I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

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davetherave
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by davetherave »

The spheres are all new in the last two years, and when the valves do work the suspension is fine. I wonder if an errant sensor is chucking it into hard?
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Deanxm »

yes, try unplugging the road speed sensor, this will leave the car in perminant soft mode, if not then there is electrovalve, driver or sphere problems.

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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

Tell me more Dean! Where is this sensor?
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Mandrake »

Deanxm wrote:yes, try unplugging the road speed sensor, this will leave the car in perminant soft mode, if not then there is electrovalve, driver or sphere problems.
Disconnecting the road speed sensor won't put it in permanent soft mode, once the ECU figures out that the sensor is faulty it goes into an emergency mode where it assumes the road speed is 100Km/hr, which means it will switch to hard mode with fairly small steering wheel movements, so at low speeds it will probably spend more time in hard mode than with the sensor connected and working.

There isn't any sensor you can disconnect that will permanently put it into soft mode, and for good reason - its not a safe handling condition. There are a lot of failsafe interlocks and diagnostics built into the system that can detect faults in all the individual sensors and act accordingly to err on the side of caution (hard mode) if there is any doubt about the integrity of the sensor data.
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by CitroJim »

Dave, basics.

What does Lexia say?

Can you hear the electrovalves humming?

I wonder if you have low system pressure which is having the effect of keeping the anti-sink valves closed. That will make it ride jolly hard...

What does it feel like bouncing it with the engine idling. Can you feel any change if you bounce it just after turning off the engine? Does it feel soft initially whilst it's in soft mode and does it go hard 30s after when the ECU switches to hard and the electrovalves stop humming?

Basically, the suspension will be in soft mode if the engine is running and the car is stationary. Switch off the engine and close all the doors and the suspension will stay soft for 30 seconds before switching hard.

This is the best way to diagnose problems. If it's all normal and good whilst stationary but goes really hard when under way then I'd go for low overall system pressure causing the anti-sink valves to close when they shouldn't.

A pressure gauge teed into the main feed out of the pressure regulator could be very revealing...
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

Low system pressure has a huge effect. The Blue Xm estate I had last year was quite hard, even after re-gassing spheres. Re-shimming the pressure regulator, made an enormous difference.

Mandrake, I experienced a ride in a 24 V S1 Xm at last years CX rally. The car had the speed sensor removed, and the suspension did not go into hard mode over a longish test route at speeds in excess of 100kph. I'm not saying you are wrong, but this car didn't go into hard mode as you suggest.
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Citroening »

robert_e_smart wrote:and the suspension did not go into hard mode over a longish test route at speeds in excess of 100mph
EFA. You doing 62 MPH in a 24V'er Robert... :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It was even more "interesting" when Colin had a shot of it! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :shock:
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Citroening »

I can still remember being passenger when Colin took the Mouse Mobile for a spin...!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Evidence!

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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

You should have been in Chris' Visa Diesel!!!!!!
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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Deanxm »

Mandrake wrote:
Deanxm wrote:yes, try unplugging the road speed sensor, this will leave the car in perminant soft mode, if not then there is electrovalve, driver or sphere problems.
Disconnecting the road speed sensor won't put it in permanent soft mode, once the ECU figures out that the sensor is faulty it goes into an emergency mode where it assumes the road speed is 100Km/hr, which means it will switch to hard mode with fairly small steering wheel movements, so at low speeds it will probably spend more time in hard mode than with the sensor connected and working.

There isn't any sensor you can disconnect that will permanently put it into soft mode, and for good reason - its not a safe handling condition. There are a lot of failsafe interlocks and diagnostics built into the system that can detect faults in all the individual sensors and act accordingly to err on the side of caution (hard mode) if there is any doubt about the integrity of the sensor data.
You may well be right but certainly hydractive one will not trigger hard mode without speed sensor input, there is only brake pressure switch, steering angle input, body movement and speed sensor, the ecu will remain in soft mode with ignition on and 0 speed for pressure equalisation during loading and unloading, you can wiggle the steering wheel and bounce the car as much as you want it wont trigger firm mode unless it see's a speed of over 8kmh? cant remember now, later H2 may have been able to tell if a sensor is open circuit or a dead short or if it is telling porkies, the speed sensor in early cars is fitted inline to the speedo cable above the gearbox at the bulkhead, if you unplug the sensor from the cable it is still connecetd electricaly but will not detect movement of the car, yes the speedo will not work unless you use a joiner or second speed sensor to plug in place but it will tell you very quickly if you have pressure problems or electrovalve driver issues.
Works fine with mine anyway, disconnecting the body movement sensor (mechanicaly from the arb) will also prevent switching to firm on undulating roads whilst giving firm mode in the corners but if your roads are really rough you do risk bottoming out on big bumps.

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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

Ahhhh, so the electrical plug where the speedo cables join is for this hydractive nonsense!?

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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by Deanxm »

item 7 is the hydractive road speed sensor Robert yes

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Re: I am also P£$$$ed with hydractive

Post by robert_e_smart »

What about series 2 cars?
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Post by addo »

davetherave wrote:...when the valves do work the suspension is fine.
I hear Miss Hydractive has been seen out and about with another car. Perhaps the alienation is mutual? 8-)
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