front strut re-con

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:05 pm

Has anyone stripped and re-conditioned a front strut? I 'won' a Citroen strut repair kit from ebay ( only one unfortunately) and I was wondering how to proceed.
I suppose no-one has got a second kit lying around they would sell? Pleides must have been using these kits to overhaul their BX struts but I don't know if they still offer this service. I know the kits are no longer available from Citroen.

Cheers

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 6:33 pm

Todd - could you measure up the seals and post details here - it may be possible to get generic/standard equivalents with that knowledge. Steve

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:08 pm

Yes, that's what I was going to do. There's a very good shop in the next town ( Singen - an engineering centre for many car components) that sells industrial seals for mineral oils where I bought the missing seal for my doseur and they can more or less match most seals within tolerance.
I noticed when I went through Singen on the train last week that TRW have a factory near there too who make the most expensive - and supposedly best quality - replacement bearings. Riku recommended them for replacement lower balljoints on the BX but they were €50 a piece so I settled for Flennor - made in the north of Germany - which were a mere €10 each. Heaven knows what justifies the price difference?

Edit : I just saw on the website that TRW offer 'Cognitive safety systems' - that might be up your street Steve?

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:25 pm

I've gone through a number of those:

http://www.rmattila.com/images/remontit ... ppa_avaus/

At least here, a typical root cause for front strut wear is a broken breather hose, which lets the winter salt mud stuff inside the thing. It can't escape due to an incomprehensible design flaw in positioning the breather holes, and eventually leads to corrosion of the piston, which in its turn wears out the nylon seal.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:32 pm

Ah, that's just what I need Riku. Thankyou.

Can you still get hold of the kits then? And what do they/ did they cost?

sdelasal · Post by **sdelasal** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:41 pm

Riku - where is the breather hose on the strut then?

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:44 pm

At least a couple of years ago they were still available here, with those part numbers.

At the local dealer the prices seem to be

BX SYLINTERIN TIIVISTESARJA 7,6 Eur
BX SYLINTERIN HELAKORJAUSSARJA 33,3 Eur

No idea about current availability, though.

rmattila · Post by **rmattila** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:47 pm

sdelasal wrote:Riku - where is the breather hose on the strut then?

There:

The bottom of the strut is a cup, from where water/mud has no change of escaping once it gets there.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:56 pm

Now I see there are two strut repair kits required - neither of which are available from Citroen anymore ( just looked on Service Citroen). I've got the second and larger kit which has the mostly plastic components. The other set has three seals in it hopefully which I can match from the old ones at the industrial seals shop?

I think what you describe Riku happened to one of my struts - the return/breather just wasn't there and I don't know for how long it had been driven like that.

maxgreenwood · Post by **maxgreenwood** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:24 pm

I spoke to Pleiades a couple of years ago and at that point they were machining at least one strut part themselves through unavailability.

I have to say they were very helpful on the phone and had all day to talk about Citroen hydraulic stuff and have an intimate knowledge, they'd be able to tell you exactly what the score is.

Martin i think was the guy i spoke to.

number should be in the Citronian or i can PM

I'm looking for a good pair / to recon some myself

maxgreenwood · Post by **maxgreenwood** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:25 pm

Just spoke to Pleiades,

their prices are:

£108 + vat - Reconditioned strut with old one supplied
£133 + vat - Reconditioned strut using s/h stock

If there is any scoring / burning / the chrome has come off, as is the case with mine, they replace the not so shiny bits with shiny bits.

If i do it i'll go for the 1st option = €300 all in for two with mine sent in.

Pleides,
Unit 12a
Brookside Industrial Estate,
Sawtry,
Cambs,
PE28 5SB

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:32 pm

That's actually reasonable when you consider the €650 for a new one. Can you ask them where they get the seals from Max? You must be one of the few people who seems able to speak to them.

Jaba · Post by **Jaba** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:29 pm

I have done several of these successfully.
Actually the only parts that wear are those inner seals and then also the wear ridges on the inner piston have to be polished out to cure that jerky front strut action.
The top thrust bearing also must wear a bit but the main issue I have discovered is that it just dries out and needs soaking in new lubricant for a while to restore a smooth action.

The white plastic castellated spacer/locater around the large outer piston also wears after a high mileage and eventually results in a front suspension knock on bumps but this seems only to occur after a high mileage of at least 250k.

I use old hubs clamped to top and bottom of the strut to hammer the thrust bearing round and out of the strut cylinder.

maxgreenwood · Post by **maxgreenwood** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:05 pm

Todd,
Pleiades are now going ahead and re-conning a pair for me. I asked them about the seals, Martin said they just get them from a general seal place.

He said to give him a ring and he can sort you out with some if you want. I mentioned your name.

Phone +441487831239

Max

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:16 pm

Thanks Max, that's very handy, I'll call him. I have the perfect victim for my first strut overhaul - a jerky, sticky number off my yellow break. I remember that last time it was on the road - two years ago - I thought it was a flat sphere, now I'm a bit older and wiser.. just a tiny bit. It takes a while to get BX aquainted.