One of the most common questions people ask about their high pressure Citroëns hydraulic systems is… How do I release the pressure on the hydraulic system to remove a sphere?

The last time I tried I carefully loosened the bleed screw on the regulator, but still got a hydraulic bath when I tried to remove a sphere”

Well there can often be more to releasing all the pressure on the Citroën hydraulic system then just opening up the bleed screw on the regulator, because there will still be residual pressure in the system even after that is done.

Here is a method that you might want to try: First get yourself some eye protection in the form of some safety glasses or goggles. Next turn the engine off on the Citroën. Open the bleed screw on the regulator. (this can be located in various places depending on the particular model of Citroën) Check your owners manual if you have one.

If not look for the sphere in the engine compartment that is attached to a  metal bodied component with two steel lines and one rubber hose coming from the body of the component. That seems to be the easiest way to describe it if you don’t already know where it is located.

Once you have located the regulator, check for a bolt head on the side of it that should be 12mm in size. With the car turned off loosen this screw about a quarter of a turn. You will hear the pressure release in the system when you do this.  Now move into the interior of the car and grab hold of the height adjusting lever or switch . This is located down by your foot on a D series Citroën, and in the center console on GS, and early CX, and a sliding switch in the center console on later Hydraulic Citroëns.

What you want to do with that lever or switch is move it to the lowest position first and let the Citroën settle completely down. Now that it is in it’s lowest position and resting on it’s bump stops, move the lever or switch to the highest position. If the Citroën still has residual pressure in the system you will notice it attempt to lift up.  What you want to do at this point is move the lever or switch slowly back and forth between these two positions until you don’t get any more reaction out of the car and it just stays down in the lowest position.

At this point the hydraulic system of your Citroën should be completely depressurized. Now move around to the front of the car and grab hold of one of the two suspension spheres and try to move the sphere from side to side . You should be able to get some movement out of them showing you that the suspension no longer has any pressure in it. Now you should be able to remove any of the spheres without getting a hydraulic bath; but be sure to keep those safety glasses on for your own safety.

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What type of brake fluid should I use in my Citroën 2CV ?

This question recently was sent in and here is my answer:

1. If you have a pre 1980s Citroën 2CV (that is a Citroën 2CV with four wheel drum brakes), then you want to use a good quality DOT 3 or DOT 4 brake fluid . My own personal choice is a DOT 4 product made by Castrol called Castrol LMA . (the LMA stands for low moisture absorbing ). As we all know, this is a good quality for brake fluid to have since it is by nature hygroscopic, or has a tendency to absorb moisture.
   Regardless, the other bit of info I can’t stress enough is to completely drain and flush out the system at least every 2 years in your Citroën 2CV . More problems and troubles with brakes seem to be caused by neglecting to do this fairly simple procedure, and moisture builds up in the system and corrosion occurs.
2. OK, second answer to the question: If you have a Citroën 2CV that is later then this date or has disc brakes on the front to be more accurate, then you want to be using LHM fluid . Yes, the same green stuff that you put in the hydraulic suspension cars of the same period.
   Here again you want to practice my advice of changing the fluid at least every two years. Changing the fluid is such an inexpensive form of maintenance, next to rebuilding or changing out brake parts. The more I find, as these Citroëns get older and enter collector status, people have a tendency to use them less and less, and this is where periodic maintenance becomes even more important.

So take care of those Citroën 2CVs because they just don’t make them anymore!

Later,

Denis

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What do you do if your Citroen has a contaminated Hydraulic System?

I know that I have harped on this subject for several articles now, but it is more of a problem than you might think. I found when I worked on Citroens , the cars either caught fire and burned or were abandoned because the hydraulic system had become contaminated and the owner found out that it was going to be mighty expensive to repair the car.

Well, the shop manuals and the dealer bulletins would tell you to replace some of the major rubber components. Then, if the car was a brake fluid car you were supposed to flush the lines out with first alcohol , then (I love this) gasoline , then alcohol again. If the car was LHM you were to use: gasoline , then alcohol . The systems were then to have compressed air blown through them to dry things out.

Now here is my advice…

Most cars, unless you catch it right away, are far too gone with rubber deterioration to merely have a few things replaced and then blow things down with air. What you have to realize is, just like a dirty gas tank , you either deal with it completely or walk away from the car.

You have to weigh what the car is really worth to you and the market, because what I am going to tell you is the cheapest way to deal with this problem.

Find another Citroën of the same vintage with the same hydraulic items on it. What I mean here is, if it has a Citromatic or hydraulic assisted transmission , you want to find another car with that same option.

Now this Citroen should be one with all the proper hydraulic parts and systems intact, but find one that is either an accident casualty, or a car with a rusted out frame. If you find one that is both then you really did well, because that means you can probably buy this Citorën quite cheap and in this situation, that is the name of the game.

Next you want to put your Citroën next to it, remove all the body panels, put it up on jack stands or a lift and start removing all the hydraulic components , and I mean everything . This includes all rubber hoses and return lines , even the hydraulic tank . Once this is done you want to shoot carb cleaner and then compressed air through all the steel lines that are still on the car.

Repeat this process twice.

Now that is done, sit that rusted out car that you purchased with the same components on it next to your keeper and start removing the parts from it and putting them on yours. This will probably take you or your mechanic a good 40 hours worth of labor time, so be sure to weigh this into the final cost of things when you figure whether your car is worth performing this task on or just walking away from.

Be a realist and face up to the fact that unless your Citroën is a fine example with a fresh motor, a nice interior, sweet frame, and a good looking paint job, you might be better off trying to find another nice example of your car without a contaminated hydraulic system .

This problem will not just go away on it’s own.

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Boy, this is how everyone should get the oil in their Citroëns changed. I think my SM is due. :0)

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