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RETURN PIPE LHM LEAK FROM BROKEN Y PIECE EASIER FIX.

Posted: 17 Aug 2017
by mongrelpom
Hi
Yeah I noticed a load of LHM a few months back by the rear off side wheel.
Havent had to top much up since, occasional drop coming out.
Anyway, I decided to do the fix, obviously it was the plastic y piece had finally disintegrated that joins the lhm resevoir tank return pipe to the 2 sphere strut gator overflow return pipes.
For any who dont know, the rubber gator round the struts that poke out the spheres are half full of oil that gets past the sphere seals over time.
Anyway these return pipes you can see coming out the bottom of the gator nearest the sphere (the other one just is an air vent and pokes up into the rear axle) join up above the subframe above the axle on the off side wheel via a 3mm internal diameter female y piece which disintegrates after 27 years.
A real bitch to work on but I was fairly easily able to repair it WITHOUT LOWERING THE SUBFRAME by buying a short (30cm or so) length of that yellow plasticy rubbery vacuum pipe ( 3mm internal diameter 5 mm external).
I then bought for 50 p each a 3mm external diameter male y piece & two 3mm external diameter male straight connectors. I will pop the e bay links below.
I then put suspension on high & ran the engine, jacked up rear offside wheel & removed, put some bricks under drum brake just incase, took out spare & put rack up. Ran engine again & jumped underneath on a magic carpet with a torch. DONT HIT THE HEIGHT CORRECTOR ROD BY ACCIDENT .Managed to get my fingers on the pipe from resevoir ( COMES FROM TOWARDS THE WHEEL ) . Shoved the straight connector into it with 15mm of new yellow pipe already on connector. reached over by exhaust with my thin arms to pull piece of yellow pipe up & rear wards behind subframe. Did exactly the same with the return pipe from the off side strut and flapped it up & over. Then put the y piece in the pipe from the nearside strut & connected the 2 yellow pipes to it.
Total time 1/2 hour.
I refuse to spend too much time on this vehicle but strangely I have become somewhat attached to it.
The connectors are only 1mm internal but I they will still flow but dont get muck down em!
I made a picture of how I did it but I only used 1 piece of pipe in picture which is not possible.
Of course, I admit this is a botch but the pipes sit up out of the way & dont wear or snag.

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AoBNEmHO0aQgkEEjbaLr1GJrTCVO

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOSE-WATER-ST ... 99b7bd4f4c

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Y-Piece-Barbe ... 9069b1642d

Re: RETURN PIPE LHM LEAK FROM BROKEN Y PIECE EASIER FIX.

Posted: 17 Aug 2017
by mongrelpom
pipe bought here

3mm internal 5mm external 60cm

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2mm-2-5mm-3mm ... 2749.l2649

Re: RETURN PIPE LHM LEAK FROM BROKEN Y PIECE EASIER FIX.

Posted: 17 Aug 2017
by mongrelpom
Better picture of end result

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AoBNEmHO0aQgkEMFFqh4-rqUzryB



Y-PIECE LHM LEAK REAR SPHERE STRUT RETURN PIPE CITROEN BX DISINTEGRATED Y

Re: RETURN PIPE LHM LEAK FROM BROKEN Y PIECE EASIER FIX.

Posted: 25 Aug 2017
by Vanny
That Y piece is exactly what I have on my car.
I was always told to use oil pipe with LHM (rather than fuel) so I have silicon pipes on the returns from the front struts. Never had a problem, but the car doesn't go far