position while you get the sphere on is nearly impossible. It's likely to fall slightly out of position and get pinched.

The square section seals on the other hand will grip the cylinder and stay in place while you put the sphere on even if its upside down.

I'm also supicious of the quality and material of the o-rings supplied by the 3rd party sphere suppliers - who knows whether they're made with the right material or to the precise dimensions ???

If you get a new sphere and it comes with an o-ring type seal you're MUCH better off re-using your original green square section seal in my opinion. Just check it for any signs of damage, (there wont be, unless it got pinched) lube it with LHM, fit it to the cylinder recess and you'll have no problems.

Citroen's recomendation to replace the seal with every sphere change is exceptionally cautious, and does assume of course that you're replacing it with their recommended square section seals

Regards,
Simon