Power Steering-

[bobpm45]

Hi all, Today the power steering failed for a while on my 95 1.9td ! When the steering wheel was turned onto full lock , the pumps usual sound of fluid going back to tank , could not be heard ! I operated the height level from max to min. and it rose and fell okay. I checked the level in the lhm tank and it seems okay. I then raised the car onto max. and operated the steering wheel again , and low and behold ,the power steering started working again ! Going back about a week , the car failed the mot for a really bad leak coming from the front /top of the hydraulic pump . I removed the steel pipe and then unscrewed the screwed adaptor fitting , where a spring came out with it . It appeared that the "o-ring" was failing. I did not have an "o-ring" , so I wpapped some ptfe tape around the thread and refitted the adaptor with the spring placed in first, and then reconnected the steel pipe . The leak now cured ! Then a couple of days later the STOP light came on and the suspension would not raise after I started the engine ,and would not go out until I finally operated the height adjust lever a couple of times and and then left it on min. whilst I revved the engine .

Is there a possibility that something is amiss with the pump where I removed the adaptor , as it appears there is some kind of pressure valve beneath it . Does anybody know anything about this part of the pump ? Could this be connected to my problem with the power steering , or does anybody have an idea what that could be , any advice gratefully received.

[bobpm45]

Me again. An update on my problem. Today my son was driving the car when the STOP light came on ! He did not realise the significance of the light , and thought it was to do with the hand-brake! He carried on driving ,and about two miles further on , the brakes failed as he was coming up to an island!! He narrowly missed an articulated lorry and thought he was a "gonna" !! He managed to stop in a side street , and when I got to the vehicle , I carried out the same procedure as last week and operated the suspension adjusting lever back and forth a couple of times whilst revving the engine .Suddenly the STOP light went out and I drove home normally . Has antbody an idea as to a possible cause .These problems seem to have started since I removed the adaptor out of the pump to repair the leak !has anybody ever stripped one of these pumps or know what inside them , or got a schematic drawing of one .

Cheers.

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi there Bob.

 

The only place I know that you'll get the info you need is from your Citroen Dealership. Tell them what you need and ask for a diagram.They should be able to print it off for you. They'll also be able to tell you what should be inside the coupling you removed and supply a new "O" ring (Pennies). Don't know what they're like around your area, but mine are VERY helpfull when asked for such advice. The worst scenario would be a replacement pump which you should be able to source quite cheaply from a breakers. Beware that there are several different types so ensure you have the correct one.

 

It would also be a good idea to check the LHM filters in the tank and clean them. This is more awkward than difficult. Unclip ALL the pipes from the side of the tank and roll the lid out with the pipes attached. Remove the filters and clean them in petrol or thinners and blow them out with air if you can. It may be advantageous to remove and clean out the tank and replace the fluid at the same time if you're unsure of the car's history. It may just be a problem with choked filters. These things tend to get neglected when the cars fall outside the age when people sevice them at the dealers.

 

Cheers. Hope this helps. ;)

[bobpm45]

Thanks for that . I have owned the car for the past 8 years , so I have known most of its history from 11600 to 163000 miles ! before that it was an RS spares reps car with full documented history , so was well cared for. My gut instinct tells me its a sticky valve , as the problem clears when I operate the suspension lever back and forth . And it looked like a pressure valve under the adaptor that I took out , so if i can get a schematic drawing of the pump or as you say speak to a technician at the dealers , then I can recheck under the adaptor to make sure the correct bits are in there and fit the new o-ring at the same time.

 

Regards, Bob.