sinking xantia

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pete@co.uk
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sinking xantia

Post by pete@co.uk »

hi guys
i dont know if i have a problem here but everytime i switch off the engine after a run on my 97 p reg xant and get out the car just sinks down straight away then when i go to restart agian a bit later on the car goes down further then comes back up to normal height ive tried sitting on the boot with the engine off just after its been running no movement at all and the suspension seems to floaty ive replaced the two front sphere,s but im thinking maybe i should replace them all but the bounce test on the back end says everythings ok also just last night coming home went to put my on the brake the peddle felt normal but no brakes then quickly put my foot on the brake again and all was ok the abs on my car does not work as it needs a new sensor on the rear going to get that fixed for the mot. ive read a lot here about the anti sink sphere and the accumilator sphere so do you think this is part of the problem.
pete..........................
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

On diesels it can be hard to recognise a fast ticking regulator - caused by a flat accumulator sphere. More often than not this is the cause of mysterious hydraulic problems.
I'd start here - as it is cheap and very easy to replace.
(it's the sphere located on front of engine)
pete@co.uk
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi thanks AndersDK
ill have a look into that ill change the front accumulator sphere, and see if there,s any differance.
pete...............
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

If you sit in the boot, having just turned off the engine and there is no movement at all your back spheres are flat and you are driving around in a car with no rear springs.
jeremy
pete@co.uk
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi jeremy
What i mean is there,s plenty of bounce in the rear suspension in fact its working like it should push it down comes back up then stops just like it should do. what i mean is turn the engine off then sit on the boot back goes down and stays down.
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Mandrake
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by pete@co.uk</i>

hi jeremy
What i mean is there,s plenty of bounce in the rear suspension in fact its working like it should push it down comes back up then then stops just like it should do. what i mean is turn the engine off then sit on the boot back goes down and stays down till i get off, it does,nt lift me agian like it should at least once it does when the engines running but not when the engines stopped.
pete.........................
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Which means the accumulator sphere is probably flat....
Regards,
Simon
pete@co.uk
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi
ive edited that so it makes more sense
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi mandrake
well thats the best way i could discribe it but would the accumulator sphere have an affect on the steering to.
pete...................
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi agian
more to say about this ive listened to the clicking on my car and its about once every six seconds even when its on the high setting so it sure looks like a new accumulator sphere is on the cards.
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Mandrake
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by pete@co.uk</i>

hi mandrake
well thats the best way i could discribe it but would the accumulator sphere have an affect on the steering to.
pete...................
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No, it shouldn't affect the steering at all as a 97 has the two output hydraulic pump so the steering doesn't run off the pressure from the accumulator sphere...
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Simon
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Post by Mandrake »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by pete@co.uk</i>

hi agian
more to say about this ive listened to the clicking on my car and its about once every six seconds even when its on the high setting so it sure looks like a new accumulator sphere is on the cards.
pete..........................
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And its frequent in the normal height setting as well ? Those and the fact that the rear lift with engine off test doesn't pass mean the accumulator sphere is almost certainly faulty...
Regards,
Simon
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Post by jeremy »

frequent ticking and a failure to lift the rear of the car suggests to me accumulator problems which are generally the sphere, which must be sound in any event for safety reasons, really to ensure proper functioning of the ABS.
I would expect rapid ticking to slow to normal or slower when the car was fully raised as in this position the height correctors are open and so the suspension spheres function like accumulators. The fact it doesn't suggests that the non-retrun valve in th regulator may be at fault, which is cheaper than it sounds.
the accumulator sphere sits on a mount with 3 openings in it. LHM comes in past the non - return valve and there are 3 ways it can go - onwards to the safety valve and the rest of the system which is correct, down the shaft of the regulator piston which is not correct and back the way it came which is past the non-return valve.
The valve is simply a ball bearing located behind a steel plate which keeps the piston in place as well. Undo the bolt, collect the ball bearing, stick it back in its hole with some grease, strike it smartly using a brass punch (NOT STEEL - you will flatten the ball) and re-assemble.
I can do it on my BX TD without removing the regulator from the car. I did mine about 3 years ago and the thing is still ticking very slowly. It was about 9 seconds before.
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi thanks jeremy
Thats interesting so where in fact on the accumulator arrangement is the non return valve i know the part well as i replaced the complete unit on a previous xantia is it at the bottom where that rubber pipe goes as mine was leaking there at the time.
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jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Take the sphere off and work on the mount face. Remove the bolt (10mm head?), take off the plate and if you're under the car you'll probably collect the ball in your eye!
Its in the hole under the plate. The rod in the centre is the piston I refer to and should be left alone. The outlet port is just a simple hole.
Seriously be prepared for the ball to come out and have a tray or something ready to collect it, otherwise you'll spend the rest of the day searching your drive!
jeremy
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Post by pete@co.uk »

hi thanks jeremy and mandrake
ok ill have to look into that sounds easy enough, sounds like ill have to look out for the ball [B)]! i can get to the sphere easy on my car so no problems there, i,ll replace the sphere anyway while its off as simon said.
pete........................
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