–By Eric Fantin– As per previous articles I have been working on this DS 21 lately. The biggest job was to remove and replace a very recalcitrant water pump. A couple weeks later, a sizeable leak appeared from the rear driver side of the suspension. Diagnosis? The rear suspension ram and boot were leaking badly and in need of replacement.
In order to do a proper job, the hydraulic ram and related parts have to be removed from the car. IT SHOULD be a relatively routine job but in this case the aluminum ram was fused to the chassis by years of dirt and rust. It took MANY attempts! Everything was soaked in penetrant, followed by repeated poundings with a wooden wedge. It finally got dislodged! Victory at last!!
The ram was cleaned and new seals installed and the boot. The whole unit is then inserted back in the chassis, connected to the supply line and return line along with the suspension sphere. Many liters of LHM fluid is then added to the supply tank and the car will eventually rise up to the standard suspension height. Next is to check for leaks…. so far so good..
Next will be a complete bleeding of the system and a test drive to make sure everything is in order. Eventually, I will have to deal with some pesky wiring issues but that is for an other day.