Xantia Suspension

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clarkekd
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Xantia Suspension

Post by clarkekd »

My Xantia is bouncing at the front as if there is no damping at all. Is this a symptom of bad spheres ? I thought when they wore out the ride was supposed to be too hard rather than too soft ?
I got some replacement spheres from GSF but cannot get the old ones off. I used a strap wrench but kept breaking straps. Should it be this hard ? Have I depressurised properly (lever in minimum with engine on, loosen screw on main accumulator). My car is model with anti-sink valve.
I also found that after syphoning half a litre of fluid out of the reservoir it is still above max. Does overfilling matter ?
NiSk
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Post by NiSk »

Strap wrenches are pretty useless for sphere removal. For the front spheres, you need at least a chain wrench, preferably a proper sphere remover (see GSF). If you ever get round to the rear spheres, these can be real bu**ers! Don't release hydraulic presure until you have cracked the joint, otherwise you can end up screwing the hydraulic pipes off the rear cylinders!
The only problem that will occur if you have too much LHM in the reservoir is that you get it over everything. Overfilling is usually case of either the needle float sticking, making you think there's less in it than there is, or a sudden influx of LHM when you change the brake pads (pushing the pistons into the calipers forces a fair bit of oil back into the reservoir).
//NiSk
clarkekd
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Post by clarkekd »

Thanks Nisk
Does my problem sound like spheres ? I worried it might be something else like struts -sound expensive and difficult. I forgot to add ride height is about right, possibly slightly high at front or low at rear.
- Kevin
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Post by RichardW »

LHM level should be checked with the car on high - it will always read over the top at normal height.
Flat spheres give a hard ride - the flatter the harder. There will be little or no movement of the car when pushing down on the front. If the spheres arr seized on it is likely that they are old, and therefore pretty suspect.
If the ride is very wallowy, then you could have spheres that are far too soft - try with the new ones and see what it feels like then.
andy99
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Post by andy99 »

I had the same problem with my xantia. It wallowed round corners. I put this problem to people when i first came on here and they suggested the wrong spheres had been fitted. It was quite bad, when i braked hard the front end would bounce up and down as though it was on a spring!! It has stopped it now because I think the accumulator sphere and the anti sink sphere need changing, but howver the ride quality is how I think it should be on a xantia. Its just that the car now sinks when i turn off ignition, and the accumulator spends a lot of time clicking. If i renew these two spheres then i think the suspension may go back to wallowing, in which case i will have to get new spheres all round!
Andy
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Post by NiSk »

Hi Andy,
If your hydraulic pump/accumulator sphere are clicking at a rate of more than 1 click per 5 seconds, you've got trouble brewing! With a fully charged accumulator and the rest of the hydraulic system in new condition, it shouldn't tick more than once a minute, but things get worn and with a full accumulator and a car with a few years behind it, the clicking shouldn't be more often than every 30 seconds, otherwise something is leaking badly (internally).
//NiSk
clarkekd
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Post by clarkekd »

I have now done the job and the Xantia is gliding along lovely. Will give details of the tool I used in a new message.
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