Xantia Rear Height Corrector Adjustment

[gadgetgricey]

As some may know replaced the cradle for the Reat Height corrector on my Xantia the weekend.

Totally gunked up and would not raise at all. Stuck on lowest setting.

Replaced the cradle and the car rose as it should, (just checked whilst under the car)

However once I packed all my tools away and got the car out of the garage, realised something was not right.

Low setting on the adjustment rod puts the car in low mode.
Normal setting on the adjustment rod puts the car in wheel change mode. (As does high and wheel change)

Basically only got the highest and lowest settings on the rear suspension. Nothing approaching normal level on any setting.
Cant understand how I've got it so there are only two levels.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks again

- Dave -

[Xaccers]

When you removed the cradle you would have had to have removed the clamp off the end of the manual control rod.
You need to set the car on normal, get underneath safely, and follow the manual linkage up to the arm that juts out of the actual corrector barrel.
The arm has a square hole in it, and the linkage has a pip that sticks out into the hole.
Make sure the pip is in the middle of the hole and not against one side.

Otherwise you may have disturbed the clamp on the anti roll bar so the auto height is set too high.

[CitroJim]

It is an incredibly sensitive adjustment and juts a bit out is enough to do what yours is doing Dave. The Height Corrector valve moves about 3mm over the entire height range of the suspension... So it only needs to be a tad out and the difference is huge...

Trouble is, without a pit or a ramp they're a devil to adjust. There's no way you can do it by trial and error and doing it without any ramps is very dangerous. You must be able to get under the car on full low in safety to be able to do the adjustment.

With care andf a high-lift jack the car can be got up on four wheel ramps and the job done.

When doing the job allow plenty of time between each adjustment for the height to settle and also go from low to high and back agai to check it's good. Do indeed check what Xac says about having things correctly lined up.

[gadgetgricey]

the car can be got up on four wheel ramps and the job done.

Stupid question time, but do the front wheels also have to be up on ramps????

Got a really old, but really good set of ramps that my dad made about 30 years ago. Really heavy and about twice the height of "normal" ramps.
Can back the car up and then drop to the low setting, and still have plenty of room (when the spare tyre carrier has been removed)

Problem is I dont really know what each element of the RHC does what. tried to get it back the same way, but obviously need to adjust a few things.

Do I need to remove the cradle again for this adjustment, or is it in in situ.

Might try and get a couple of decent high res shots and ask for some pointers

Story of my life with cars, so close and yet so far to go......

Thanks again.

[CitroJim]

the car can be got up on four wheel ramps and the job done.

Stupid question time, but do the front wheels also have to be up on ramps????.

Yes dave, all four wheels need to be elevated to the same height and for that you'll need four ramps. Just getting the rear up on ramps will make the adjustment inaccurate.

Adjustment is made with everything in-situ and by loosening the clamp aropund the anti-roll bar and adjusting until the height is right. It's a game because as soon as you loosen the clamp it will spring to one end of the HC travel so you need to adjust it by loosening and levering it gently whilst observing the height. Remember there's a 20 second hysteresis on the corrector so you won't see the effect of your adjustments immediately...

It takes a bit of practice to get it right but you'll get there...

[Jodyone]

I rebuilt my rear HC recently, including the valve itself (with a pleiades rebuild kit, and Jim's fabulous documentation), and had similar problems afterwards. I found that the two bolts (9mm?) which attach the valve housing to the HC were critical- the holes are slotted for a couple mm adjustment. Once undone, perhaps you didn't put the valve back in the same place (I didn't).

A little applied logic, lying on my back, and I had it working properly. After that, I adjusted the ride height (it was riding too high) by tweaking the position of the ARB clamp. Don't underestimate the general comments about the subtlety of this adjustment: I found that a rotation of a fraction of a mm —the smallest I could manage to control— still resulted in about an inch change in ride height. It strikes me some fine adjustment mechanism (like a small threaded rod, with a reverse thread at one end and spanner flats in the middle) would be a useful component in the linkage, for such fine control? I still need to drop the front a small amount, but haven't even worked out exactly where the front HC is yet...

Thus endeth the learnings of another confused beginner.

[artdjones]

According to the Citroen workshop manual adjustment is done with both the manual control rod clamp and the anti rollbar clamp loosened.Then the lever pointing down is moved backwards to lower rear or forwards to raise it,bearing in mind the comments about the delay in effect.I usually clamp a set of grips on the lever for this.When height is right without any strain on the lever then a pin can be inserted on the underside of the HC linkage frame to lock the mechanism.Tighten arb clamp.Then set the manual linkage as in Xac's reply above.Finally remove the pin if you used one.Then check operation of height control lever inside the car.

[citroenxm]

the car can be got up on four wheel ramps and the job done.

Stupid question time, but do the front wheels also have to be up on ramps????.

Yes dave, all four wheels need to be elevated to the same height and for that you'll need four ramps. Just getting the rear up on ramps will make the adjustment inaccurate.

Adjustment is made with everything in-situ and by loosening the clamp aropund the anti-roll bar and adjusting until the height is right. It's a game because as soon as you loosen the clamp it will spring to one end of the HC travel so you need to adjust it by loosening and levering it gently whilst observing the height. Remember there's a 20 second hysteresis on the corrector so you won't see the effect of your adjustments immediately...

It takes a bit of practice to get it right but you'll get there...

NOT REally Jim... Ive VERY sucessfully corrected rear heights with the back on ramps and the front on the ground... Just look at it as though the car is on a hill! It works exactly the same...

It doesnt make the adjustment inacurate at all.. having sucesfully done it 4 times with various cars, you just need to look at things.. well from a different angle so to speak.

What a shame your so far away Dave, Id have this sorted in half an hour for you!

[citronut]

that maybe so Paul for a man of your caliba but i would think for a beginer into citro hydraulics its probably easier to set up with the car level,

regards malcolm

[citroenxm]

gettin a car on four ramps is not the easyest thing in the world to do!! you need some tall jacks from what i can tell uless im also missing something.. come on its not hard to look at the rear wheel to arch relation ship at any angle is it! dave is not stupid im sure.. hes a great fella and id be certan he be capable of dooing it "down hill"

the arch needs to be just on or above the top of the rear tyre looking side on...

[gadgetgricey]

Well turns out its going to have to be down hill, as only possess two ramps.

Have not adjusted the clamp on the anti roll bar, but did remove the two bolts securing the RHC to the cradle.
Going to start there, but probably be Sunday as working all day Saturday.

Once again Thanks for all the advice, will report back.

Cheers

- Dave -

[CitroJim]

Ive VERY sucessfully corrected rear heights with the back on ramps and the front on the ground... Just look at it as though the car is on a hill! It works exactly the same...

Well, I don't know Paul but for me it's never been conspicuously successful but that's perhaps me. I hate adjusting height. Rattiva needs doing and I may well just throw in the towel and go and see Pleiades...

Or you if only you were nearer Maybe next time I'm in your Country... That's if they'll renew my Visa...

[citroenxm]

Ill renew it for you Jim! No hesitations!!

[citronut]

Well turns out its going to have to be down hill, as only possess two ramps. Dave -

if you are doing it with one pair i would think it will be better faceing up hill as this will make the car more level,

regards malcolm

[gadgetgricey]

Well turns out its going to have to be down hill, as only possess two ramps. Dave -

if you are doing it with one pair i would think it will be better faceing up hill as this will make the car more level,

regards malcolm

I was actually referring to Paul's comments

and id be certan he be capable of dooing it "down hill"

However you have just given me a great idea if its possible. My garage has a two foot ramp into it.
I might be able to reverse the car up the ramps outside, leaving the front wheels in the garage, hopefully keeping the car sort of level.

You never know this might work , or go horribly wrong.

Cheers all

- Dave -