Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

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oilybox
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Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by oilybox »

Help! Very URGENT REQUEST .....Leaking rear o/s strut.... Need a replacement, either new old stock, or guaranteed good 2nd hand, no time to come and remove it,... - just need it quick as my daily driver BX 1.9 diesel now has inoperative rear suspension!.... But 182,000 -odd miles isn't bad.
Even a full set would be good as the fronts jerk a bit when raising...
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by citronut »

i recon these can be ally welded, because the ones i have seen corroded through the hole has always been well away from were the pressure seal sits,

so as long as you dont cause distortion to the bore of the cylinder it will be fine

regards malcolm
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oilybox
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by oilybox »

Are the struts ally then?,.... Because mine look very RUSTY!?,...
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by Mothman »

The piston inside is ally bud.

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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by citronut »

the body of the ram is alloy, the piston could be stainless steel,

the signs of rust are from were it sits in the sub frame, that also cause's the ram body to rot away

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
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no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
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oilybox
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by oilybox »

@Malcolm.... - are you the Malcolm from 'Pleides', by any chance?...
Cos I've ordered a strut supply pipe from them, just in case I'm lucky, and it's just another rusty original pipe letting go....

Regards

Matt
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by citronut »

oilybox wrote:@Malcolm.... - are you the Malcolm from 'Pleides', by any chance?...
Cos I've ordered a strut supply pipe from them, just in case I'm lucky, and it's just another rusty original pipe letting go....

Regards

Matt
no not i and its Martin at Pleiades

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
R reg xantia 1.9TD est (gone to meet its maker)
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by mat_fenwick »

citronut wrote:the body of the ram is alloy, the piston could be stainless steel
I've not seen a stainless steel piston, but have seen a couple of rusty ones were the boots ave failed. It's possible they used SS at some point in production, or someone could have made one up...

Minor distortion of the cylinder shouldn't be a problem, as the sealing face is on the piston rather than the cylinder wall.
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by oilybox »

?surely with ANY piston/cylinder set-up, hydraulic ram or otherwise both piston AND cylinder wall have to be perfectly smooth, the cylinder especially, since if it were even slightly out of true it would cause premature wear of any oil seals.... Just speaking of a good few years working as a hydraulic fitter repairing recovery vehicles, with their myriad collection of hydraulic rams, some of which were up to 20' long!...
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by citronut »

in citroen hydraulic rams the seal is in a recess at the neck end of the cylinder, the corrosion is usually at least half way down the outside wall of the cylinder, and more often than not only perforates the inside face of the wall very very slightly (pin hole/s ),

if the piston is not stainless steel it must be highly polished ally then, as they have a chrome like finish

regards malcolm
curent ride
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also own
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no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by mat_fenwick »

The ones I've had which have gone rusty were chrome plated steel, which as the sealing face is on the piston causes more LHM to leak past the seal and pass down the return pipe.

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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by BX Bandit »

The piston definitely not ally. I don't think it's chrome plated either. Didn't know the strut itself corroded! Is there a way to prevent this? Is it galvanic cell in effect?
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by mat_fenwick »

BX Bandit wrote:Didn't know the strut itself corroded!
Do you mean the piston? The cylinder corrodes (as I'm sure you know) because it makes a galvanic cell with the subframe. As I've mentioned before, I drilled a small hole in the steel shroud to prevent mud/water sitting in in as I've seen a tide mark of corrosion on failed cylinders. Twice I've had boot failure, which has allowed water in to corrode the steel piston. If the boot remains intact there should be no reason for corrosion.

I thought I remembered seening the plating peeling away, but now you mention it I'm wondering if I'm mistaken? I'll see if I can dig out an old one to confirm, although I suppose there may have been different constructions over the years.
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by BX Bandit »

Yes the cylinder mate, not the piston. You may be thinking of a brake caliper piston, they are chromed I think.
Drilled a hole? I'll have to have a look see to see what you mean. Sounds like a good idea though. Got a piccy?
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Re: Leaking rear struts... ahhhh! SH*T !!!!

Post by citronut »

BX Bandit wrote:Yes the cylinder mate, not the piston. You may be thinking of a brake caliper piston, they are chromed I think.
the cylinder is definitely alloy, never studied the piston that close though and not seen a rusty one before either, unless its another of those senior moments sneaking up on me again :shock: :roll: :wink:

next time i find one laying around i will do a magnet test on it,

caliper pistons are teflon coated alloy though

regards malcolm
curent ride
K reg BX 17TD TZD est
also own
K reg D special

no longer have
H reg CX saffari 2.5 TRI (now gone to Malaysia)
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