Checking and topping up the hydraulic system

Citroen Xantia maintenance guide

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Citroen
• Xantia
• Video
• Guide
• LHM
• Maintenance

[Globox822]

also can you remove the old fluid and how?

[frenchcarforum]

@Globox822 Yes you can. Have a look at "Spheres, Hydraflush and Brake Bleeding" under the How To section on the French Car Forum. I would post a link but seems like I cant!

[Globox822]

So car should be "on" when checking the level?

[frenchcarforum]

@Globox822 Not necessarily, as long as the suspension is on its highest position and it hasn't sunk at all.

[igor0091]

I have a 1995 Citroen Xantia 1.9 TD,and I have a problem,no brakes,no power steering and suspention,the car is jumping all over the place.I'm guessing it has something to do with the hydraulics, and there is enough LHM fluid,checked.I noticed that on the far left side of the engine,where the hydraulic pump is located,that the rubber belt is loose and the metal wheel is not turning when the car starts.Therefore the car doesn't lift up. How do I thighten up that belt?

Any help is welcome. Thanks!

[frenchcarforum]

Firstly, do you have Aircon? Cars with Aircon have a spring tensioner in which the roller bearings do seize. If you don't have aircon you will have a manual tension setup, most probably this has loosened. Best bet is to ask on the French Car Forum for more details.

[jensge994]

This was great! You should make more vidoes like this one, for us novice ppl!

[Killerbaby8]

Thanks, great!

[Slayerblade1000]

ok i bought 1998 xantia 1.8 16v amazing car but i was cheking the oil and it was low i went tho the auto garage and the guy filed so that the yellow was ower the top mark and he did it in normal ride position i didnt know until now that is not righ so what now  can anything happen shoul i chek the oil level in top position pls anwser tnx sry for bad english

[sanalmaymun]

Thanks for that video.

Are you filling the liquid on the highest position or in the regular one?

[frenchcarforum]

@thierryanna Could be one of two things, probably that there is too much LHM in the tank, nothing bad should come of this apart from getting spills. The other thing could be that the float is stuck which is unlikely. The only sure fire way of checking is to pop off the pipes on the top, unclip the retainer over the top of the tank and lift up the circle section where all the pipes connect. The level should then drop down.

[rsturbo1980]

hi there i have a 1998 xantia td and the suspension on the front rises but the back won.t. but the back only rises to standed and thats it what could be the fault. i have checked the lmh fluid and the orange thing where it shows how much fluid is at the top and don,t move even though i put anothe 1ltr of lmc due to doing back brakes. its not bothering me has it only work to standed driving but won,t rise just thought what could be coursing it.

[onlypasadena]

tengo un problema con mi xantia 2.0 1996.. el testigo de hidraulico se prende cada rato. y queda sin frenos exporadicamente..lo he purgado y no ha funcionado..cuando no se prende el testigo, los frenos funcionan bien..

[legacyofpop]

I believe that your car has an automatic tensioner for the auxiliary belt that drives the hydraulic pump.

Sounds like you should treat yourself to a new one of each. I sourced mine on EBay for about £50 for both.

Fitting is a little bit tricky, you would do well to pick up a Haynes manual ( EBay again, perhaps £2 ) , chapter 1B, section 15, 1.9i engines paragraph gives a very good description of the procedure to secure the tensioner while you re-fit the belt.

DO use new parts. It pays.

[igor0091]

I have 1995 Citroen Xantia, my brakes, power steering and spheres are not working, my car is jumping all over the place, and I can't raise it up to service high. I noticed that the rubber belt on the far left side of the engine is loose and the metal wheels that are connected to the hydraulic pump is not turning, so my guess is that it needs to be tighten up, so I need someone to tell me how I can manually do that.

any help is appriciated, thank you so much!

[legacyofpop]

WOW ! New pump installed and fully functioning.

Stop light off in under two seconds, ready to drive in under seven. Massive difference, no stop light when driving. Problem solved. Thanks for responding.

[legacyofpop]

Thanks, my friend. Since then the pump started ticking like crazy at start-up, so I bit the bullet and ordered one off EBay. £135.00 inc. postage. (Geniune and brand new). I'll comment later on how it pans out, but, in the meantime, thanks again for your helpful comment.

[andrecitroen1966]

If there is no sign of a leak (ie green on drieway) then you probably don't have a leak. some lhm escapes out the top of the reservoir

[andrecitroen1966]

unsure, but best to syphon out some lhm back to a normal level then see.

[andrecitroen1966]

Ignore the gold disc - it is the top hat you need to focus on - maybe the car was pumping up when he showed that clip - ignore it. just switch engine on, put lever to maximum height, pop up bonnet, WIPE the LHM CAP FIRST so it is clean (not mentioned in vid), wait for car to rise fully then review hat and markers - hat should be in between 2 lines. some LHM on top of box is normal don't worry just wipe it off with tissue - it does ooze lhm a bit this is normal

[andrecitroen1966]

It's an overflow pipe so yours is correct - just tuck it down around the pipes - mine faces backwards to the left.

[Craigie121]

I've just gone to check the fluid but the black rubber pipe coming from the cap isnt connected to anything and I cant see where it goes. Any help?

[kevsurf2003]

Great video, thanks. I'm a little confused. In the dome where the fluid level indicator is, I have an orange top hat, as described, but I also have a gold disc underneath that. Looking at your video at about 0:40 I can see the same disc with the orange bit right at the top of the dome. However, in the next shot, the orange bit seems to be between the two markers??? I have a puddle of green liquid on top of the black box near the level indicator so I'm trying to figure out if I am losing LHM.

[legacyofpop]

Hmmm.... Checked my fluid level on service high today, looks like it's been heavily over-filled ! I quite often get the red "STOP" light while I'm driving, could that be why ?