Comfort Spheres on Hydractive?

[tim leech]

I want to fit new spheres to the Athena as they are old, although the rides not bad I will be towing soon so want it to be shipshape.

The question is will comfort spheres (they do specific ones for Hydractive cars) work against the Hydractive and could they be too soft for towing a caravan?

Thanks

[chinkostu]

I found a hydractive with new spheres and working soft mode to be more than adequate. Anything more seems to induce horrible roll

[CitroJim]

I found a hydractive with new spheres and working soft mode to be more than adequate. Anything more seems to induce horrible roll

Agreed. You can fit non-hydractive corners to a Hydractive car for a bit more softness but it does become a bit squidgy. Not what you want for towing at all..

You may find sport mode is best engaged when towing...

[tim leech]

Cheers Gents

I will order some spheres this week.

rear ones look fun as they are VERY old! I do have a spheres tool though!

[elma]

Rusty little cannon balls! The rears do get it.

[chinkostu]

My rears are due and look rotten too, half tempted to outsource that job!

[CitroJim]

Appearances can be very deceptive

[chinkostu]

Appearances can be very deceptive

The accumulator had me screaming, god help me with some proper corrosion

[CitroJim]

Accumulators, for some reason, can get biblically tight and access is never that good to really get some serious whack onto them which makes them even more difficult...

Rear corners can look terrible but as long as you crack them off on high with the wheels on the ground (load-bearing) with a good tool and a good deal of percussion they will go without too much grief.

It's the percussion acting on the end of the removal tool handle that does the trick. My favoured instruments for this are a 4lb club hammer and a Plieades Tool...

Not failed yet...

[elma]

Also the rears have a tendency to spin but not undo, this twists the metal pipe. So it is necessary to stop the rear sphere mounts rotating when removing spheres. I use a chisel or crowbar usually, wedged in the appropriate place.
Pleiades tool is invaluable as is a big hammer. Chain wrenches etc work but there's always that one sphere that breaks the tool.

[Old-Guy]

Also the rears have a tendency to spin but not undo, this twists the metal pipe. So it is necessary to stop the rear sphere mounts rotating when removing spheres. I use a chisel or crowbar usually, wedged in the appropriate place.
Pleiades tool is invaluable as is a big hammer. Chain wrenches etc work but there's always that one sphere that breaks the tool.

I've just done all 6 spheres for the second time. The last set had been on for 7 years and were getting tired though still functioning. I made myself a 'Xac-special' sphere tool and applied PlusGas in preparation; the two rusty canon-balls on the rear corners came off without any problem, as did the A/S sphere (not sure how much longer its bracket is going to last). The front corners spun off with just two hands, but the Accumulator was a complete pig. My Xac-special wouldn't fit unless I dismantled a load of pipe-work. In the end I succeeded with a big strap wrench which has both ½" and ⅜" squares. Wind up strap as tight as possible with ½" and ⅜" ratchets on opposite sides (easier said than done, but possible), then replace ½" ratchet with 36" breaker bar and HEAVE - alarming creaks from strap and engine mounts then a sudden BANG! - Oh sh1t! What have I broken? Nothing, just the sphere surrendering!

Like Jim, I can't understand how it got so tight. In 2008, the original accumulator was a pig to remove (as was the A/S sphere), so I was very careful to lubricate the seals, and only do the new spheres up hand-tight. Yet it took around 150-200 ft/lb of torque to shift that sphere. It had a few specks of rust on the exposed underside, but the regulator and the sphere joint faces were clean bright and shiney, and the seal was like new.

I broke my chain-wrench trying to change the rear auxiliary sphere on the VSX, I have a length of heavy-duty motor-bike chain to repair it, but some serious thinking and metalworking is required.

As an aside, when I fitted a new A/S sphere in 2008 I used an old seal between it and the bracket, this seems to work well as it came off quite easily. The new sphere from AEP came with with its own new seal, which I saved and again used an old one from one of the rear spheres!

[Hell Razor5543]

When I had Gracie, something I did every 6 months or so was to loosen off all the spheres, and then do them back up hand tight. Never had any major issues undoing them, as they couldn't get enough time to get f**king tight!

[tim leech]

Rear spheres dowsed in WD40, and new ones ordered, non comfort style, will see how we do!

[Deanxm]

I think the issue is the seals bonding to the seats as the faces dry, I always apply grease the the seal and thread during fitting as lhm doesn't seam to last, the thread shouldn't stick as its inboard of the seal but it makes me feel better. Mine almost always come off by hand.

Good call on slackening every 6 months, this probably oils the seal.

D