I own a '98 Xantia 1.8 16v Estate, which was starting to give me a few problems in the suspension and brakes department and it was looking like it was time to wave bye bye to the Citroen rather than pay expensive garage bills to investigate and fix the gremlins. Then I discovered this forum............! [:D][:D][:D]
After only a few visits here I concluded that my accumulator and anti-sink spheres were probably the culprits so promptly ordered the bits from GSF (including sphere removal tool - more later!) and last weekend set about the task of replacing both spheres.
I can honestly say that the job was a doddle - mainly thanks to the advice found here! I probably wouldn't have bothered buying the sphere replacement tool if it hadn't been recommended so highly and I have to say it is well worth the money!! Both spheres came off without any trouble and the whole job (including Citaerobics!) took only a couple of hours! And this is the first time I've dabbled with Citroen hydraulics! The only minor hitch I ran into was not realising that the old acc. sphere O-ring was still in place when I fitted the new sphere so things were a bit leaky at first! [:I] Soon spotted the problem and put it right though!
And what a difference the new spheres have made! The suspension is now firm and precise where it used to wallow about a bit and the brakes have bags more feel and are more progressive! Oh - and the back doesn't sink any more overnight!!
All in all a very successful weekend - the Xanta lives on! Thanks to everyone who contributes here! [:)]
Cheers
Mr.Gibbs
Happy New Spheres!!
Moderator: RichardW
"Thanks to everyone who contributes here!"
Mr G,
I think you express very well the feelings of many of us "advice takers" here - but now you will be able to pass on your experience to others! You will be a "giver"!
As a contributor on another board signs himself "Forever indebted to the advice of others"
There are some brilliant "givers" on this board
Happy Citroening
Mr G,
I think you express very well the feelings of many of us "advice takers" here - but now you will be able to pass on your experience to others! You will be a "giver"!
As a contributor on another board signs himself "Forever indebted to the advice of others"
There are some brilliant "givers" on this board
Happy Citroening
I, too, have to complement the forum and the contributors. The advice I received here, and the advice given to others that I read, made me much happier when I was looking at getting another car. I wanted a Xantia but I was very suspicious of the hydro bits! They have a poor reputation amongst the ignorant that these days is probably not warranted (I'm still a bit cagey here, ask me in a year or two...)
As I DIY my motors - and mistrust garages - I wanted some reassurance that DIY was still an option. This forum gives people a chance at DIY with some expert diagnostics, and you don't often get that combination!
Mind you, despite everyone’s reverence of their Citroens, I would only recommend them to DIYers or those that have large bank accounts. Even the simple ones (like my old AX) need tender care that would really be uneconomic at garage prices. The complicated ones must be real money pits if you cannot DIY. As for Citroen's later offerings, who would trust Citroen electronics and computerised gizmos? It doesn’t bear thinking about!
As I DIY my motors - and mistrust garages - I wanted some reassurance that DIY was still an option. This forum gives people a chance at DIY with some expert diagnostics, and you don't often get that combination!
Mind you, despite everyone’s reverence of their Citroens, I would only recommend them to DIYers or those that have large bank accounts. Even the simple ones (like my old AX) need tender care that would really be uneconomic at garage prices. The complicated ones must be real money pits if you cannot DIY. As for Citroen's later offerings, who would trust Citroen electronics and computerised gizmos? It doesn’t bear thinking about!