Merry Christmas from Citroen - massive LHM leak!

[Wooscary]

Hello and Merry Christmas.

The BX has decided to reward me for being a good boy all year by spewing its LHM all over the road.

I went out to check fluids this morning before we drive over to some relatives in the middle of nowhere.
Start car to make sure everything ok, put it in high to have a glance at the rear nearside corner as there has been a slight clonk
there and I wanted to make sure the exhaust hanger was ok. Within a few seconds there is a fairly high pressure stream of steaming
LHM from what looks like just above the exhaust box which run across the width of the car.

It started sinking pretty fast but I got a trolley jack under the tow bar to hopefully gain a little access.

Nearly brought the Haynes with me but thought it was over kill. So can anyone who is familiar fill me in on what I'm likely to be
looking at there.

Many thanks

Martin

[KevR]

Lots of complicated pipework in and around the back axle.... The good news is individual pipes are cheap enough. The bad news is some of them are a sod to fit... I'd have the spare wheel and carrier (carrier removes easily) out for better access, and get in there with a cloth and torch. Should be easy enough to track down the source.

[Wooscary]

Cheers Kev.

It is a bit spagetti like round there, but with the spare wheel out it is a bit easier.

Managed to borrow some axle stands (we're at Holly's Mum's), so the car is all secure now, just hoping for some daylight
tomorrow to try and identify which one it is, and then try and describe it on here to hopefully get a part number!

Will Malcolm Lockwood stock these? Or where else might be good? (We're Rawtenstall way at the moment but will be heading Halifaxwards tomorrow). Just lucky I've been able to borrow Holly's Mum's Mitsubishi Colt for the next few days.

[Way2go]

It's usually the main front-back line that couples to the T piece in the middle adjacent to the rear height corrector. The break is probably where the pipe(s) pass over the subframe on the nearside.

The good news is a standard coated preshaped one is usually a cheap buy from the stealer.
The bad news is its a sod to fit even trying gentle bending to win wiggle room. I tried but could not fit this without hinging the rear subframe down, whereupon I wondered why I hadn't done this in the first place. (The cupro-nickel made up ones may be easier but possibly still a fiddle to get the right bends over the restricted subframe access?)

[Wooscary]

Right I think the leak has been discovered.


IMG_3885b by Wooscary, on Flickr

This looks to be the culprit. Corroded, and when the area was dried off it was still seeping.

It's the pipe that goes from the centre of the car, heads towards the outside of the car, goes in to a
nice spiral and disappears to somewhere off near the wheel/suspension unit on the offside rear of the car
(why has everything been going wrong with the off side rear eh?).

Looks like a bit of a bastard to route. So It's looking like I'm going to have to have it recovered which is a pain.

My plan is to find someone to pick it up and take it to the Citroen Repair Centre in Stockport, who have always done
good work for me. I've never had a car recovered before and can see the pound signs whizzing. Does anyone have
any tips please?

Cheers.

[Wooscary]

IMG_3885c by Wooscary, on Flickr

Just a quick update to give the photo some context.

[Wooscary]

I'm having difficulty finding anyone willing to recover it at the moment. It's obviously going to sink completely once the jacks/stands are removed.

This is looking like a pretty big problem really. If I had more knowledge/mechanical ability it might be possible to
replace the pipe with the car where it is now. But as I don't and it's causing fairly serious family frictions now, its days
are numbered.

Bollocks basically.

Does anyone have a number for someone who has a way to recover a sunken Citroen? A travelling Citroen repair specialist?
Anything really.

Many thanks.

[mat_fenwick]

From the picture it looks like a suspension pipe (memory a little fuzzy) but if it goes to a coil then it will be the pipe to the rear brakes. If the latter you'll only lose significant fluid when braking, so will be fine to raise the car for recovery. Can you try starting the engine and raising it?

The only spare pipe I have in stock in that area is one of the pipes to the rear cylinders, which if it helps I could let you have so long as you replace it when you can get hold of one.

[Wooscary]

Would there have been sufficient pressure to lose a lot of LHM if it were a brake pipe and the brakes were not being used?
It definitely looks like it goes to the coil.

It's up on stands at the moment, so I suppose even if I start it up and see if it will rise I won't be in a worse position as it can't sink any
further?

Thanks for the offer Mat, I'll probably have to figure out a definite way to identify the pipe first or it might be a wasted
parcel!

[mat_fenwick]

I'd put a tray underneath, stick it in high and start the engine. Hopefully (if the stand height is lower than full height) it should rise up. Depending on LHM level and the size of the leak, there may still be enough system pressure to raise the car even if it is a suspension pipe that's gone.

Even if it won't rise, you should still be able to recover it in low with block of wood to smooth out the change in angles.

[Wooscary]

Just gave that a go. It doesn't look like there is enough pressure to rise at all, it was still pissing out.

Hmm. I'm going to try calling a specialist in Burnley and see if they can offer any advice/recovery.

[Tim Leech]

If your a CCC member, you can get a years top RAC cover for £50! which I think if you drive an old car as a daily your mad not too.

[Wooscary]

I must be mad!

No one is open at this time of year for some reason. Hmmm!

[citsncycles]

Sounds like a suspension supply pipe that's gone. If it's one to a rear ram, then you may be able to crimp it at the break to block the flow enough to get some sort of lift for loading onto a trailer, although a lot of experianced recovery companies know the tricks needed for loading up a dead Citroen.

[Wooscary]

That sounds like a good idea.

The problem with the few companies I've managed to get through to (how dare people have holidays!?) is that
the second hydraulic Citroens are mentioned they say "oh no, sorry, can't help you".

Erg...