C5 Leaking - white soapy looking stuff ?

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 18 Jan 2010, 19:56

My C5 seems to be leaking something, though i cant find out what or where from at the moment.

Its a white looking stuff, a bit like oil mixed with water - you know sometimes on petrols you get that white mayo looking stuff under the oil filler cap if its done short jouneys or if the HG is gone.

It LOOKS like that, but thats not what it is. There is quite a lot of it, though i cant find any level which are dropping. The coolent and engine oil levels are correct and not going down. The suspension fluid is where it should be, but i must say that ive only just checked it, so there is a chance it was higher.

Its filling the undertray with this white stuff, its under the LDS suspension fluid tank, but right low down on the under tray, under the air conditioning pipes. Ive had a reach around and cant find where its coming from or what might be leaking this white stuff.

It seems to be getting worse and its leaving deposits all over the drive, ive stopped using the car now (very annoyed).

I didnt think LDS would become white or foamy if it leaked, i dont think its the coolent and im sure its not oil. I wouldnt have thought it would be from the air conditioning and im sure its not screenwash either.

I can only think that it must be LDS, though its not from the tank itself, but ive no idea why it should be white and foamy. And no its not soap, i did think at first as it was just after i washed the car it started, but its not as there is more and more.

Anyone any ideas?

Chris

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 18 Jan 2010, 20:15

At this time of year considering the cold weather - its very likely to be exactly what it looks like : mayo from the oilsump aereation plumbing.

Could also be a pinhole spraying a hairthin beam of oil out which would foam and mix with any moisture in the tray.

You are looking at an hour or so in good company with your car over a pit, having an assistant operating the various controls on your car while engine running

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 18 Jan 2010, 20:24

It certainlyshouldnt be doing it, i know that

It only just started and its getting worse quickly.

I should have said, its like water with with white stuff floating on top, not as thick as oil would be.

Though it could be a pin hole in a hose somewhere i guess, spraying oil onto a moist undertray, though its a confined space and there is a lot of it.

Ill take some pictures tomorrow, i also plan on removing the undertray and having a look to see if i can see where its coming from.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 18 Jan 2010, 20:28

Any snotty aliens in your area ATM ?

Post by **myglaren** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:23

What does it smell/taste like? (rather you than me on that one).

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:54

Could well be aliens

It actually doesn smell of anything, though ive not tasted it, yet!

The other day i got a call from my dad while i was at Uni, saying i had best check the car over as its left white stuff all over the drive and up the road. So out i went in my break but couldnt find anything, i was in the C5 SX that day. It wasnt leaking and had not lost any fluids.

So when i got back i checked my mums car and my dads but nothing. Turned out to be my C5 VTR, though i had not driven it for a day before, typical!

Ill have a better look tomorrow.

Post by **myglaren** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:58

I think that any of the fluids used in the cC5 would be identified by smell - except perhaps LDS as I haven't come into contact with that yet but I would assume the colour would give it away.

Could it be from the aircon?

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 18 Jan 2010, 22:01

Well i have a new litre of LDS so ill have to have a smell of that, though if i remember correctly it smeels quite like LHM.

Might be from the air con, though ive not used that over winter and certainly not the past few days. Though i suppose it still has the potential to leak?

seisporting · Post by **seisporting** » 19 Jan 2010, 07:28

Screen wash?

steelcityuk · Post by **steelcityuk** » 19 Jan 2010, 15:12

Does the intercooler look clean or dirty? If dirty then it could be oil mist from a leaking intercooler mixing with water in the undertray.

Steve.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 28 Jan 2010, 19:06

Since the forum has been down ive not had chance to get on here and reply.

I have now got this fixed, with a bit of a hassle, as always with C5 ownership!

I found the leak which was where the pipe comes down from the LDS tank and joins the metal pipework which runs infront of the radiator. So it was leaking suspension fluid.

Though the rubber pipe was a tight fit over the metal pipe and its clip was still in place it was seapking out. Quite badly and i had to give up using the car for a week or so while i got round to getting it sorted.

So i removed the old clip and fitted a jubalee clip, which solved the leak. In the process i took the cap off the LDS tank to have a better look where the level was. After that i started the car to drive it off the ramps to take it out for a test run and the suspension pump wasnt pumping up the car. It was making a very loud noise but not having any effect to the height.

So i assumed air had got into the system. After a while it pumped up very slowly and i took it out for a short drive. It was still not working correctly, very slow to pump up and the pump was very noisey.

So i read the haynes manual on how to bleed the LDS system but it didnt work. At this point i was thinking maybe the pump is on its way out.

Anyway, the next day i booked it in with the local citroen specialist who said the bleed the C5s system it needs to be hooked up to a computer. So i took it in and left it there. Luckily the pump was working enough to keep the suspension in normal. So i drove it to the indy like this, however they did say it wouldnt be a great idea to drive it, short of pulling the power plug from the suspension pump and risking having to drive it in low i drove it there and it was fine.

I later got a phone call to say did i know it had LHM in the tank. No i didnt and didnt even think about checking this, the level seemed fine and id not had the cap off before the previous day. Aparently the citroen garage has had 4 other C5s in which had been contaminated with LHM. He also said it wont have done any lasting damage.

Only one of those cars had needed a new pump, as the owner drove it and drove it until the pump packed in as they dont do well on LHM. So im thankful for my leak as without it id probably not even realised either.

They flushed the system through and put in fresh LDS and, luckily, it cured it and its now working fine again, with no leak. It actually seems to ride a tiny bit softer too. Though why it needed topping up anyway is a puzzel. Though aparently there was far too much fluid in anyway, so maybe its previous owner just topped it up to full with LHM, im not sure. Though it is hard to make out where the fluid is actually supposed to sit with the correct level in.

Chris.

Post by **myglaren** » 28 Jan 2010, 19:11

Someone ignoring the LDS ONLY label and assuming LHM was just the same but green.

Still bemused as to the coloration but perhaps the green and orange canceled one another out?

Good that you have an indie that knows their stuff!

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 28 Jan 2010, 20:01

Im not sure why it was white foamy stuff which was leaking out, i think the two might have reacted together, or so the indy said.

Yes they are good and hany to have local, good to know if there is anything which im not sure about i can take it there.