3001pv

Hi, Mine would still run, I could change the fuse and the suspension would pressurise, but as soon as I drove the fuse would fail. It appeared as soon as it was the motor was under load it would need more than the 30amps the fuse allowed and blew the fuse. Try removing the backing plate from your original motor and have a look at the condition of the brushes, that was when I identified the problem. The dust from the brushes had mixed with grease to form a paste and was causing a short circuit.

Hi, My car is one of the last 2008 C5's before the shape change so fortunately I had the Haynes manual to go by, but from the description above the procedure is exactly the same. Initially, I managed to get the pump to work enough to raise the suspension to the highest level before placing it on axle stands all round. Then I started the engine and set the lowest suspension setting. It opened the bleed screw for the front which is under the bonnet and lost about 3 drops of fluid - at this stage I decided not to bother depresurising the rear system as the bleed screw was rusted and I didn't want to break it. When I pulled the pipe off the bottom of the reservoir it lost around 4 litres of fluid which was pressurised only by gravity. The pump had a total of four hose connections and the two high pressure pipes, they all came off easily without any significant high pressure fluid loss. After refitting I used a cooling system pressure tester to pressurise the system. I managed to get a good enough seal by manually pushing it down on the filler lid and getting an assistant to pump it. At first it sounded a bit like my stomach after a good madras and several pints, but after the gurgling stopped the pressure remained constant. The anticipation of the job was far worse than the reality.

Yes, still got P1351 - I will deal with that later, but at least the suspension works now :)

Just to update as the final solution may be of interest to anybody with this problem and may save them a small fortune. The auto-electrician diagnosed that the pump was taking around 80amps hence why the fuse was blowing. The prospect of removing the pump was quite scary but in reality it wasn't too difficult. Once the pump was removed I took the back plate off the pump motor and I could immediately see the problem, around the electrical brushes and commutator there was a horrible black paste, it looked like a mixture of grease (from the bearing?) and carbon dust produced from the electrical brushes as they wear. I cleaned this up and ensured the commutator and brushes were connecting correctly (the brushes still were more than 50% of their original length at 100k miles) put a small dab of copper grease on the bearing. Reinstalled the pump and it is now working as it should be. The whole job took 3 hours and cost £32 in fluid from ebay (then add £60 to that for the auto-electrician). I would guess that many pump failures will be caused by the same thing, it is well worth taking the pump out and checking insider before going for an expensive new pump replacement.

Hi Paul, Thank you for your prompt reply - fuse is correct value and the fluid level is fine - I am going to try the auto electrician again. Cheers Patrick

Hi, I have a 2008 Citroen C5 Estate 1.6HDi (100k miles). Last weekend I tried to raise the suspension and the 40a maxi fuse blew. I fitted a new fuse, the car raised to it's normal level I could hear the pump working, it didn't sound strained. Yet as soon as I drove it I got a warning saying 'Suspension fault maximum speed 55mph', I checked the fuse and it had blown again. I contacted the only local garage which is a french car specialist (I cannot / do not want to pay main dealer prices) - Without even looking at the car or listening asking any further detail they told me that I should see and auto electrician. I tried contacting the local auto electrician, I left a message and mentioned Citroen suspension and they haven't returned my calls. So I am stuck between hassling the auto-electrician, trying further afield (but the car won't go too far before the suspension dies) or trying to fix it myself. I bought a cheap fault code reader from ebay as the car will not talk to the one I already own. It came back with fault code of P1351 - which an internet search shows as IDM input circuit malfunction - most posts on the internet had this relating to glow plugs although there was a comment on one from a person who said he had an earth problem with his suspension and it threw out this code. I have cleared the code and put in a new fuse, the fuse blew but the suspension error message disappeared. The code P1351 is now showing as pending so no doubt it will come back if I drive the car much further. Can anybody help with what I should do next? Is there a relay I can look at? I am considering buying a replacement pump from ebay and changing it, if I do this are all pumps to fit 2004 to 2008 C5's the same? Many thanks

Thank you for the various responses, I tried a Citrobics session but no success. Although I replace all three seals in the cylinder I am wondering if the sliding seal has become dislodged and is leaking internally thus allowing the fluid to return to the reservoir. I've got a spare set of seals so will have another go at fixing it at the weekend.

Hi, Thanks for your reply, and yes the LDS level is correct and I have topped up using the correct fluid. I have also been thinking about it. I carried out the repair to the rear suspension on Saturday morning. The car was drving fine, no further problems. On Tuesday evening I decided to check to make sure that the leak was clear so I raised the suspension to full height, checked the gaiter wasn't leaking and then lowered the suspension. I think that I may have removed turned off the ignistion before it reached its normal suspension level. I then left the car parked overnight. Next morning the rear suspension was down. I didn't drive the car that day (for obvious reasons) but that evening I checked the LDS level and started it and the suspension raised to its normal level and worked through all the three levels. Again the following morning it was down at the rear. Today I drove the car (saving me a 2 mile walk to get to work), it drives fine but it is like owning a BX again, in that the suspension deflates when it is left overnight. I have had no warning lights at all and my universal OBDII code reader won't connect with the car. I'm going to try a BSI reset to see if that helps Cheers

Hi, I have a 2008 C5 1.6HDi estate it is one of the last of the old model. I recently spotted a leak around the o/s/r suspension and subsequently the 40amp maxi fuse blew leaving me with no suspension. I dismantled the rear suspension cylinder, the was a split in the gaiter, water had got in and the internal piston had rusted causing the leak. I have replaced the gaiter, piston and seal and all was well for a couple of days. Yesterday morning I went to the car and the rear suspension had deflated, the front was still okay. I started the car in the evening and the pump was working and it worked fine moving between the lowest and highest settings. Again this morning the rear was on the ground, started the car and drove it around the block no problem but don't want to risk going any further incase of further problems. Any idea what the cause may be. Thanks in advance ¯\(°_°)/¯