Hi all

Thought i would move this rather than hi jack Citroenmad's posts.
Well you read the title so what do you think? i will firstly admit that i have not yet tinkered with a C5 so how does the pump work? Im hoping that the pump and a pressure sensor to turn it on and off are one unit but i doubt its that simple.
Would the seals be compatible with LHM+? does the C5's circuit run at the same pressure as the xm's and if not is the C5 pump adjustable as im guessing it does not have a pressure regulator in circuit?

D

Its an interesting thought, ive no idea how it works or if an Xm could use one.

Although i do prefer the speed of the electric pump on the C5, it levels the car instantly, which woud be a good thing for sinking Xms in particular.

Im not sure how it would work with the Xm system, on the C5 it cuts in and out all of the time, since there is no acc. sphere.

One thing i dont like about the electric pump, it does take a lot of power, when driving at night the headlights flicker very slightly when the pump cuts in and out.

Chris.

Yes it would be a substantial amount of power used and a bigger alternator may be needed as a result but i was thinking of the electric pump for its silent operation more than anything, and the ability to tow an XM that's a little bit ill, Think about it, if you have an auto xm it has to be put on a beavertail with a shallow entry ramp, in fact mine was craned onto a flatbed by its rims when it's fuel pump relay died just after i got it because they had no other way to move it, an electric pump conversion could be an end to this problem..............

D

I have it on good authority that the 'LDS' fluid used in the C5 is merely LHM under a different name (and colour).

The C5 pump is an interesting idea.
Something I've thought about for a number of years, and mooted on XM-L in the past is the idea of raising a dead XM (or indeed any other pre C5 Cit), by electrical means. This could be as simple as a power drill with a pully on it and a belt looped around the LHM pump pulley, or an old washing / sewing machine motor mounted on a board, etc etc.

Even if you couldn't replace the LHM pump with the C5 one, I'm sure you could run the existing pump with an electric motor switched on and off by a pressure sensor in the hydraulic circuit. Space and mounting may be a problem, but in essence you could move it to a more convenient location, obviously with the appropriate piping.

The question is though what benefits would it bring, besides the obvious being able to lift the car when the engine was dead.

Re it using a lot of power, I don't believe the C5 (and 6) one uses a massive amount, certainly no more than the piddly electric power steering pumps used on most conventional cars now (see Minis or is that a sore point at the moment ). Certainly on my parents 2.0 Mazda 3, the lights dim noticeably when you move the steering.
Of course, most things will dip the lights for a second, even braking, turning on the blower, heated rear window etc, so I wouldn't say it would be anything to worry about.

Ciarán

Thinking about it, I believe LDS is synthetic, but LHM is mineral based yes. They may not be so compatible, but I could have sworn a reputable Citroen mechanic told me they were compatible in certain situations.

No reason you couldn't run the XM system on LDS if the seals were compatible....

Ciarán

Hi All

If you want an XM that stays up and can be towed with a bar then get one with anti-sink or retro fit it.

John

John,
Even anti sink can fail!! and not work leaving a car just to sink!!


Paul

From a reliability point of view a mechanical pump is far preferable and as far as being able to pmp up without an engine, the same would be said for if the car had a flat battery or the electric pump failed, which is a much more likely occurance IMO.

Judging by the complexity of the basic C5 system (Hydractive 3) it would be a big project, as far as I can see the pump is ECU controlled with a feedback loop. But I can see the advantages owning a C5. The pump does draw large amounts of power but then when you think how much pressure it has to generate that's not a surprise. Could a C5 pump produce enough flow to run an XM? On a C5 it only deals with the suspension.

Steve.

Funny I've also thought about this for years . And I didn't realise the C5 had an electric pump either.

To me the beauty of the system is the simplicity involved and also something less to go wrong at the back of the o/s road wheel on a dark rainy night in the middle of nowhere!

Surely it would be a fairly straightforward task to remove the mechanical pump, re-route the pipework and use a shorter less convoluted serpentine belt to drive the alternator.

I have seen multiple examples of Xantias using C5 spheres so there must be some compatibility.

I have a sphere tester that was built by a friend years ago. It is an old washing machine motor and gearbox and it relatively slowly turns a DS pump via a shortish belt. There is also a GS LHM tank for the reservoir.

We used the unit once to lift a DS that had been dead on its belly for at least 15 years. We removed the belt and had a long V belt between the tester gearbox and DS pump. We turned on the unit and held some tension against belt and after about 30 seconds the D came to life.

I have heard people say you can lift a car with a drill but have never seen it done. It takes a fair amount of torque.

Hi all, from my limited experience on a C5 phase 1 1.6hdi is that a small belt driven pump is still fitted to provide the power assisstance for the steering, and that lds being a synthetique fluid is not compatable with the seals of an lhm system - and costs £25 a litre!

Thanks Robert!

Whilst I NEVER EVER wanted a s1 C5 anyway,
that reinforces why I shouldn't even go near one!

I vowed never to bother with Bx's but I still ended up
with a 16v'er s2, but I KNOW I can resist a C5...

Andrew