Adjusting ZX rear ride height.

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 06 Nov 2008, 00:23

I want to increase the ride height of the rear suspension on my ZX by increasing the pre-load on the torsion bars.

It has been a long time since I have worked on the suspension on my ZX and I cannot remember the adjustment required on the pre-load screws. My ZX manual is on a hard-drive on a now defunct PC, so I am hoping somebody on here knows.

From memory, I thought an eight of a turn added 3mm to the ride height. Am I right?

I only want to increase the ride height by about 30mm so that when the toolboxes are in the boot, the headlights are not illuminating the underside of the planes landing at Gatwick.

Handyman

Post by **RichardW** » 06 Nov 2008, 08:07

I'm pretty sure that to change the ride height on the rear of a ZX you have to pull out and turn the torsion bars - not a job for the feint hearted!

If you need to carry heavy loads without skywards headlights, you need hydraulic suspension

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 06 Nov 2008, 08:44

Hello Richard, I cannot remember pulling out the torsion bars to change the pre-load.

I seem to recall a section in the BOL, saying that there is a pre-load screw which you use to adjust the ride height so that both sides are level. You could not guarantee that both torsion bars had the same deflection when loaded with the car static.

Or am I just dreaming?

I do remember some of the older UK cars, like the Moggie have pre-load screws on their torsion bars.

Might have a crawl under the car this afternoon to have a looksee.

The lack of hydraulic suspension must have been an oversight when they designed the ZX!

Handyman

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 06 Nov 2008, 08:54

me to think the same as RichardW, i have never heard of this being possible on any of the PSA cars with this oribl type of suspension,

but i will browse my manual and get back to you

regards malcolm

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 06 Nov 2008, 09:11

You can download the ZX workshop manual (petrol) here:

http://citroeny.cz/servis/servis.htm

I think you adjust the ride height by turning the torsion bar locator - ie set the suspension a couple of notches round but have never done it and read it many years ago.

It's not going to help anyway - as the torsion bars will be the same so the back of the car will sink by the same amount when you put your tools in it.

You'll have to make friends with the headlamp alignment load compensators on the units - which I found work well.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 06 Nov 2008, 09:50

....or get a Xantia

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 06 Nov 2008, 10:20

Jeremy, thanks for the link to the BOL. No need to brush up on my Czech!

Malcolm, no need to check out your manual, as Jeremy's link told me all I needed.

Still need to adjust the ride height on the car, as I am sure over the years it has settled. Wonder if the spring rates varied between the models. Not as simple to adjust as the old 1950s British cars, with the pre-load screws.

My ZX is not a sophisticated model with headlamp self-levelling!

As for smart-a**ed comments about buying Xantias...........

Handyman

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 06 Nov 2008, 13:47

well i know the boy racer saxo crowed have there susp lowerd by dismantling and reassembling there rear axle onto diferant splines on the torsion bars, so it must be posible to go the other way

at the end of the day they must have lost there tension

regards malcolm

Post by **myglaren** » 06 Nov 2008, 17:33

It was my impression that all non-hydraulic French cars had a manual headlamp adjuster to eliminate just such woes. My Renaults certainly did, as did the Visa, I'm sure. I think my daughter's 106 and son's 306 have but I'm not going out in the rain to verify that right now. IIRC daughter's SAAB had one as well.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 07 Nov 2008, 08:06

Our ZX 1.9D has manual headlamp load adjusters which are easy to use and work on a cam principal. They're on the back of the light units and can be easily accessed by raising the bonnet. Load compensators have been a legal requirement for many years in France

Village · Post by **Village** » 07 Nov 2008, 14:18

how about fitting bigger rear tyres as a method of raising the deriere (fr sp?), that has got to be easier that adjusting the torsion bar, which is the way I understand the ride high is adjusted.

Pete

Post by **myglaren** » 07 Nov 2008, 16:31

jeremy wrote:Our ZX 1.9D has manual headlamp load adjusters which are easy to use and work on a cam principal. They're on the back of the light units and can be easily accessed by raising the bonnet. Load compensators have been a legal requirement for many years in France

The cars I mentioned above all had an adjustment control on the dashboard, near the light switch.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 07 Nov 2008, 20:17

Headlamp adjusters on the dashboard - bit soft for us (must be on a more expensive car - perhaps that's an Aura feature rather than an Avantage!)

Post by **myglaren** » 07 Nov 2008, 20:56

I don't think you could describe a Renault 4 as an expensive car - I paid 60 quid for mine. Admittedly someone had knocked a drystone wall over with it when the brakes failed but still

None of the others are/were expensive other than the R11 TXE, which was an amusing car, talked to me - who needs a radio?

handyman · Post by **handyman** » 09 Nov 2008, 08:16

Interesting that a thread that started out as a query about suspension has headed off in the direction of adjusting the headlamps and a talking car!

All I wanted was to stop the car looking overloaded when I put something heavy in the boot.

I think the best bit of advice so far is to fit larger wheels at the back, or the converse, smaller ones at the front.

Anybody got a spare sump pan.......

Handyman