Leaking Rear Right Suspension Strut

[ritmo]

Good evening, looking for help.

Betty almost failed me for the first time a couple of weeks back, pissing precious LHM out from the back right of the car. Though she didn't really fail me as she still delivered me the 200miles home! Good girl.

I was on a long drive from Glasgow to Liverpool when I heard a strange knock/snap noise from the back of the car. A little later on: dreaded stop light flickering on. Couldn't work out what the problem was until I went to check the LHM level. With the suspension on high LHM is dumped out the back right suspension strut....somewhere!? I can't work out or see where it's coming from. But with the suspension raise a little above normal is just pours out.

So the symptoms:

- Normal height: no leaks (Managed to limp back to Glasgow with a couple of spare bottles of LHM at the ready)
- Medium and high heights: LHM pours out from somewhere in front of the sphere (as far as I can see)
- Normal height and the back end is lifted a little: LHM pours out
- She's a 92 TZD estate, but I don't think that makes much of a difference to this problem.

The poor girl's just sitting there waiting for me to fix her, but I really don't know how just yet.

I would guess that there's an upper seal in the strut that has failed. I don't know the inner workings of these struts, haven't found much about them online. Maybe the upper part could even have cracked?

I understand there's a return pipe from the back to the front, but I think that comes from the left side?

Any suggestions or pointers to where I could possibly get replacement struts from? Or can they be removed and serviced?

Thanks very much, Jake.

[ritmo]

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=12117" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like this guy may have had a similar problem. Sadly with no talk of a fix....

[mat_fenwick]

Sounds like the rod from the piston to the arm has snapped:



The rod (and hence piston) can then move out further until it hits the suspension arm. At normal height the piston is perhaps in the position it would be in high or intermediate. But when on high the piston is pushed out too far, past the first rubber seal and the return pipe will see full hydraulic pressure, blowing the return pipe off.

I have a spare cylinder/piston which I can take a photo of to help explain how it works.

[Jaba]

You will need to have a good look around checking the gaiter and pipes as well as the connecting rod as well.

But this sounds like a typical rear suspension cylinder failure, they just corrode through from the outside and the hole is only fully exposed to the high pressure lhm when the suspension is raised. Worse, you cannot see the hole without removing the cylinder.

A Xantia cylinder can be made to fit with a little grinding or filing and you will need a new hydraulic pipe to the failing cylinder too.

[ritmo]

Thanks to both of you, I'll have a check for both these. Fingers crossed.

Good to know a xantia cylinder could fit. They seem easier to come by. Would the grinding/filling be required on the cylinder or the mounting frame?

[Jaba]

Good to know a xantia cylinder could fit. They seem easier to come by. Would the grinding/filling be required on the cylinder or the mounting frame?

The cylinder hydraulic pipe connector and/or the the front location plate need trimming back a bit.