Knackered Xantia front strut top anyone got a good one???

talbotsteve · Post by **talbotsteve** » 02 Jan 2011, 18:45

Hi I'm desperate for a 97 Xantia 1.9 td Drivers side front strut top as mine has rusted through and is only held on by one bolt at the rear!!!!! Lucky I found it before it completely broke......

I'm based in cumbria if anyone has one I can collect...

Cheers Steve.

I've already posted this in wanted but figured some may not notice it there....

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 02 Jan 2011, 21:58

It may be well worth going to a scrap yard and getting some S2 Facelift strut tops, as hey have a Far Far superior and longer life then ANY s1 strut top.

I did have a pair from a T reg S2 HDi 110, which were still pretty good after 250k, they are now on my S1 TD SX one. Ive got a Xantia I want to break with a PAIR of good tops - infact were new from Citroen 3 years ago and are in pretty good order last time I looked.... Im happy to sell, As long as I have a pair of buggered ones to fit on it in place...Which I may have.

Are you desperate for them,?

Paul

talbotsteve · Post by **talbotsteve** » 02 Jan 2011, 22:24

Hi Paul thanks for the reply, my passenger side one looks to be in ok condition it's just the drivers side I can see I need. The car is off the road until I sort out a strut top, but I have my MX5 to run about in for now.

Cheers Steve.

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 02 Jan 2011, 23:25

If it's that bad I would recommend putting that corner on an axle stand to take the load off the strut top. Andrew off here (andmcit IIRC?) had a strut top go on his Activa when it was parked up!

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 03 Jan 2011, 00:49

Yep, Dommo is correct - check out the mammoth thread in the main stickies
section - something like p15

Don't keep the strut pressurised if parked up - simply leave the car on
the low setting until you get a strut top off Paul etc. The step by step
of a fairly painless process is shown in the thread I mentioned too.

Andrew

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 03 Jan 2011, 00:55

I'd get it up on an axle stand so it's ready to swap the strut tops.
Not easy to do with the car on low.

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 03 Jan 2011, 00:57

andmcit wrote:Yep, Dommo is correct - check out the mammoth thread in the main stickies
section - something like p15

Don't keep the strut pressurised if parked up - simply leave the car on
the low setting until you get a strut top off Paul etc. The step by step
of a fairly painless process is shown in the thread I mentioned too.

Andrew

Does leaving it in low take the pressure off the strut top - surely the car's weight is still pushing up on the strut top?

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 03 Jan 2011, 01:04

Yes, running the engine and select low will depressurise the system
- finish off by venting the bleed screw on the accumulator and it's
ready to work on. All I'd say is make sure you can get enough room
under that corner to jack the body up to clear room on the strut leg
and the inner strut from the wheelarch.

Andrew

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 03 Jan 2011, 01:06

andmcit wrote:Yes, running the engine and select low will depressurise the system
- finish off by venting the bleed screw on the accumulator and it's
ready to work on. All I'd say is make sure you can get enough room
under that corner to jack the body up to clear room on the strut leg
and the inner strut from the wheelarch.

Andrew

Andrew, the strut still is supporting the weight of that corner of the car, even with the suspension on low.
Unless you mean once the car is up on axle stands, that would make sense, and make changing the strut top much easier

Dommo · Post by **Dommo** » 03 Jan 2011, 01:07

Sorry Andrew I don't think you got what I meant. I mean if you depressurise the system with the intention of taking the strain off the strut top, surely it wouldn't take the strain off the strut top as the top is still supporting the weight of the car, albeit through the bump stop rather than the taper at the top of the strut shaft (but still through the strut top!)

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 03 Jan 2011, 01:23

I hear what you're saying. But.

Why not, you don't have 1500psi trying to expand outwards between the
strut and the bonnet so effectively there's no trapped tension on the remains
of the strut top - apart of course from the weight of that corner of the
bodywork trying to sink that last 3" of space between the chassis and the floor - a house brick or small block of wood to prop it until a jack up is
needed will do without having breeze block towers, axle stands or ramps.

Think of it depressurised as a tired tailgate strut - to open the tailgate
without the strut assistance is damned difficult and it's all 'flat' and stable
in it's lowest state.

Andrew

Post by **xantia_v6** » 03 Jan 2011, 06:07

Putting the suspension on low could decrease the pressure on the strut top, but it could increase it by 50% or more.

While the system is pressurised, the weight of the front end is evenly spread across the 2 wheels. When you lower it, most of th weight goes onto the wheel sitting on the higher ground, as there is no give in the springs.

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 03 Jan 2011, 08:49

I understand what Andrew is saying, by lowering the suspension you reduce the length of the strut so should the strut top let go then the strut itself is effectively shorter so less (or no) damage will be caused to the bonnet as the wheel would be braced against the wheel arch or other obstruction to take the weight on that wheel. Obviously supporting the car on axle stands or a jack is the best option but if that wasn't possible for whatever reason lowering the car is better than simply waiting for the strut to poke through the bonnet.

jono_h · Post by **jono_h** » 03 Jan 2011, 10:23

Or you could just leave the bonnet open!

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 03 Jan 2011, 12:00

jono_h wrote:Or you could just leave the bonnet open!

Good point well made, I like the simplicity of that one