Working on Citroen hydraulic systems can be very dangerous only ever work on the hydraulic system when it is depressurised (if you do not know how to do this then do not try anything on this page) and with the car supported by axel stands underneath. People have been killed and seriously injured in the past due attempting to fix Citroen hydraulic systems by not knowing what they were doing. If you don't know exactly what you are doing then it could be you that gets killed or seriously injured.
I accept no liability for any damage caused to you, your car or any third party due to you following or attempting anything written on this page. I am not a professionaly trained mechanic and any advice should be treated appropriately.
Note, when talking about passenger side and drivers side that I am in the UK and I have a right hand drive Activa!
This picture is taken under the front wheel arch on the passenger side, the front Activa ram has been removed as has the road wheel.
The little block with a rod going through it circled and labelled B1 needs
to be kept lubricated with grease to reduce friction, as you can see this one
has not been lubricated and has gathered lots of rust.
This rod is connected to the bottom of the suspension arm and moves the linkage
that controls the side to side movement (roll) of the car.
There is another one of these on the drivers side of the car, pack
them out with a molybdenum grease or similar.
This picture is taken under the front wheel arch on the passenger side.
A1 is the hydraulic supply pipes for the Activa ram and the low pressure return flow from the Activa ram. A2 is the top bolt/fixing for the Activa ram and A3 is the lower bolt/fixing for the Activa ram.
removing the ram
first off depressurise the hydraulic system, if you don't know how to do this then I won't tell you. The Haynes manual does tell you though, as do several websites.
if you need to replace the front activa ram I would suggest that you disconnect the hydraulic pipes labelled at A1 *first* if not when you have undone the bolts the ram will expand and contract and be a pain to remove due to the residual pressure in the hydraulic system.
When we removed the ram on my car we ended up having to use an angle grinder to cut through the bolt at A2 (we had to be very careful not to damage the mounting for the ram) this was due to the nut ringing off many times and ending up with a rather round bit of metal. (we also tried using a nut-splitter but it shattered while trying to split the nut!).
If by now you have the ram removed it is time to shove it in a vice to remove the hydraulic pipes and fit them into the new ram. (check them for wear first, and replace them if they look worn out).
refitting should be easy and obvious.
*ABOVE* faulty hydraulic ram after removal. before pipes are removed.
*BELOW* new hydraulic ram just out of the box.
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No reproduction without prior permission
contact: adam.website@thebowery.co.uk