Xantia suspension experts please.

[vince]

Hi guys, my car has started with a niggle....1995 Xant TD Hydractive Its intermittant but i dont like the car not performing spot on so need to understand the cause of this.....

Ive been speaking to Jim about this but the cause doesnt seem apparent so putting it on here was suggested Here is the copy of the messages i sent to Jim,

Hi Jim,

Ive racked quite a few miles up in the Xant between yesterday and today, motorway and town driving.....playing family taxi driver as usual

As i was dropping off people today whenever i was stopped at junction with the steering turned it was dropping and rising again a few second later. Its done that before so i wasnt to fussed about that, but its progressing.....

Later on when parked with the engine running the front would start to sink on its own as it levelled after turning into the space, and then after sinking down a bit then dropped violently onto the lowest setting and then jump back up the highest setting.

I just stopped off in a car park on the way home and raise dit all the way up, it raised normally and quickly but when low was selected, the front dropped suddenly to its lowest setting and then the back came down normally. I couldnt get the front to level to normal height even when normal ride height was manually selected as it tended to set on high, but then immediately after, when starting to drive off it levels back down to normal then drives perfectly normally.

The ride is perfect and smooth front and rear and the LHM level is ok, The onyl recent work carried out was a change over of front centre hydractive sphere, and its been up and down on a 2 post ramp yesterday when the oils were changed......

Does it sound like the dog bone being cracked? and if so why does it drive normally and the rising and falling when the steering is turned intermitent?

The dogbone was suspected so en examination of that and surrounding area was suggested.

Duly done Jim and inspected....Dogbone still in place and everything seemed nice and tight, i checked it up on ramps on all 3 height levels manually selected.

I gave it a good dousing with a WD40 type solution DouBle TT and it everything performed as normal

I checked the LHM level the other day and it was between the 2 markers on high with the engine running....I checked it again today and again it was between the 2 markers...i then worked the steering back and forwards and did some citearobics and left it running on high for a few minutes....re checked the LHM level and it was all the way down and the stop light on I toooed it back up to normal level and did the same process again, everything seemed normal and no leaks underneath from either front or back.

As it was performing fine i took the trip to Runcorn and back with no dramas and the suspension performing as normal.

On the way back however i stopped off at Ikea and on purpose parked on the upper level where you go up a ramp with 3 dramatic changes on road level as it climbs, levels then climbs again. I did them at a decent speed to give the suspension something serious to thing about and it bottomed out on the first rise on the front end and then was ok...until i parked up.

I tured into a space and the front end rose and then dropped down to the bottom again like it did yesterday when it was messing around. It rose back up again and jumped up so i knocked off the engine and went in leaving the front back on the floor again.

I came out of the store started it up, it rose to normal height and then drove home normally again

I got home and have parked it on low and it dropped gradually as it should front and rear nice and controlled.

It seems that the front suspension is "hiccuping" and being left behind when extra demand is put on it...

I do have an internal leakage on the rear electrovalve so was thinking perhaps the front accumulator at times was being left with too little pressure to allow the front to perform correctly. The pump has had a tick rate of 8 seconds for a long while now....i mean 12 months or so, but has been working fine.

There are no external leaks whatsoever that i can see and i often park the car on low as the rear height corrector keeps attempting to seize...the LHM is also due a change but the level is fine and as stated, its not losing any externally.

Any thoughts guys....anyone had this before?

[Xaccers]

Tick rate of 8 seconds for 12 months? My goodness Vince how did you let that one slip for so long?

Get it changed.

Front adjusting height when turning is normal, I would presume with the McPhearson struts leaning over so much the ARB moves which results in a height change.
Normally on hard lock the front will jump up.

[Stempy]

To me it sounds like a duff sphere. Maybe the accu or centre HA sphere.

[DickieG]

If I'm reading it correctly you're concerned that when the car is parked with the engine running the front suspension oscillates up and down? If this occurs when the steering has a fair degree of lock on it then its usual behaviour for a Xantia, "They all do that Guv"

I believe the reason being that when the steering is turned it inducaes a twist on the anti-roll bar which causes the height corrector to constantly over-shoot the normal ride height position. I first noticed this happening to my original 95 SX TD when it was just a few months old then on just about every Xantia I've had since should I stop under the circumstances described.

[vince]

Thanks guys, Xac id love to get the rear electrovalve changed over but its too dear for a new one and seemingly hard to find a good second hand one? Unless you know different of course

As far as the height changes go, in 2009 i had the arm bushes done and the anti roll bar was moved resulting in a permanently too high ride height at the front all the way home, this was then corrected by the garage the next day

Id agree with that diagnosis yes, BUT.....after that had happened the front literally slammed down to low when manually selected on the height lever. That was the bit that concerned me most as its never really done that before...that said perhaps ive just not done that after full lock before? It does seem like it only happens after full lock when turning into tight parking spaces.

I have had the up and down situation before and at the time was assured by you guys that this was normal which is why that bit didnt bother me so much....

Seems like im looking for a fault that is just a quirk?

Took it out again tonight to the same IKEA and it performed brilliantly, smooth and suspension worked fine

[Old-Guy]

I don't pretend to properly understand the Hydractive suspension system, but the intermittent behaviour suggests to me that a valve (at the front) is sticking. Perhaps because there's an inadequate pressure reserve, or some s*!t in the LHM.

I have a 'spare' bent 95 VSX (reg 96 but built in about October 95) - you're welcome to the rear electrovalve, although, as I know only too well, it's along drive from Oldham to Glos down my least favourite lengths of motorway.

[vince]

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