Lower wishbone bushes C5 / Xantia

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cachaciero
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Post by cachaciero »

citronut wrote:Andrew wrote
"I can see why folk
appear to wimp out and buy arms off ebay with the bushes already on
from new!"

as you have mentioned it Andrew i have a brand new genuine OE front wishbone for and ACTIVA cant remember which side without digging it out, but it is for sale

regards malcolm
I wish it was of interest but unfortunately my interest is C5 centric.

It would be nice if somebody did some "proper" wishbone bearings with needle roller races (sigh!).

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Post by addo »

Like on a Dee? I doubt "Der Franzose" sell such parts for a C5...
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Post by cachaciero »

addo wrote:Like on a Dee? I doubt "Der Franzose" sell such parts for a C5...
No, PSA is not about quality engineered solutions that last for years unlike the Citroen ethos of yester year.

I have discovered urethane bushes which some aftermarket performance companies are supplying, if available I feel that these would be a big improvement, have made some enquiries of a couple of suppliers but it would appear that C5's are not on their horizons :-( Although one I have not checked out is an Ausi outfit Lovel bit far away for me :-)

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Post by addo »

Cold cast polyurethane isn't that dear to tool up for. I'd have guessed £3-500 for tooling up and cold casting the first pair.

PSA stuff is made everywhere. The new idle stepper motor I fitted, was made in America - although assembled in Mexico (!), transported to France, then sent down to Australia.
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Post by cachaciero »

Done some more research on this, Citroen changed the design of the rear bush after RP 9950, the new bush has less rubber and a larger diameter center bush, can't help but feel that this would be a marked improvment in tightening up the somewhat vague steering of the C5.
Unfortunately to cope with the increased diameter center bush they also re-designed the lower whishbone and increased it's diameter from 45mm to 50mm where it goes into the bush.
Seriously considering finding somebody to machine up a couple of sleeves so that I can fit the later bushes on a pre RP9950 car. Thoughts anyone? Anyone know of a post RP9950 scrapper anywhere?

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Post by citroenxm »

citronut wrote:Andrew wrote
"I can see why folk
appear to wimp out and buy arms off ebay with the bushes already on
from new!"



regards malcolm
Beleve it or not I HAVE to be braved face and hold my hands up, as I DO prefer to buy Bush's ready assembled, ALSO front wheel bearings!

Im a FITTER NOT a fixer, and prefer to "Fit" ready assembled parts! I hate dooing bushes, ALSO not having a decent press, or anyway of applying a decent "Push" doesn't help me.

Front wheel bearings are the same for me! I had a car in for a front wheel bearing, and rather being pressed for time dooing the front I have fitted a "GOOD Temperary HUB" while I TRY and do the proper one, which when done I can swap back over at next service.. the useual thing has happened, the middle of the bearing has ALL come out, but the OUTER race is "Welded" in place.. Ive tried Oooodles of heat with a blow torch bit it wont move... I hate them!

(See my new whel bearing post for further details)

Regards

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Post by citronut »

well Paul as i have said before i have got a new old stock complete front hub for sale, i cant remember which side without looking after lunch, if your interested pm me and we'll talk dosh, also still got the ACTIVA front arm complete with bush's

regards malcolm
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Post by CitroJim »

citroenxm wrote: Im a FITTER NOT a fixer...
That statement is rubbish Paul, and well you know it :wink: From what I've read, you do your share of fixing as well as any of us!

I do know what you mean thiugh, about fitting complete things rather than mucking around replacing bushes and the like...
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Post by addo »

A quick search yielded no joy, so hopefully this question won't faze anyone too much.

When refitting the Xantia's lower front arms and torquing up, do you do the front eye bush torquing with the car at ride height (engine running, on a four-poster)?

I just had mine replaced by a garage, and while I'm sure they made an effort to get the indexing of the rears correct, I suspect they tightened the whole deal up with the suspension hanging loose on stands.

Now the front sits high, and I have significant driveline vibration. The height corrector to anti-roll bar clamp bolt is untouched, and the dogbone intact/untouched. The car still rises and falls but the front feels far "stiffer" than it should.
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Post by cachaciero »

Addo

Can't speak from experience but intellectually I would say that iIf the bushes are tightened up with the suspension hanging when weight is back on the bush at least the front bush will be "wound up" and the amount and type of rubber in the bush will make a pretty effective spring and I would imagine have enough force to make a difference to the total spring effect in the suspension if the rear bush is a tight fit on the arm and indexed correctly then I can't see that it should make any difference.

BUT I don't see why this would change the ride height which is / should be controlled by the height corrector the hydraulics should have enough pressure to get the ride height correct however much "extra spring effect" the bush may give. I reckon that either something didn't go back correctly on the roll bar or the linkage to the height corrector has got disturbed. If the front is riding very high then the vibration may be due to lack of suspension travel.

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Post by citronut »

i agree with cachaciero,

it is corect to tighten the frot bush at least with the suspension on normal ride hight with the cars weight on its wheels, so the arm is in its normal running position,

and as the anti roll bar is just a drop link there wont be anything there that could have alterd the ride hight,

maybe when the jacked the car up the bent something as i have seen this before,

a new customer bough his XANT to me to find a ride hight fault, which turned out to be the previous people to work on it had it slip off the jack, and the jack bent the bracket the hight corrector is bolred to

regards malcolm
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Post by Duracell »

I have experience of tightening the front bush with the suspension hanging - it made no differance to the ride height or the feel of the suspension but it did wreck the new bush within 2000 miles - If the bush is wound up and you slacken the bolt with the suspension at normal ride height it should unwind itself. HTH

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Post by addo »

Interesting; projected life about what I imagined. Thanks also to Cachaciero and Malcolumn.

It's all a bit frustrating as I farmed out the work on the basis of not having the time (six hours, say) to do it right myself, and supporting the local suppliers rather than buying off Fleabay. By the time it's sorted, I can see it exceeding two full days' wages.

Regards, Adam.
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Post by Xantidote »

Addo,

Re your vibration issue. I had a vibration problem when I first bought my S1, and it disappeared as soon as the Citroen garage reset the front ride height which was much too high. Mechanic said the vibratation probably due to the driveshafts being more out of line than should be.

After height reset, I also thenfound car handled much better when going through roundabouts with rapidly changing cambers :)

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Post by addo »

Standing front ride height (normal setting, motor running) is presently about 28½" from ground to underside of wheelarch.

Measured "way back when" it was 25 7/8 inches. With an extra two and a bit inches of ride, no wonder it feels odd now! The front eye bolts are RFT - not just FT! And they're installed back to front, with the bolt head forward.

In my work, I am not a real artisan - I've seen them and they are something else - but I'm fussy, and generally persevere for the best result. It's so dismaying to trust another person and discover they're less attentive than you hoped...
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