Xantia front strut replacement

[elvito]

Hi,

I have Xantia MK1 2.0i 8v non hydractive and the front struts is leaking from the top. I found a seller who has pair of front struts taken from Xantia MK1 1.6i.
I know they have different part number where mine are 5271-61 and 5271-71 and the 1.6i are 5271-E7 and 5271-E8.

I am just wondering if I can use the struts from 1.6i to mine?

Thank.

[aerodynamica]

What part is leaking? If it's the top nut leaking it might just need the o ring replaced and the nut tightened. If it's the pipe connection it may be the seal.

[Mandrake]

Also, don't confuse strut tops with struts. It won't be the strut that is leaking it will be the strut top.

The strut top is the piece visible under the bonnet bolted to the wheel arch which contains a large rubber support block. The strut itself is the hydraulic ram that goes between the strut top and the wheel hub. The only place that the strut itself would leak is if the leakage return line strapped to the side had detached itself. As Graeme says the strut top would only leak from the seal at the top or the pipe seal.

From memory there are two small o-rings in the hole that the shaft from the strut pushes into not one. Another thing to keep in mind is that the top nut that bolts the shaft to the strut top is supposed to have loctite smeared on the surface between the strut top and the nut. This is added from the factory and the service data says to apply loctite on refitting.

If you don't there may be a slight weep of oil at the nut. How do I know ? Because I didn't use loctite the first time I reassembled mine and both weeped noticeably After removing the nuts, cleaning up the oil and refitting the nuts with loctite the weeping stopped completely.

[citronut]

It won't be the strut that is leaking it will be the strut top.

i think thats a bit ambiguous Simon ,
as i belive the actual strut ram could could leak, just because its not a common occurrence

[elvito]

Hi all. Sorry for very late respond. Just got out of hospital yesterday.

Took the car to the garage today, asked the mechanic to check the top nut as Mandrake suggested, and yes it's the source of the oil. It fixed now, dry on thas he outside.

But, I found out that the strut also has big internal leak. The LHM is flowing from the return line. I measured at around 1 liter/minute. Is this something need to worry about?

If it is, my question back to post no 1 is the strut interchangeable between xantia models?

Thanks.

[Mandrake]

Hi all. Sorry for very late respond. Just got out of hospital yesterday.

Took the car to the garage today, asked the mechanic to check the top nut as Mandrake suggested, and yes it's the source of the oil. It fixed now, dry on thas he outside.

Sorry to hear you've been in hospital! So what did your mechanic do to fix the leak - replace the o-rings inside the strut top or just reseal the face of the nut ?

But, I found out that the strut also has big internal leak. The LHM is flowing from the return line. I measured at around 1 liter/minute. Is this something need to worry about?

Yes - 1 litre / minute from the overflow pipe is a very big leak indeed - I'm surprised the car doesn't sink down at that end within a few minutes of switching off...

I assume you're definitely referring to the curved rubber overflow line that is strapped to the middle of the strut and pushes onto the steel pipe inside the wheel arch ? With the car sitting at a constant height there shouldn't really be any flow at all, maybe a drip at most. Have you checked the strut on the other side to compare the leakage rate ?

If it is, my question back to post no 1 is the strut interchangeable between xantia models?

Others will know the answer to this better than me - not all Xantia's use the same struts but there are only a small number of variants.

I believe that Hydractive and non-Hydractive struts have different tapers at the top of the shaft where it bolts into the strut top. (at least for Series 1, I'm not sure about Series 2)

Do you have a free service.citroen.com login ? Your best bet is to look up your car by VIN number then find the part number of the strut for your exact car, then do a generic lookup for Xantia's without VIN and look up the part numbers for the strut - this will list all the different model variations and their strut part numbers and give you an idea of which other models share the same part number.

[elvito]

Thanks for your quick respond, Mandrake.

The mechanic only resealed the face of the nut, and it did wonder!

Regarding the flow of the the return line (the curved rubber overflow line), I did compare the flow with the other side. The left side is just dripping and very slow.
The car actually still stays up overnight, but once the engine started it sink and then rise again in under 30 seconds.

I will check the service.citroen.com. Let's hope I will find the answer of my question regarding the struts.