Hi!
Car: XM TD12 '94, non hydraktiv.
After using the car to pull a heavily laden trailer over rough ground, the suspension has decided that the "normal" position of the heigh adjustment lever equates to raised suspension height.
Ahaa! though I, something is broke in the linkages between the height regulator and the anti-roll bar. A quick look under while the car was over an inspection pit however revealed nothing evidently wrong. So I checked the ride height as per Citroën instructions - exactly in the middle of the limits.
Humm, I was so sure the ride height has too high! THEN, while muttering to myself in the car after an evening trip, I lowered the car to service level (lowest) then raised it to normal, the car rose but the hissing noise fromthe hydraulics didn't stop when the car had reached normal position. I waggled the styring wheel about and the hissing stopped, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME I could see the height of the headlights rising!
So it seems that the car assumes the correct height when starionary, but as soon as I start turning the steering wheel, the height rises!
Anyone got any ideas about this crazy fault?
//NiSk
XM Suspension problems
Moderator: RichardW
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Dave Burns
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: 14 May 2001, 05:30
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
- x 2
Hi NiSk, long time no post, where ya been hiding.
Do these cars have flow dividers like the bx, if so I would think its going to be a combination of things, possibly worn height corrector, FDV if it has one and regulator.
The pump idle circuit is routed through the pinion valve, so your turning the wheel causes a restriction, this means oil that would be wasted back to the tank then goes to the suspension, which makes me believe the h/c is a worn.
Also if there is a FDV it could be alowing oil to return before the main accumulator pressure is reached, or the regulator cuts off too early.
Dave
Do these cars have flow dividers like the bx, if so I would think its going to be a combination of things, possibly worn height corrector, FDV if it has one and regulator.
The pump idle circuit is routed through the pinion valve, so your turning the wheel causes a restriction, this means oil that would be wasted back to the tank then goes to the suspension, which makes me believe the h/c is a worn.
Also if there is a FDV it could be alowing oil to return before the main accumulator pressure is reached, or the regulator cuts off too early.
Dave
These symptoms sound weird to me. If the height corrector is ok (including linkage), it shouldn't raise the car above the normal height (with the lever in normal position), no matter how high the input pressure.
NiSk, I suggest checking the behaviour of your car again, maybe you'll find that it isn't exactly as you wrote.
Also, check if there is a flow-distributor above the regulator, or there is a 6+2 pump (with separate output for power steering) and no flow-distributor, so we'll see...
NiSk, I suggest checking the behaviour of your car again, maybe you'll find that it isn't exactly as you wrote.
Also, check if there is a flow-distributor above the regulator, or there is a 6+2 pump (with separate output for power steering) and no flow-distributor, so we'll see...
Hi Dave and youthers! youall know the Swedes go into hibernation in the winter dontcha? . . .Yes Alex, it is wierd! otherwise I wouldn't be asking for help!
Well it doesn't have a 6+2 pump and as far as a flow diver is concerned, I wouldn't know what it would look like or where to find it. Alex says above the regulator: is that the height regulator or the pressure regulator?
Where does a height corrector wear? in the external linkages or inside the cylindrical unit? Can it be repaired or must it be replaced?
I'm wondering if teh steering pinion valve is worn, I often get a "rushing" sound from the steering while waiting at traffic light etc, this disapears if I turn the steering wheel slightly.
See what you can make of this additional info.
Regards, NiSk
Well it doesn't have a 6+2 pump and as far as a flow diver is concerned, I wouldn't know what it would look like or where to find it. Alex says above the regulator: is that the height regulator or the pressure regulator?
Where does a height corrector wear? in the external linkages or inside the cylindrical unit? Can it be repaired or must it be replaced?
I'm wondering if teh steering pinion valve is worn, I often get a "rushing" sound from the steering while waiting at traffic light etc, this disapears if I turn the steering wheel slightly.
See what you can make of this additional info.
Regards, NiSk
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Dave Burns
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: 14 May 2001, 05:30
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
- x 2
Well its got a FDV just like the BX and will be fitted somewhere between the pump and regulator, there is a pic of one here on the Pleiades site, in fact if you go to their home page and get their e-mail address, it would be worth posing the question there, if anyones seen this behaviour before its likley to be them.
http://www.pleiades.uk.com/products_14.html
Dave
http://www.pleiades.uk.com/products_14.html
Dave
Flow distributor is right above the pressure regulator, at least on my BX and friend's XM 2.0. It is connected directly to pump output, so you can't miss it. Two pipes from it go to pressure regulator, one to steering pinion valve and one to LHM tank. Its purpose is to supply the power steering with hydraulic fluid. There are two slide valves inside it (flow divider and flow limiter) and a ball valve (pressure limiter).
My friend's XM also exhibit hissing from the steering since he bought it (5 years ago), the same way as yours, but everything else works fine, so he is not concerned about it. The car has about 300.000 km on the clock. Unfortunately, I don't know does this sound come from steering pinion valve or flow distributor. On my BX this still works fine.
Problems with height correctors are usually connected with linkage. Of course, the slide valve inside height corrector also wears, but this is a slow process. I presume that corrector, like brake valve, can't be repaired.
My friend's XM also exhibit hissing from the steering since he bought it (5 years ago), the same way as yours, but everything else works fine, so he is not concerned about it. The car has about 300.000 km on the clock. Unfortunately, I don't know does this sound come from steering pinion valve or flow distributor. On my BX this still works fine.
Problems with height correctors are usually connected with linkage. Of course, the slide valve inside height corrector also wears, but this is a slow process. I presume that corrector, like brake valve, can't be repaired.
Congratulations! Well, at that mileage, every moving part is worn to some extent, of course. It's not easy to say what is the main problem here.
But, as I understood, the problem with height came suddenly, so wearing of the parts doesn't seem to be a good explanation. It looks like something is broken.
Anyway, first I would thoroughly check the operation of height corrector. Does the car self-level when you sit on the bumper (after about 10 sec)? And does it self-level again when you get of the bumper? You said that the height rises when you turn the wheel. Is it on the front only, or both ends? Does the car self-level if you keep turning the wheel (slowly) after a few seconds?
What happens when you turn the engine off? Does the car sinks fast (within minutes)? Did you check the condition of the struts, by observing quantity of the LHM coming from overflow pipes?
Alex
But, as I understood, the problem with height came suddenly, so wearing of the parts doesn't seem to be a good explanation. It looks like something is broken.
Anyway, first I would thoroughly check the operation of height corrector. Does the car self-level when you sit on the bumper (after about 10 sec)? And does it self-level again when you get of the bumper? You said that the height rises when you turn the wheel. Is it on the front only, or both ends? Does the car self-level if you keep turning the wheel (slowly) after a few seconds?
What happens when you turn the engine off? Does the car sinks fast (within minutes)? Did you check the condition of the struts, by observing quantity of the LHM coming from overflow pipes?
Alex