C5 FLUID LEAK

[acrowot]

I have a fluid leak at the rear of my C5 from a unit that is between the 2 rear wheels midway between them it has three pipes going into it and a bleed nipple, I think this bleed nipple is for depressurising, I do not think the leak is from this unit more like something is leaking down on to it. When I did the rear radius arm bearings the rubber boot over the piston rod had two pipes coming from it one was an open ended vent thet pushed up into what looked like a cross member and the other I think is to return any excess fluid that has passed the suspension piston back to the resevoir, if this pipe wsa blocked could the excess fluid exit the vent pipe and possibly find it's way onto this unit with the bleed nipple on it.

[civvie]

I had this very same problem when I had my C5 IE fluid dripping at the back, it turned out to be one of the suspension units with iffy seals. There is a hole under the the rear suspension cross member where fluid drips from. At the end of the cross member there is a rubber plug (either side) you may have to take a wheel off to gain access, take this out and shine a torch into the void, if the seals are iffy there will be fluid in the bottom of the cross member, the fluid comes from the breather pipe that goes into the cross member.
Solution; replace the seals in the suspension unit or get a new one. If you can find any of my old posts I did explain how I did mine. Don't know how to search and enter the post on this reply.

Good luck

[myglaren]

Thread is here.
More here.
And here

[acrowot]

I had this very same problem when I had my C5 IE fluid dripping at the back, it turned out to be one of the suspension units with iffy seals. There is a hole under the the rear suspension cross member where fluid drips from. At the end of the cross member there is a rubber plug (either side) you may have to take a wheel off to gain access, take this out and shine a torch into the void, if the seals are iffy there will be fluid in the bottom of the cross member, the fluid comes from the breather pipe that goes into the cross member.
Solution; replace the seals in the suspension unit or get a new one. If you can find any of my old posts I did explain how I did mine. Don't know how to search and enter the post on this reply.

Good luck

Thanks civvie, I thought it might be the piston seals, I do have a set I bought them with a new boot and clip when I replaced the nearside trailing arm bearings, big mistake in not fitting them then. Did you fit a new unit or just the seals and did you do it with the unit in the car. It would be easy now for me to depressure and remove the new boot and piston rod, how do you then remove the piston with the unit still in the car.

[acrowot]

Thread is here.
More here.
And here

Thanks myglaren, I have not had time yet to fit the High vis rear stop light you kindly sent me will let you know as soon as I do, Mot due in just under 3 weeks so will have to do it soon.

[myglaren]

^^ I had completely forgotten about that

[civvie]

Thanks myglaren for finding my posts. Didn't know, still don't know how to put it all together.

Acrowot, I just replaced the seals in the unit, too tight to buy a new unit, anyway the unit its self was in perfect condition only the seals were worn. Did both sides while the system was de pressurised, made sense. First side I mucked about taking the thing off and doing the seals on a bench, the other side was done laying under the car, bit fiddly but I got there. Did you get 3 seals from Citroen?
How to remove the piston? good one that, again bit fiddly as I didn't want to damage it and it was VERY slippery with the fluid, if I remember I used a pair of pliers or similar, these I put into the barrel of the piston opened them up, the jaws pressed on the side of the piston and slowly pulled it out, didn't do any damage as the bore was on the other side of the piston. any probs get in touch but if you have done trailing bearing this should be easy.

[acrowot]

Thanks myglaren for finding my posts. Didn't know, still don't know how to put it all together.

Acrowot, I just replaced the seals in the unit, too tight to buy a new unit, anyway the unit its self was in perfect condition only the seals were worn. Did both sides while the system was de pressurised, made sense. First side I mucked about taking the thing off and doing the seals on a bench, the other side was done laying under the car, bit fiddly but I got there. Did you get 3 seals from Citroen?
How to remove the piston? good one that, again bit fiddly as I didn't want to damage it and it was VERY slippery with the fluid, if I remember I used a pair of pliers or similar, these I put into the barrel of the piston opened them up, the jaws pressed on the side of the piston and slowly pulled it out, didn't do any damage as the bore was on the other side of the piston. any probs get in touch but if you have done trailing bearing this should be easy.

Thanks civvie yes there where 3 seals I think one of them fitted into one of the others, cannot find them at the moment but they where very cheap, getting to the piston will not take very long the R clip that was very hard to remove is now very easy thanks to copper grease, just a little worried about extracting the piston, did you have to bleed using the bleed nipple as mine I have a feeling is likely to snap if I try to turn it.

[civvie]

Acrowot.

No didn't bleed the system when completed, just did the Citroen acrobatics a few times, but as you may have read my old posts I first put the levelling lever back the wrong way when I reconnected it all. But after sorting this out the acrobatics worked well.
What you might need to take care with is the removal of the old seals, they are not around the piston but inside the body of the suspension unit, I had an assortment of straightened paper clips and I think a couple of very thin split pins opened and the end sharpened, these enabled me to slip one under the seal and then prise them out of the bores very carefully.

The big clip that goes around the rubber boot, I damaged one on removal, went to Citroen to obtain a new one, was told how much they cost each think about 9 quid each, declined their offer and managed to get a couple of wire jubilee clips from t'internet (they have to be wire ones as they have to go either side of the breather/return bits that stick out from the boot)

[acrowot]

Thanks civvie, I have all the info I need now, I did buy the clip and boot and seals when I did the trailing arms cost about £30 the clip was the dearest part.

[Duncan.P]

so how do you locate the slip seal in to the cylinder and the oil seal that it fits in to as the new oil seal fills the whole resess?