Pressure regulator not ticking anymore - Xantia 1.9TD LX est

pete the bus · Post by **pete the bus** » 17 Aug 2011, 12:05

Not sure how long this has been the case - I was doing some Citroebics last week as part of a general check over and was surprised to find that the usual clicking from the regulator was missing when raising and lowering the suspension. Is this something needing urgent attention, or can I go about my daily business and get it sorted at a later date? I presume I will need a new/recon regulator?
Thanks for any input.
Peter

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 17 Aug 2011, 12:24

I'd say it must still be opening and closing otherwise the system would over pressurise and explode somewhere, if it was under pressurising then a warning light on the dash would illuminate. Its more than likely that the click has become quieter with age/use so if you want to check its operating correctly the correct way is to fit a gauge into the system and observe the pressure at which its opening/closing. You could use a stethoscope or a long screwdriver to listen to the regulator operating which will help overcome the noise from the engine.

pete the bus · Post by **pete the bus** » 17 Aug 2011, 12:52

Cheers DickieG.

There's no warning light, so i guess it's coming up to pressure. The ticking was previously quite noticeable, but will have a go with the long screwdriver idea ( as I don't own a stehoscope

).

Is there a situation where the pressure might be being lost elsewhere and the regulator is not having to come into play?

Buchan Loon · Post by **Buchan Loon** » 17 Aug 2011, 12:56

Mine's the same, so you're not alone. There's a barely discernable change of engine note at tickover. It's more than a minute apart and everything seems to be working ok so I'm not too bothered (unless someone says otherwise!)

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 17 Aug 2011, 13:06

pete the bus wrote:Is there a situation where the pressure might be being lost elsewhere and the regulator is not having to come into play?

You certainly can have internal leaks but if the leak was sufficient to cause the regulator to never reach cut out pressure then the leak would be very severe with other symptoms such as pushing off a return pipe and then pools of LHM on the floor. If the car has no other symptoms or problems I'd leave it alone, TBH its not easy to hear the regulator on diesel cars even from new once they changed over to anti sink from around 1994 onwards. If ain't broke don't try and fix it appears to be the best advice here

jgra1 · Post by **jgra1** » 17 Aug 2011, 13:57

mine seems about the same too

aint worried...

but I did get a cheap stetho from a car shop (or try ebay) for about £4 .. useful gadget...

if you're very very lucky, you may even get girls at work asking you to examine them, if you're unlucky it could
be guys lol

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 17 Aug 2011, 14:09

jgra1 wrote:if you're very very lucky, you may even get girls at work asking you to examine them, if you're unlucky it could
be guys lol

pete the bus · Post by **pete the bus** » 17 Aug 2011, 14:24

Cheers for the input, guys. Have had a closer listen - can hear a noise that resembles a quick "scrape" rather than a quick "tick"...
Increases in tempo when the car is rising, so I guess all is OK...

Now to sort out the rather high front suspension, which I presume is giving me a hard ride, but will start another thread for that...
Peter

uhn113x · Post by **uhn113x** » 19 Aug 2011, 19:15

Assuming the PR is cutting in and out OK, the lack of tick is usually because the non-return ball seating needs re-seating or has some foreign matter stuck in there.

Depressurise it, remove the acc sphere and you'll see a slotted plate holding the said valve in and also one of the spool valves.

Unscrew the plate and give the ball a tap with a brass drift.

Reassemble and test.

HTH