Bleeding activa...

KP · Unread post by KP » 04 Oct 2009, 19:37

Looks like my activa has spring a leak, and its deffo a leak

Its coming from the left hand side HP outlet that runs down the front of the engine bay. I also think that due to it dripping on my alternator it means that is likely to die sooner as well as i recall its been mentioned its bad for them

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39828677@N08/?saved=1

I'e uploaded the pics to flickr. to me it looks like its not the ruber seal under the larger outter/reducer what ever its called, but more like the pipe itself needs nipping up. to me it feels solid tight though. The only thing i can see is that it seems a little off centre, the outgoing pipe, not the nut.

If i take this off by loosening it, is it best with a spanner or will mole grips do the job just fine?? Lost a total of .5litres over the last tankfull

The next thing i've found is that since i've done those little plastic bush's my car has turned into a right Activa-shuffler. It does it at the lights, when parked up just idling... Not sure if its related to the fluid leak or my bush replacement but its getting annoying now as its starting to do a tiny suffle while driving on nice smooth roads... very disconcerting. The worst was on the way home it leant the wrong way while going slowly round a corner, ie 45 round a very slow right hander it leaned left... made me poo a little i can tell you!! any ideas on what this could be at all as im stumped and dont have a lexia

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 04 Oct 2009, 20:00

Have you lubricated the plates in the centre of the subframe were the bars slide from side to side? I know which bit i mean but cannot think of the name!

It needs to move very freely.

Sl4yer · Unread post by **Sl4yer** » 04 Oct 2009, 20:05

XantiaMan583 wrote: I know which bit i mean but cannot think of the name!

The linkage attached to the roll corrector?

James

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 04 Oct 2009, 20:06

Sl4yer wrote:
XantiaMan583 wrote: I know which bit i mean but cannot think of the name!
The linkage attached to the roll corrector?

James

Yeah sounds good enough!

KP · Unread post by KP » 04 Oct 2009, 20:51

I think i know what you mean from looking on service net but not actually seen it on the car. Guess i'll have to nosey under tomorrow and see whats causing it. think i'll throw me scruffs, a jack and axle stand in the car with some latex gloves and grease and have a nosey on my lunch hour tomorrow.

Next bit is the HP pipe leak. has anyone had this before?? If it comes to the worst and it is the flare on the end of the pipe are they easy to redo at all??

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 04 Oct 2009, 21:35

KP wrote: Next bit is the HP pipe leak. has anyone had this before??

Hi Will, yep, had this exact problem on my V6. Strange cause. Check your pressure regulator tick interval in both hard and soft modes. Pull Fuse F8 in the engine bay fuse box to force hard mode (pull the fuse with ignition off).

I'll almost wager you have a fast tick in soft mode and a nice slow one in hard mode. If so, the cause of your problem is leaky hydractive electrovalves. Basically, what happens is the valves leak and the pump has to work like mad to keep pressure up, thus straining it and subjecting it to shocks.

Also, if the tick rate is fast in both modes, then you have a duff accumulator sphere or a heavy internal hydraulic leak somewhere else. All this puts a strain on the pump because of shock-waves and it seems to be weakest at the point yours is leaking from.

Also, the union may be too tight or have a speck of dirt underneath it. Remove, clean, nip up but not too tight.

Activa shuffles. Check the alignment of the roll corrector mechanism carefully and as Gareth and James says, the roll corrector mecahnism plates need to be very, very free to move. Remove and clean well.

KP · Unread post by KP » 04 Oct 2009, 21:39

Cheers Jim,

I'll give this a check tomorrow lunch as to dark now

Ae the electrovalves hard to get to if i use some small ramps i can borrow from the nieghbour?? I think i have seen a pull apart guide for them about

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 04 Oct 2009, 21:59

KP wrote: Ae the electrovalves hard to get to if i use some small ramps i can borrow from the nieghbour?? I think i have seen a pull apart guide for them about

Easy enough by Activa standards Will

The front one is OK and the rear one is OK if you lie on your back and work at arm's length. Both valves are on their respective hydractive sphere blocks. Be warned that the valves may come apart in trying to remove them.

Have a look at this thread for lots on how to strip and overhaul electrovalves. Do a test first by disconnecting the leakage return pipe on top of each valve, popping a length of clear tube into a jamjar and run the car in soft mode. There should be next to no leakage. If it runs at full tilt, the valve is leaky.

KP · Unread post by KP » 05 Oct 2009, 07:52

well got to work today and the leak is much worse. Tried the fuse thing last night but noticed no real difference between the clicks though it could have been me not listening well enough. Will check again in a bit.

I think i'll try and loosen off that join and see whats happened as i cant imagine if the electrovalve was leaking it would get this worse?? though i may well be wrong. Will have to buy a few litres of LHM at lunch to get me home...

Grr this is really annoying me now

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Oct 2009, 08:17

Another thing Will, is that this pipe would have been disturbed when your engine was swapped. It is so vital that all clips on the pipe are present and correct. Also, vital that the union is screwed in and nipped up under no tension. It must be possible to screw the union in with fingers only and use a spanner only for the final nip. This is best done with all the pipe clips loosened off. Only when the union is nipped should they be tightened.

It's possible this procedure was not carried out and the pipe is now cracked.

Martin at Pleiades will be able to make you a new one.

KP · Unread post by KP » 05 Oct 2009, 09:32

Oh pants

where does it go to??

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Oct 2009, 09:51

KP wrote:Oh pants where does it go to??

Luckily, that one does not go very far at all. From the pump down to the pressure regulator.

That's if it is cracked. Well worth undoing the pump end union, loosening the clamps, checking the seating in the pump is clean and doing it all up again as described earlier.

How long between ticks Will? Pleased to hear no significant difference between soft and hard

KP · Unread post by KP » 05 Oct 2009, 12:38

Well i've just been out and taken it off given it a good clean and inside as well and put it back on and run the engine. It leaks much worse when its trying to build pressure up. Its actually coming from the threads of the flare nut so im guessing that the flare has been crushed too much to seal well or something much worse is afoot.

I tried to check the regulator interval but it was either working fulltime or wasn't clicking so i guess im best getting one of them on the car and sorting it as well

Is the pipe really meant to leak so much fluid when something else in the circuit fails?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 05 Oct 2009, 12:50

This is all a tad worrying Will. No ticking does suggest the pump is working flat-out or there's a problem with the pressure regulator and it's building up a huge pressure. When pumping you can hear the engine labouring a little and a distinctive noise coming from the pump itself. It's hard to describe really but the pump itself makes small ticking noises when working hard.

Normal seqience is to hear the pump working followed by a tick from the pressure regulator to signify the system is up to pressure. Following the tick, the pump will run silently (as it's now just idling) and the engine idle will change a little. Then, after a while the pressure regulator will cut in and the sequence will repeat. On the cut-ins, you should hear the pump labour (for want of a better term) only for a very short time (a second or so) before the regulator ticks to signify back up to pressure.

Usual causes are a ruptured/flat accumulator or a very heavy internal leak somewhere.

This really strains the pump and somewhere, something will give. In this case the leak you see.

Don't worry too much about LHM in the alternator. They don't seem to suffer too much but do appreciate being cleaned out at the end...

KP · Unread post by KP » 05 Oct 2009, 13:23

Is it best to remove it to clean it out or is a good soaking in with some warm water good enough to wash most of it out??

I do wonder if the accumulator is flat. im sure i did the 3 rear spheres but not sure about accumulator...

As below i think where you describe its trying to build pressure up, the pump leaks even more so than when just idling so maybe it is getting upto pressure from the accumulator and that something else is the fault...

What else could cause such a big bad pressure build up jim??