Xantia rear seems too soft

RoadkillUK · Post by **RoadkillUK** » 12 Apr 2006, 13:21

As title, the rear seems too soft and it tends to rise and fall as I'm driving, I don't mean extremes but just enought to pee off the driver in front with my headlights.

Last year I changed the 3 rear spheres and also the rear brake calipers. I did this because the rear brakes were not working at all and apart from the safety aspect, it was making the car lower after braking (with the back end lifting during braking). The reason I replaced the spheres at the back was because the car was sat down at the back end.

While I was changing the rear spheres, I noticed that the connector that fastens to the white clip and clamps onto the rear suspension had come loose so I clamped it up.

I'm wondering what could be causing the car to rise and fall as I'm driving, I think it could be ....

a) Air in the system (although I bled the system I thought this would any remaining air would work it's way back to the reservoir)

b) That clamp that I fastened could be in the wrong position and the car is trying to rectify.

c) Lastly is the expensive one, Is it possible (god forbid) that the height adjuster may be faulty.

Spere's are the correct ones for my car and the rear brakes are working fine.

'98 Xantia (new shape) 1.9TD Hatch
NOT activa

Cheers.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 12 Apr 2006, 14:47

The most likely problem is that the height corrector linkage is sticking, thats the bit that the white clip is connected to. Try spraying it with WD40 several times over a period of a few days.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 12 Apr 2006, 19:09

The spheres themselves won't make any difference to the ride height - if they are new, flat or whatever the ride height is determined by the height corrector alone - when the engine is running.

The usual problem is the height corrector linkage sticking or the plastic link has come off. Lubrication works wonders.

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 12 Apr 2006, 20:48

Nobody seems to have mentioned the obvious here - soft rear suspension will compress under acceleration, causing the car to tilt backwards when you accelerate and forwards when you ease off.

You don't say whether you have a Hydractive 2 model or not, but they are even softer than normal so this behaviour is semi-normal. This is why Hydractive 2 switches to hard mode for a short time when accelerating hard to try and avoid this constant pitching. (It's only partly successful)

If its not Hydractive 2, make sure you've put the right spheres on the rear - for a 98 hatch they should be 30 bars. If the ones you've fitted are 40 bar ones that are meant for the estate this will make the ride much too soft, and at least double the amount of suspension movement with acceleration. Check for a stamped 30 or 40 near the filler plug on the spheres, if it says 40, get them exchanged for the correct ones.

Even with the correct spheres though, you have to expect some pitching of the rear with acceleration - it's unavoidable with suspension that is soft as that found on a Citroen...

Regards,
Simon