C5 X7 leak from steering rack (power steering pipe)

[Archibald]

My C5 is leaking from the steering rack. Steering shaft is dry so it's most likely aluminium return pipe, which apparently is quite common to leak.
Anyway, the problem is that I can't find any information on the actual cause of leak. Many tried new seals which often doesn't help. Some say that it's micro cracks on the aluminium pipe, some that it's due to corrosion and new pipe is required. It looks to me that it's might be due to tension in the pipe causing the sealing end to not line up in the steering rack and leaking
Has anyone investigated this issue and found a reasonable and long term solution? Thank you

[Stickyfinger]

Most seem to report corrosion between the metals as the cause...............bad luck but it (again reported) does not seem to much hassle to change it. It can be hard to ID/Find the correct replacement, Citroen are unlikely to have one on stock in the UK so often it is delayed a few days.

Do you have all the access to Citroen Service so you can check part numbers etc ?

[Archibald]

I have obtained 4 steering racks with no leaks and to be fair my pipe is not corroded (I had removed the end bit) so I wanted to be sure why it's leaking before replacing it, especially that it requires a lot of work to replace this stupid pipe.
My idea was to include additional o-ring seal where the flange is made on the pipe to fit in the recess on the rack, but I need to find correct o-ring size. If however this is caused by cracks, my solution will not fix the problem.
I have access to Citroen service, but it only list complete pipe assembly, no seals.

[GiveMeABreak]

Citroen only sell the complete kit. Had mine done - was down to water on the union causing the rust and then the deterioration of the seals. Mega $$$$'s but had mine done under warranty. Will be interesting to know where else yours leaks from if not here.

[Archibald]

Only high pressure pipe is made of Carbon Steel. This one is not leaking.
Leaking pipe is made of aluminium and with aluminium rack there should be no rust. There is also no oxidisation on mine, so I'm running out of ideas.
I will have to start from beginning and check steering shaft seal again and all other connections to exclude it.
Many people had pipes replaced and it didn't solve the problem, so I wanted to be sure before purchasing any parts.
My Citroen service is useless and will charge mega bucks for every simple thing, but they are owned by financial company so profits must be made.