xantia front suspension

[EDMORILLO]

Just thought if l lower it a bit it wiil harden the suspension enough won't it?

[white exec]

The wobbly plates here operate only in the horizontal plane, to check for worn suspension/steering joints. There is no up/down motion on them.
Agree with Mike; it does sound as if your tester isn't familiar with the suspension. The car is supposed to bounce - just once - and then it gets damped.
Pushing down on the car (engine running, Normal height) usually shows up a good deal of softness (downward movement) at the rear, and about half that at the front.
If the spheres are the correct ones, and with gas, and the car isn't stuck in Firm mode, the ride should be good.

"Just thought if l lower it a bit it will harden the suspension enough won't it?"
Would be wary about setting the car to a non-standard height, as it can affect the amount of suspension travel available, especially in an upward direction when you encounter a ridge/hump.

Is the ride too soft and wallowy?

[EDMORILLO]

No Chris the ride is fine, the back with engine running is harder than front goes down with a push and returns just to normal level,
while the front goes easily and bounces back and up a bit before settling. l ordered spheres with my matriculation from MR AUTO
which is also ASP. 62 on acc. and 53 on right and left at front.


Paul

[EDMORILLO]

Hi all,
And many thanks to everyone who replied with useful information.


Well today l followed some of the advice.
First l checked reservoir for air bubbles and it was clear.

Using my Haynes book, l reset the height at the front as per instructions (four times up and down on my two poster and it
was perfect). Now the suspension is the same as the back .Took it out for a drive on my local very bumpy, and a few potholes as well to boot and it performed well no problems.

So when l get back from my holidays. l leave on sunday, l will take it for a new control.

On reflection l think the main cause was the leak obviously. And the stuck front height corrector. So a big thankyou again
to you all and especially CitroJim for the wonderful photos and info on overhauling the height corrector .
Will post if it passes when l get back.

[xantia_v6]

The Xantia V6 that I currently own became available because the previous owners got s with it after spending weeks and £££ having repairs done to a suspension fault that was imagined by an MOT tester who had invented his own test procedure.

When you say that the front end bounces when driven on to / off of the ramp, is there just one over-shoot (bounce) or several? One is normal.

[EDMORILLO]

Wow l find it hard to believe that but l suppose all thing are possible!!!!!!!!!
The front end bounced a few if l remember well. maybe 2 or 3 now nothing as l said it was the height corrector combined
with the leak on the low pressure return from it. Plus wrong height.
The guy who tested my Xantia has been doing it for the past 10 years so he knows the car, its not like England, it would have failed the
first test l did which was in Strasbourg where l met my dear wife. Here in France its every two years and more lenient l think.

[moizeau]

Late to this, but I think the original concern was the height corrector (mechanical), the leak will fail as it drips as opposed to mist (enviroment). The test stations and the testers within vary considerably since the new regs. The chap who's tested mine for the last 14 years here in France used to use common sense. He recently failed a friends car because the paint was pealing on the front anti-roll bar! He's taken the 'corrosion' part of the new regs to the limit. The same car failed because it only had 1 rear fog on the wrong side (UK car), fair enough, so I asked another tester if I could bolt a second fog on the bumper? He said 'yes, it just states that it must have one on the correct side'. It was retested by the original chap who failed it again on the fog light stating that it had to be an original factory fitted lamp.
If he fails it on the suspension on the re-test ask him to explain the vibration machine test result. My BX passed with front spheres that flat it knocked you spine out.
Maybe worth finding out which day he takes off during the week and book accordingly?
Good luck.

[EDMORILLO]

Yes exactly Pete.

The guy who has been testing my car since l came her every two years used to have what you said
a lot of common sense and he passed my car once with a bad tyre and an LHM leak on the steering rack because l said l would change it the next day, and the leak was just a matter of tightening a loose bolt luckily.

He knew l had replaced all the spheres two years ago l reminded him and he said " the internet ones are not as good EH!! " And also that l didn't use the car that much, and normally as he did in the past he would have called me in to show me where the leak was and be more helpful.
All he said was in French of course was "The new test regulations are hard aren't they".

And yes they are getting tougher maybe too lenient before ?

Anyway l will return again with the result in a months time after my holidays.
Need some sun.

Paul

[moizeau]

Very lenient before Paul as I'm sure you've witnessed. Holes in the outer sill were an advisory along with cv boots ( as long as the CV was OK). As we both know the French stay very relaxed and then when they bring themselves up to date they go a little overboard as shown by the fact that you can't weld you're own car. It must be a certified bodyshop with the 'facture' shown at the test as proof. This is the case for previous noted advisories of failures. If there isn't a previous mention you can as long as it's not obvious. I.E Do the welding, hide it well with the grinder and underseal then do a lap or 2 round your mates farmyard.

[EDMORILLO]

Yes Pete its getting tougher. That was my trade in England panelbeater and sprayer. so l did plenty of welding
for MOT failures. l will bear that in mind although my xantia is in very good nick, that's one of there strongpoints.
l prefer the relaxed attitude of the Control Technique.
Yes and l remember in Blighty on the MOT they made you weld every single bloody millimetre of the welding patch no
tacking as before which made it stronger than the panels on the car!!!!!!!!
And under seal was great especially when they brought in the spray type.

Happy days
Paul
My wife likes beer.