I have decided to replace all spheres and the acumulator, but would like to do the job properly by cleaning the system with hydraflush first.
Would I be best advised to put the hydraflush in before the sphere change, or do all the sphere then run the hydraflush for the recomended mileage.
Also, how the devil do you drain the system. I've read the haynes, but it doesn't seem to give directives for draining the system and refilling.
your help would be appreciated.
All the best
Bryn
Hydraflush
Moderator: RichardW
-
blueboy2001
- Posts: 423
- Joined: 29 Jan 2003, 04:16
- Location:
- My Cars:
Were it me, I put the hydraflush in now, run it for 1500 miles then put fresh LHM in at the same time as the sphere change. Don't forget to bleed the brakes as well. Doing it that way means the system should be clean any your new spheres won't get any gunk in them. You will also only have the palava of depressuring and priming the pump once.
To change the fluid you need to undo the 13mm bleed bolt on the pressure regulator about half a turn - Don't remove it! Put the the height lever to its lowest setting and turn the steering lock to lock a couple of times to empty the steering rack. This will put as much of the fluid back to the tank as possible. You then need to remove the pipes from the tank buy removoing the black bar that secures the round section on the top of the tank and lifting out the centre section - you may need to remove a couple of the pipes to swing it clear if they're tight. An empty 2L pop bottle cut in half will hold the centre section nicely - its important not to let any dirt in there. On the bottom of the centre section you will see 2 mesh filters - one a half moon shape and the other conical. Remove these and wash them in petrol - they may be full of black rubbish if they're very dirty. They're quite fragile but check of any tears or signs of the mesh wearing through - if so, replace them. I don't think GSF do them but they're only a few pounds from Citroen.
After that, remove the tank buy undoing the 2 little nuts holding it to the bulkhead. Empty it out - bear in mind LHM is just thin oil so dispose of it properly please, ie not down the drain. Swill the tank out with petrol and refit it and everything you've taken off. Put 3 1/2 litres in the tank and start the car - if it wont rise the pump needs priming and Haynes description is as good as any. Theres a knack to it - don't worry if it doesn't go the first few times and it helps immensely if you have someone to start the car for you whilst you fill the tube and put it back on the tank.
Stick the car on high and top up if necessary. Slight overfilling is fine, but you don't need 5L like Haynes says, 4 is more than enough on mine. If you put 5 in it just ends up seeping out the top of the tank and all over the engine bay and makes a mess, or even worse drips and gives you a coronary when you think you've got a leak!
To change the fluid you need to undo the 13mm bleed bolt on the pressure regulator about half a turn - Don't remove it! Put the the height lever to its lowest setting and turn the steering lock to lock a couple of times to empty the steering rack. This will put as much of the fluid back to the tank as possible. You then need to remove the pipes from the tank buy removoing the black bar that secures the round section on the top of the tank and lifting out the centre section - you may need to remove a couple of the pipes to swing it clear if they're tight. An empty 2L pop bottle cut in half will hold the centre section nicely - its important not to let any dirt in there. On the bottom of the centre section you will see 2 mesh filters - one a half moon shape and the other conical. Remove these and wash them in petrol - they may be full of black rubbish if they're very dirty. They're quite fragile but check of any tears or signs of the mesh wearing through - if so, replace them. I don't think GSF do them but they're only a few pounds from Citroen.
After that, remove the tank buy undoing the 2 little nuts holding it to the bulkhead. Empty it out - bear in mind LHM is just thin oil so dispose of it properly please, ie not down the drain. Swill the tank out with petrol and refit it and everything you've taken off. Put 3 1/2 litres in the tank and start the car - if it wont rise the pump needs priming and Haynes description is as good as any. Theres a knack to it - don't worry if it doesn't go the first few times and it helps immensely if you have someone to start the car for you whilst you fill the tube and put it back on the tank.
Stick the car on high and top up if necessary. Slight overfilling is fine, but you don't need 5L like Haynes says, 4 is more than enough on mine. If you put 5 in it just ends up seeping out the top of the tank and all over the engine bay and makes a mess, or even worse drips and gives you a coronary when you think you've got a leak!