Define hydraulic 'Ticking'

wrinklet1 · Unread post by **wrinklet1** » 10 Sep 2003, 12:19

Hi, what do you call the hydraulic ticking? is it a 'tick' noise or a 'shhhhhcome' noise? if it's the 'shhhhhcome' noise, mine does it every 5 seconds, with a new accum. sphere and new HP pump too. If it's a 'tick' noise mine doesn't do any.
Any ideas?
Paul.

Unread post by **RichardW** » 10 Sep 2003, 13:02

Paul,
Older Cits tended to a definite 'click' as the regulator dropped out, particularly with a tired regulator and knackered accumulator. The Xantia, however, tends more to just a 'Shhhhcome' noise (as you so eloquently describe it!). 5 seconds is way too close together, so you must have an internal leak somewhere, or your PR is past its best.
Richard

bxbodger · Unread post by **bxbodger** » 17 Sep 2003, 19:12

My BX has done both; it used to clearly tick, and when it started to tick every 30 seconds or so I changed the accumulator sphere, and then it started to shhhhcome instead, but at least at 5 min intervals.Maybe its a characteristic of the sphere.

blueboy2001 · Unread post by **blueboy2001** » 17 Sep 2003, 21:54

Mine makes the noise you describe with all new spheres. Did the brake valve on it and it didn't make a jot of difference. As it does it with the suspension on the floor too I'm thinking its either the regulator or the flow distributor.

tomsheppard · Unread post by **tomsheppard** » 18 Sep 2003, 04:09

five minute intervals! That sounds like a long time between ticks to me. There is supposed to be a little leakage inherent in the system and I thought that 1 minute was a healthy time to aim for!

bxbodger · Unread post by **bxbodger** » 18 Sep 2003, 13:13

At the last MOT all the high pressure hydraulic lines from front to rear were all failed due to corrosion, and the rear brake pipes too, so I replaced them all, and fitted all new seals as well,along with new rear suspension cylinders as the brake pipes were well and truly seized after 14 years of roadsalt and dis-simmilar metals, and, hey presto, no leaks and 5 min. long intervals between clicks!! The system has also had regular fluid changes and filter cleans, which all seem to help as well. I dont believe any system, high or low pressure, should leak; no-one would put up with it in their domestic water system, and even BL hydragas systems stayed leak-free for years!!!

tomsheppard · Unread post by **tomsheppard** » 19 Sep 2003, 06:13

Citroens do. They are made that way. That is why there are so many return pipes. Its done to lubricate the system.

jeremy · Unread post by **jeremy** » 20 Sep 2003, 14:16

Another design feature you will appreciate aftera time is that the citroen hydraulicas are largely free of moving seals and rely on finely machined components for seals. Some minor leakage is ok and is returned to the reservoir, but if the leakage gets excessive due to component failure it can overwhelm the return system and pop off the joins or break rubber pipes.
Works very nicely most of the time!
jeremy

tomsheppard · Unread post by **tomsheppard** » 20 Sep 2003, 18:04

This is why the tick time varies with temperature. The viscosity of the LHM becomes lower after a good run and all the components being hotter and having expanded slightly, the time can fall quite dramatically. sone of the bits are finished to a tolerance of a thousandth of a millimetre- 1/25 of a thou!