STOP and (i) Light on Xantia

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InSaaNiTy
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STOP and (i) Light on Xantia

Post by InSaaNiTy »

Hi evry1 again :)
just another one to pick away at your brains :D
my xantia's STOP and (i) light is forever flickering
when driving, is this a fault or is this supposed to happen?
cheers,
terry [:)]
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Just to make sure that everyone reading this understands :
The STOP light in a Citroen is a WARNING of something fatal has happened - or is about to happen - with the vehicle.
- and then you STOP driving - investigating the problem !
Ignoring the STOP lamp compares to ignoring red traffic lights.
The (!) symbol indicates either lo-level in hydraulic LHM oil reservoir - or a hydraulics sytem pressure fault. This can quickly lead to loss of brakes & servo steering - hence the STOP lamp is coupled to this warning light.
lo-level in hydraulic LHM oil reservoir in turn can be caused by leaking hydraulic lines - meaning you're loosing hydraulic fluid.
This compares to a brake line fault in a "normal" car.
Check the level in your hydraulic LHM oil reservoir - found rearmost in LHS corner of engine bay.
With engine idle - and height setting in HIGHEST setting - the float indicator should be between the 2 red rings on bulb.
Careful when topping up - overfilling results in greasy overflow mess on your driveway when car sinks overnight.
InSaaNiTy
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Post by InSaaNiTy »

thanks for that info andersdk, after checking i found the LHM oil reservoir to be almost empty so i have now added the correct amount of LHM oil and the problem is now resolved. thanks again for this invaluable help.
Gaskin
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Post by Gaskin »

I hate to state the obvious, but you need to find where all the fluid has gone. But it may not be a leak. I had a similar situation when I got my Xantia. Topping up the LHM stopped the STOP light flashing on. Later I changed the front spheres and had to remove ~400ml of LHM to get the level right. So your LHM drop may have been gradually happening as your spheres get old. Maybe its time to replace them.
Cheers
Duncan
InSaaNiTy
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Post by InSaaNiTy »

thanks for advice gaskin but laugh at me for asking this silly question what are front spheres lol
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Kowalski
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Post by Kowalski »

The Xantia doesnt have springs to provide suspension, that would be far to 'normal' for Citroen, so what is used, instead, is hydraulic struts and gas filled spheres. As the spheres get old, the gas can escape from them and they can end up full of non-compressable hydraulic fluid (LHM) instead of nice compressable springy gas. This happens, your suspension will gradually become rock hard (i.e. no suspension at all) and the car will be prone to bouncing over even the smallest of bumps, instead of having the nice magic carpet ride.
You can check your spheres by pushing down on each corner of the car with your full body weight and checking whether or not the suspension has softness to it, you should be able to push the front down 2 to 3 inches and the rear a little more perhaps 3 to 4 inches. If all four corners feel soft, your spheres are in all probability all fine and you have nothing to worry about.
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