Hi all
I thought it was about time I had a hydraulic fluid leak as I really need the car at the moment as my young son is over here from Switzerland!!It is coming from underneath the LHM tank area I think and dripping onto the wheelarch and then down onto the floor.It is quite a bad leak(not so bad that the contents of the system to leak out in one go but it is very noticeable,and there is a fair sized patch of fluid on the ground afterwards.I don't have time to investigate until Sunday now.What could it be in this area?Is this the location for the pump?The suspension is working fine at the moment and I have had no warning lights on............yet!!!!
Help!!!!!!!
Regards Rob

Are you sure its not the suspension leak off pipe? When they start leaking the fluid goes everywhere, so its difficult to tell. Put the car on full suspension height, that will enable you to see the pipe above the wheel, if it has split, pull it off, cut off the perished part and refit. You can probably do this without taking the wheel off.

Peter.N.

Hi Peter
I had a "go" at the suspension pipe today!!!!What you didn't tell me is that the pipe goes into a rubber block that fits into the suspension and appears to be a complete 1 piece moulded item(held in by a steel band).Of course yours truly gets the left hand end off easily and then tries to pull the tube off at the other end which of course snaps leaving a 1/2" stub out of sight behind the suspension
Not being happy with a 1/2" stub I still try and pull it off eventually leaving only the rubber where it gets wider!!!!!!! By now I have realised that it is a 1 piece item and have my car jacked up diagonally across a shared drive with darkness quickly approaching............the XM Mk1 breaking advertisement was being prepared!!
I tried to get a piece of brake tube to push down into the rubber stub,but Halfords don't do brake lines anymore and so I bought a 90 degree washer pipe connector that I have put on it.....in the dark Early signs are it may have worked I will let you know.
A relative of my neighbour was visiting today and he replaced one on his XM but he said it was specially moulded by Citroen for him.
There was too much LHM in the car to start with,I thought the yellow UFO was stuck,but when the powersteering started working intermittently I looked and it had dissappeared!
Regards Rob

Hi Rob

Oh dear! Its only usually the top end of the pipe that gives problems, and I only suggested repairing it that end. If its leaking on the strut, it could be that the clamp is loose. You should be able to get a replacement leak off pipe and metal clamp from GSF for not to much money, although I have not been able to succesfully fit their clamp, I have been using plastic cable ties. I expect someone will tell you how to fit it. You must thouroughly clean the strut before fitting the new one, not easy, but easier if you put the steering on full lock.

Peter.

Hi Peter
By now you all have a good idea of my prowess when it comes to repairing things-the XM is probably the worst car I could have as I am 6'3" tall,and I have big hands
However...........it has stopped leaking ...........at the moment. So I will leave it alone now
I think Xm's are like painting the Forth Road Bridge,just when you think you have finished...........you start again.
I put new glow plugs in mine(OK the garage did!)and it was starting 2 or 3rd turn even in the cold.The latest trick is it takes 2 attempts to start(ie turning it over for say 5 seconds before it starts),and then the revs drop and it stalls.It maybe does this twice and then on the 3rd time it starts,runs and idles normally when cold(ie with increased revs until it is warm).From warm the car starts normally.I know you said it does not have a choke as such,but it appears that whatever it does when it is cold it is not doing 1st or second time!!!
Anyway any suggestions would be gratefully received,but if they are any more complicated that pumping the tyres up I will pass!!! Mind you that reminds me of a girlfriend once who had a new Golf,after about 3 months all her tyres looked flattish.I asked her if she had been pumping the tyres up,she said yes of course.Anyway the I pumped the tyres up for her and the same thing happened after a while they went down again despite her protestations that she was pumping them up.A short time afterwards we were in the car together and I went to pay for the petrol,she went to pump the tyres up,when I went over she was merrily letting air out of the tyres as she hadn't switched the compressor on and had been doing that for 6 months!
Regards Rob

Hi there,

Sounds like the Pump OR pipe work could be letting the fuel run back a bit or Air in over time..

You can have enough fuel in the HIGH PRESSURE side to start the car, but no fuel at the intake side of the pump to keep it going, as you spin the car over a couple of times it fills up then runs...

Have you tried before you start:: Hand Prime the fuel system till the bulb goes hard...

If it still happens, then I'm a little stumpped too..

Good luck
citroenxm

Hi again

Yes, sounds like air ingress, as citroenxm says. Check the fuel pipes to the pump for tightness and the injector leak off pipes, they have a knack of splitting. If the fuel filter has been changed recently, check that it is sealing properly, if it hasn't, change it!

Yes, I will concur with your comments about the fourth bridge, you have to do everything thats likely to want doing when the opportunity arises. I fitted a new head gasket to mine last year, not a job I would want to do again, I also fitted a new radiator so as to hopefully preempt any further head trouble, and anything else that was likely to fail, while I had the head off. Its also had a new water pump and hydraulic pump, but it has given me almost trouble free service for the best part of a year/15k miles.

Peter.N.

Hi Rob,

Sounds like the other chaps are right about the air in the fuel system. The things I have had letting in air over the years have been a porous Fuel stop solenoid (Green Top), a small 'O' ring on the Throttle Spindle on the Lucas Injector pump, and last year the non return valve on the fuel priming pump (above the fuel filter) was letting fuel back to the tank. This became apparent as I don't use the car very often. Every 2-3 weeks or so. This I believe is an easily changed service part, but could be fixed by stripping the unit down and giving it a good clean.
Hope this is of use to You.


Regards Bob (Sparky)

Hi Peter.

Just a short note I normally manage to get the metal clips on to the suspension legs using a small pair of waterpump pliers and a few choice words. It seems to work for me. On the subject of leak of pipes I did a temporary repair several years ago by drilling a short piece of 6" nail to make a sturdy reconnection of the split pipe. Lastd tilll I remembered to replace it 4 or 5 years later.

Regards Bob (Sparky)

Hi all
No leaks(hydraulic) for 4 days now,so I think my bodge has worked.It is still leaving a small pool of coolant when the car cools down though,I am convinced it is heater related,but can't see where it is coming from,so I am just going to leave it and hope it(the car)survives until the summer.The heater doesn't always blow hot air immediately,more luke warm.
Thanks for all the help
Regards Rob