C5 x7 steering rack leak

[whatdoesthisbuttondo]

Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've seen a slow leak from the steering, took it to my local garage who diagnosed a high pressure pipe at £450 to fit......only it hasn't cured it. He's thinking it must be the rack but it sounds expensive, any thoughts / experience you guys can share please?

[citroenxm]

Im not a huge expert on the X7 yet, but Ive read and heard the Rack Seals on the Ram I think, are a common failiure.

There are more experianced X7 people on here then me though. Im too not looking forward to it on mums car, now comming to 110k miles ...

[whatdoesthisbuttondo]

Mines at 105k...,and three drivers window cable sets, leaking steering, clutch slip @ 2000rpm later.....I still like the car! I think it's going to start to cost money so I don't know whether to get shut or not.

[GiveMeABreak]

Water gets in and corrodes the union at the steering column shaft input seal. The rust then destroys the seals. Citroen do not sell the seals separately - the whole rack must be replaced. Here is a photo (courtesy Parkesiemtb, on Flickr, via Citroen Car Club):
image by
chris, on Flickr
I had mine done about 11 months ago at the main dealer (under warranty, thank the big 'J') I can't tell you how much it was, but £1k - £1.4k sounds about right. If you do get it fixed, make sure you tell the mechanics ♫ ♪ 'Grease is the Word' ♪♫ !

[jgra1]

yes have heard the same.. a possible time-bomb for x7 owners as is the rear roll bar bushes I think.. silly 50 pence rubber items costing a fortune to replace..


I have a feeling I read somewhere that the rack could be sent away to Lithuania for a few hundred, to replace this seal and clean up... I may have made this up, someone else maybe able to concur.

John

[bobins]

If you get a recon steering rack, be aware there's two types for the X7. 'Long travel' 92mm travel for 16" wheeled variants, and 'Short travel' 90mm travel for 17" 18" 19" wheeled variants. No idea what - if any - disasters ensue if you fit the wrong one though.

[Stickyfinger]

Did not know about the different sizes for different wheels ?....err Why I wonder
Would that effect cars that change wheels for larger ones ?

All X7's I have ever seen had 17 inch (or above) wheels anyway I think

[bobins]

Did not know about the different sizes for different wheels ?....err Why I wonder
Would that effect cars that change wheels for larger ones ?

All X7's I have ever seen had 17 inch (or above) wheels anyway I think

They (16" wheels) were standard fit on poverty spec early versions ('08, '09, '10?) of the X7 and optional for the other specs, don't know if/when they were discontinued.

[Stickyfinger]

The racks on the Exclusives (HydroActive+3) are standard 90mm ones then.

No wonder Citroen are going bust every 5 years

[bobins]

It would seem, for the early models at least, you could order as an option a poverty spec car with factory fitted 17" Baltic wheels. I wonder if they'd have made sure the correct steering rack was fitted to suit the larger wheels ?

[vborovic]

Since I'll be in the same steering rack boat some time soon, I've already started exploring the options ... I would rather get a new one, then have the existing one refurbished (to lower the time the car will be out of action) ...so, I've found this (let me know what you think of the prices):

http://www.teilehaber.de/autoteile-shop ... 32796.html

[bobins]

Since I'll be in the same steering rack boat some time soon, I've already started exploring the options ... I would rather get a new one, then have the existing one refurbished (to lower the time the car will be out of action) ...so, I've found this (let me know what you think of the prices):

http://www.teilehaber.de/autoteile-shop ... 32796.html

Are they actually as 'new' as they claim ? The first one on the list seems to be wanting a 273.70 Euro deposit, presumably on the return of your old one. Perhaps 'newly reconditioned' might be a better description.

[vborovic]

All are new ... at least defined as such ... yes, there is a catch with the returning of the old one, then the price goes even lower ... but, that would mean being without the car for up to 2 weeks (sending back and forth the racks)

[GiveMeABreak]

Thought they looked a bit pricey until I saw these!
http://www.eurocarparts.com/steering-ra ... ring-mount
Huge price difference, even with the refundable exchange fee.
But then these are mega cheap by comparison: One has a speed sensor, the other does not.
http://www.livingstonautoparts.co.uk/st ... Parts.aspx

[vborovic]

I've read somewhere that the cheaper steering racks don't work as well as the more expensive ones (ok, it should make some sense) ... that the steering wheel won't get returned back in the straight position and such drawbacks ...