C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

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birstall
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C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by birstall »

2.0 HDI 2005 exclusive with the above fault.

I spoke on here previously about how hard I found the suspension to be and I did the "bounce" test after which it was suggested that there may be a problem with the spheres. I've had it checked and found that the rear supension unit on the passenger side is leaking.

Would this lead to a hard ride? Anyone know if it's worth fitting a second hand unit - if so, anyone got one?

I'm also contemplating fitting comfort spheres to the rear. This car has the H3 suspension whereas my previous car had the H3+ and there is a noticable difference. I really liked the floaty suspension types like they had on the BX. If I change the spheres will this give me a more Citroenesque ride?
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Richard Stevens
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Richard Stevens »

Tomorrow I am getting the rear spheres changed on my 06 2.0HDI, as one side has gone really hard.
Like tyres the good advice is to change the axle set, I believe.
I'll let you know the result - I don't know of any variations in the types available.
I wouldn't have thought a fluid leak would give a hard ride but it may depend on the leak rate. The hard ride is normally because the gas has escaped from the sphere and fluid is incompressible at these pressures.
I wouldn't think it's worth fitting second hand units, not with the new cost under £60 each.
Bon chance
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Lighty »

The leaking unit will not create a hard ride. Worth getting the spheres tested whilst having the leak repaired.
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Peter.N. »

Unless all the fluid has leaked out :-D I have not been able to locate comfort spheres for the C5 so I have purchased standard ones, the ride on the 2.2 with 6 spheres is superb with the original spheres unless they had been changed befor I had it, the 2.0. ride is not nearly as comfortable, I have changed the front spheres which has improved it a little, I still have to fit the rear ones, there is hardly any movement at all at the moment.

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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Richard Stevens »

So, got the rear spheres changed today, and the ride has improved dramatically. There is now a good 6" of vertical movement on both sides when you sit on the boot jamb.

I was also beginning to think the front spheres were giving a bit of a hard ride, but with the rear ones done it's fine.

The whole job took about 30 minutes, including fluid top-up and functioning/cycling several times. Total cost about £180.

As has been said before on this forum, C5 spheres do not fail anything like as often as the Xantia's, this was the first for the garage I used.

Now we'll see how long they last - my motor has only done 45k at the moment.

Cheers!
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by birstall »

Update: I've just got the car back in to my local mechanic to have the suspension unit changed and they found that the LDS level is now way down - they need over 2 litres to top it up! I'm hoping that everything will be fixed today so I'll post here after I've tried it out with the new comfort spheres on the back. Note - I bought a new suspension unit from Citroen for about £150. I was getting quotes of £82.00 for a second hand one and I just don't think its worth the risk at that price.
One of the guys at the local mechanics place is a really experienced Citroen independant mechanic and he always does a good job for me.
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

It could be worth posting that garage in the Recommended Garages and Services section if you are that happy with them.
Last edited by Hell Razor5543 on 03 Mar 2013, 17:07, edited 1 time in total.
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birstall
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by birstall »

James

I'll do that.

The car is fixed and running much better.
However, I don't think that the suspension is as good as my previous car with the H3+ suspension.
It's still much harder and the bounce test doesn't seem to have improved much.
Is this just due to the difference between the H3 suspension on the Mark II compared to the H3+ I had on the Mk I ?
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Re: C5 rear passenger suspension unit leaking

Post by Hell Razor5543 »

Hello again,

I cannot offer any advice re the suspension, as I have no experience of the C5
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