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Old 11-20-2006, 06:35 PM
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OldPokey OldPokey is offline
0-60 in 10 minutes flat
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Middletown MD
Posts: 527
HSMO is NOT Z-HM

After reading a few threads on Benz hydraulic suspension systems, I realized the PO of my car had screwed up yet again.

When I was looking at the car I noticed that the SLS hydraulic fluid tank was empty, so I asked the feller (a mechanic) what was going on. He said he'd forgotten to fill it after the last time he worked on the car (about a year ago when it was parked) and handed me a couple liters of Castrol HSMO (Hydraulic System Mineral Oil) he had in stock - stuff used by Jaguar, Rolls & Bentley hydraulic suspensions. Not knowing any better and trusting him (HA!), I poured them in, bled the system with some help from a couple big guys who were standing around to act as ballast and everything seemed OK.

Of course, now I find out that HSMO is mineral based (like baby oil) and Z-HM is hydrocarbon. All they have in common is that they are green. Now I get to drain and flush the SLS system too! Yay!!!

Here's a link about Citroen hydraulic fluids. There's an interesting table comparing viscosity of various hydraulic fluids at different temperatures.

http://www.candokaraoke.com/tony.html
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