Xantia not sinking fully at the rear.

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MFHBlueberry
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Joined: 15 May 2014, 19:25
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Xantia not sinking fully at the rear.

Post by MFHBlueberry »

Hi guys! My first post, be gentle with me...

I have a basic 6 sphere xantia which runs like clockwork despite it having done 175000 miles. I replaced the suspension spheres 18 months ago and the front and rear accumulators last week.

My problem is this: when I set it to service low, the front goes down happily and the rear begins to but gets to a certain point and stops. If I physically lift the rear of the car ever so slightly it will continue to sink all the way to the floor.

It had begun to do this before I changed the acc spheres so I was hoping that it could have been a flat anti-sink that was upsetting the apple cart somehow. It's not a very big deal I'm just concerned it might be an indicator of larger problems on the horizon.
I gave the height corrector a good spray with grease when I was under there doing the anti-sink just in case but I do regular up-and-down exercises which is how I've noticed this recent change.


Also, I think my radius arm bearings are on the way out. They seem to move quite freely and make none of the noises I've read about else where on this forum but the wheels do seem to have a slight degree of negative camber and the car pulls to the right a little on motorways. Any idea how much this would cost in a garage? I do most of my own car work but I'd baulk at this I fear...

Many thanks in advance for all thoughts and advice!

Matthew.
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Mandrake
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Re: Xantia not sinking fully at the rear.

Post by Mandrake »

The first problem sounds like either the rear height corrector linkage assembly is partially seizing despite the grease you've applied, (they can get very rusty to the point where no amount of in-place grease application will fully free them up) or the manual override linkage adjustment is out.

At the normal height position does the rear suspension respond normally to changes in load (both increase and decrease) and keep the car at the same height plus or minus about 10mm ? If so the first thing I'd just is the rear override adjustment. You'll need to drive the rear wheels up onto ramps to do this safely.

Running along the length of the car is a small rod about 8mm in diameter that has a couple of loops in it that connects to the height corrector linkage via a pivoting arm with a spring - this connects to the manual height override lever on the console.

With the lever in its normal driving height setting and the car resting at the correct ride height you need to check the peg in the elongated slot on the lever arm that the rod is connected to and make sure it is exactly in the middle. If it is too far to one side it will behave as you describe.

If you undo the clamp where the rod joins the lever arm (only do this with the car on ramps) and slide it back and forth you should find it has 10-20mm of "slop" before offering any real resistance. Measure each extreme and put a small scribe mark on the rod against the edge of the clamp, then measure exactly half way between the two and mark this point - then set the clamp to that half way point and tighten the clamp.

Visually check that the peg is in the middle of the slot. This should fix the problem if it is only this adjustment that is out. If not then more attention needs to be given to the height corrector linkage, which must still be seizing a bit.
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
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