lhm leak??? (lesson too)

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 27 Dec 2009, 16:43

Hi,

today i picked my discs up from paul (nice chap), and hurried home to do my front brakes.

all went well with the drivers side, handbrake cable off, clip off pin, pin out, swing caliper up, pads off, caliper off, disc off, wind back caliper anti-clockwise, discs on, caliper on, pads on, pin in, clip in, tighten, handbrake cable back on, then the passenger side got done, all off, and so on until i couldn't wind back the piston on the passenger side front caliper, i kept winding it anti-clockwise (like the drivers side) and then i noticed, it seems out a lot, so stupidly i dropped the suspension thinking this would release some pressure for it to wind it back easier, so i started her up, dropped from intermediate height down to low, and i had the passenger front side up on the jack, so the back wheel was up in the sky somewhere and later i could hear fluid gushing about somewhere, so i carried on, couldn't do it, then went up to check the haynes manual (useless, useless, useless, they don't even know you need to 'wind' it back), anyway, i went back and tried winding it the other way, and lo and behold it worked, so the other side winds back clockwise (didn't like that trick at all), then i noticed something glistening in the sunlight on the floor on the other side, AAHHH LHM, i tried to forget it (something told me it would be ok), i carried on, and dad was saying wtf is this on my garage floor blah blah blah, so i carried on finished the brakes, wheel back, on tidied up, car out and had a look, dad was pessimistic, but something in the back of my mind told me the fluid wasn't related to the brakes that i just did on that side but related to the sphere/piston because of my idiot technique of trying to wind back the caliper the wrong way. Can anyone confirm my mess-up is not related to the brakes?

For the record, the car works and brakes fine, handbrake holds nicer, and it's lovely, bleeding tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my latest adventure / mishap.

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 27 Dec 2009, 17:13

I've always winded my caliper pistons back in clockwise on both sides... I'm sure of it...
The piston is on a threaded "bolt" which it winds down on in normal braking use. A spring moves this back slightly when not applying the brakes, and the hand brake applies pressure on the "bolt" which is how it works.

Xantidote · Unread post by **Xantidote** » 27 Dec 2009, 18:09

Yes, like Xac, I've always wound the piston on each side back in clockwise. Not sure that you can do anything wrong winding it the other way, just makes the job longer until you realise it's the other way!

Are you also saying you've now got an LHM leak? When I'm doing the pads/discs, I try not to distort the flexible hose any more than really necessary when pivotting the caliper up out of the way. A good look in the daylight will reveal anything amiss. You shouldn't normally need to do any bleeding, after doing pads/discs, though whilst jacked up, it's an opportunity to get rid of a bit of the older LHM stuck in the front brake pipes.

Unread post by **citroenxm** » 27 Dec 2009, 20:33

Yes, Xantia Pistons wind BOTH in a clockwise direction HOWEVER, on the C5, they turn in opposite directions to each other... cant remember which goes which... but I know they are opposite to each other..

Paul

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 27 Dec 2009, 21:12

not on mine, i will make a video if i have to!

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 28 Dec 2009, 14:06

must admit, new brakes are lovely aren't they lovely control over them, i can even hear lhm gushing back in a controlled manner now, didn't have that before,

so what was that lhm leak i had??

RoyChristie · Unread post by **RoyChristie** » 28 Dec 2009, 15:28

overfilled LHM reservoir ???

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 28 Dec 2009, 16:38

no no, it's related to when i did my drivers side front brakes, and then moving to the passenger side, jacking the car up and then lowering it on the jack... lhm came weeping out from the drivers front side, it wasn't the brake pipe as far as i can see, is there maybe a leak off pipe of some kind on the strut?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 28 Dec 2009, 20:05

Possibly, there's the (in)famous strut leakage return tube Dei, the one half way up the strut but if that was gone you would have known about it long ago. When they go they spill a fair amount of LHM.

No, there's no brake leakoff as such. The only route is up through the LHM reservoir via the ABS and dosuer valve.

Check though, the leakage return on the LH side of the ABS block. If this was perished, this might account for it as the act of winding back the piston in the caliper will push LHM back through the ABS block. In use, the ABS leakage return does not flow a lot so it could go un-noticed if the pipe was on it's last legs.

Might be worth checking the two dosuer leakage return pipes too.

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 28 Dec 2009, 21:22

i have never found a left hand threaded calloper on a XANT yet, on either side,

regards malcolm

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 28 Dec 2009, 23:18

spoze it could make a diference if YNYS MÔN is the other side of the equater to us,

bit like the water going down the plug ole the opposite direction to us DAN UNDER init

ps.

how much of that crimbo spirit had you had before doing your brakes TEA HE

regards malcolm

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 29 Dec 2009, 01:02

LMAO

how can we compare water going down the plug hole over there and you over here, were talking bout two sides of the same car, it is comical, really now, if i was bothered to take the wheels off again i would do a video to show you all, but that would very sad just to prove a point, we shall let it be for the time being

thanks to all anyway, there was quite a bit of lhm leaked too, i'd say half a pint leaked, haven't seen any more leaks since

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 29 Dec 2009, 07:56

Dei
i was joking

regards malcolm

Unread post by **Duracell** » 29 Dec 2009, 08:48

I've always wound Xantia caliper pistons in clockwise - I found out that C5 pistons are different by applying the same knowledge without checking and dumped a load of fluid on the floor when the piston wound past the seal (wasn't concentrating either) - perhaps this is how your fluid leaked Deian

Unread post by **citroenxm** » 29 Dec 2009, 10:24

AND ME!!

And beleve me Ive done PLEANTY of them, and they DO BOTH do clockwise!!

Its the C5 that has a Clock and anti clock wise calipers..

Paul