HEAVY STEERING

[thanuttiscotsman]

hi there,
well seems is correct as lhm does not go out of date and supposedly does not de-grade and leaving it in a tub, all the crap would sink leaving clean lhm. i have many times in the scrappy removed hydro resovouir's from citros and poured the fluid from the tank into buckets then into bottles (because i was poor at the time) you will always find there is a massive build up of sh*t in the bottom of the resovouir that you cant see till you take it out and turn it upside down!! basically its all just really fine sand like dirt. but yes i used to do thids first in the scrappers then work on taking other parts off. one hour later was finnished and most of the crap had sunk.i then poured lhm from bucket to bottles took it home let it settle more and poured it in. only reason i guess citroen dont do this is they would loose lots of money and would probally say (no no no to do that right it would need proper filtered) bull gravity does the trick. and i can tell you for sure my mate is citro mechacnic for near 30 years and he says it ok as he does it for his own cars.

rossco

[ollie]

The oil may not degarde in a sealed container, but it sure as hell does when pounded up and down, frothing and getting alternately hot and cold and then being chopped up by all manner of valves! Old oil doesn't work in an engine and nor in a hydraulic system, 2 years is ample on a hard driven car.
I would guarantee that if I changed the oil in my system now the heavy steering at cold would immediately dissapear for a week, the effect is that noticeable and my system is that Borderline!!!
Using scrapyard LHM is like putting second hand oil in your car!!

New LHM is about £3 a liter so why risk it?

ollie

[ed_straker]

Simran,
really sounds as if the flowdivider isnt working properly anymore.
Had the same symptoms with my car and a spare one cured the problem.

[martyn]

Ollie, the FDV is a GSF recon unit that was fitted 2/06, it was replaced because it was leaking, the pinion valve (also GSF) was fitted 9/05 for the same reason (MOT). In my first year of ownership I'd put in much more than 3 litres just chasing constant leaks, I always had a couple of bottles on board , so I'd assumed the fluid to be pretty fresh but perhaps a flush would do it good.
I timed the regulator this evening and at tickover & hot, the pump cuts in every 8 sec shouldn't it be nearer 30 sec ?
It's going to John Witmuns (Gary C's spanner man) soon for a new starter motor (hot starting problem, always on busy petrol forecourts) , so I'll see what he thinks.

Many thanks for everbodys suggestions.

[AlanS]

LHM might be supposedly non hygroscopic, but FWIW, you guys over there in wet environments, have much more problems with your hydraulics than we get over here in 'the great southern desert' so you have to wonder how much of it gets contaminated with moisture due to rain, snow and generally damp conditions.
We had similar to this problem on an imported series one we bought a few years back and on a posting suggestion by I think it was Neil (CGAT) we took the P/R and F/D off when we rebuilt the engine and soaked them both in petrol (after first washing the outsides of them) then blew them out with compressed air as they have very fine filters in them, as fine if not finer than those in an LHM tank. We also took the opportunity to seat the balls in the P/R while we had it out and the steering and accumulator performance on that car was then as good as new.
If you take them off, shine a light down each of the holes to see if you can see the filters and if clogged even partially, try that. Also, be certain to mark the pipes before removing the F/D as you wouldn't be the first to reconnect in incorrectly and I understand that gives some "interesting" results.


Alan S

[Edit to above]

Just spotted your post that went in about same time as this; based on the info you give re; chasing leaks in this vicinity, have you given the system a thorough bleeding? Usually when fluid comes out, air seems to always get in and a few good citaerobics coupled to a solid bleeding via the brakes, front and rear might be the answer in part also.

[thanuttiscotsman]

Using scrapyard LHM is like putting second hand oil in your car!!

well, i dont think so engine oil is full of carbon deposits and is mutch hotter by far etc. and tell me what percentage of bx's on the road go for more than 6 months without springing a leak and needing constantly topped up till people pay for new pipes fitted or do them themselves. ive never fully drained a bx hydro system as ive never had one that didnt leak. it just doesnt need done in this country.

In my first year of ownership I'd put in much more than 3 litres just chasing constant leaks, I always had a couple of bottles on board , so I'd assumed the fluid to be pretty fresh but perhaps a flush would do it good.

[ollie]

In reply to original problem, I might be a little suspicious of a GSF recon, suspect Pleides ones may be better but no real reason why!! maybe because there stuff comes with a written guarantee and a list of conditions and tips to its fitment!!

8 seconds is not bad if you still have minor leaks, more importantly tho this time has more to do with where the fluid goes than where its coming from!! so not particulalrly indicative of pump condition, priming and lift speeds are best indicators if you have no pressure guage!! ( and I don't)

As to reuse of LHM I do appreciate the lack of carbon and so on, but using it still chips up the molecules and breaks them down, even if in a different way and without the same contaminants.
However as you so rightly point out most BXs do indeed have virtually brand new LHM in all the time especially the scrapyard variety theres usually a good reason why theyre there, its why there are so many new bits in them, final straw and all that

Ollie

[martyn]

..on Witmun Enginerings advice I had the system drained and refilled with flush and the acummulator regassed, what a differance, I've been using the car for a week now and the steering's fine, it even feels a little lighter and smoother, and an added bonus is the back now rises instantly and the P/R kicks in every 15 sec instead of every 8 sec, so all in all a result, oh and it passed its MOT with no advices
I'll be in Melton Mowbray for Xmas from 21st > 28th ish, anyone in that area up for a mini meet ?

A very Merry Christmas to all