Gareth's S1 Activa Progress Report

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 09 Jan 2011, 23:51

XantiaMan wrote:The next problem was a slight lean, the passenger side was lower than the drivers by nearly 2 cm's.

The roll corrector linkage was not set up equally which was the first issue, once equalised we tried many times to get it level but without the car sitting on ramps, this was a laborious task, must of jacked the car up 15 times!

We gave up on that in the end.

I thought Jim was made of sterner stuff!!

TBH that issue drove me mad with my Activa, worse still I would get it level then a day or two later,,,,

patience and lots of it is necessary to get it level.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 10 Jan 2011, 19:07

DickieG wrote: I thought Jim was made of sterner stuff!!

I did try Richard but trying to set ride height and lean without ramps is a bit of a game

It's a jack up, support, adjust, let down, observe and repeat ad-infinitum. Never quite right

The problem really does appear to be with the height correctors being very lazy. It's not so much a mechanical problem as a hydraulic one. We confirmed there is loads of pressure available but the correctors will only respond to large changes in height. I've been here with Rattiva and found the problem is dirt in the height corrector damping discs obstructing their action and making them very sluggish. Rattiva used to be very slow to correct but after stripping the height correctors and giving them a very good clean, the difference was unbelievable.

Hydraflush does not seem to help with this problem. The only answer is to strip the height corrector (surprisingly easy) and clean out the damper assembly with petrol and then blow-dry.

I'll prepare a set and then do an exchange. We'll then do final heights and levelling.

Generally, the car is very tidy indeed and has a very sweet engine.

I enjoyed the ride in the ST220 Gareth, even if I did get a tad nervous at times. It certainly goes

All in all, an excellent day

I'll let you know as soon as the exchange height correctors are ready Gareth and we can reconvene...

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 28 Jan 2011, 16:07

Finally managed to get something done on the car!

The brake discs which i got off ebay, genuine items so i assume Bendix for £25 are now fitted, i took an old pad to GSF to get it matched up and these too were Bendix, a good price at £22+vat, for an OE part this is a bit of a bargain.

The reason for replacing them was a judder at most braking speeds, and then before Christmas when it was very cold, this happened.

Can you spot what is wrong? Lucky i was only in the city when this happened so only a few miles to drive home. It seems the pad had stuck to the disc, and because the outer pad was so badly worn (all other pads were fine), it managed to slip out of the caliper carrier and then onto the hub of the disc!

Such a straightforward job though, and they work nicely straight out the box, should be usual strong Xantia brakes when bedded in.

I must say it bloody goes well, a spin round the block and its off, turbo kicks in at low rpm and surges you forward, will be looking forward to driving it again.

Next on the list is Citrojim refurbished height correctors, height and roll corrector set up, a bleed of the brakes and some citrobics and it should be bang on in the suspension department.

I grabbed an oil filter at GSF for a couple of quid and will be switching it to a 5w 40 fully synthetic, the engine is very sweet and quiet and this will help give it a little extra protection when driven hard.

The bodywork is next, a good polish, front bumper respray and a few dents will get removed by my PDR man, and it will look excellent for its age.

The exhaust still needs sorting, it leaks at the front still so needs a new clamp and to resolve the short back box issue i'm going to find an aftermarket box with a nice tailpipe and have a friend weld it on for me.

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 29 Jan 2011, 17:40

Brakes are bedded in now.

Its silly how quick it is really, its still on normal unleaded and i've not even touched the exhaust.

And a quick picture -

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 26 Mar 2011, 08:02

Will be for sale shortly, with all problems sorted and a fresh lick of paint in places, you'll struggle to find better for the money i will be asking..

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 28 Mar 2011, 16:57

Just sorting out the final bits now, this morning i repaired the front bumper and replaced the headlight with a new Valeo one i purchased a while back.

I've refitted the original airbox with a new filter to keep that aspect OE and more in keeping with the car. Oil change next, with some fully synthetic 5w 40, then replace the exhaust clamp. The only thing mechanically it will need is a new height corrector refurbed by our very own Citrojim and it will be spot on then.

Will be sad to see it go, but we are moving house again and we are also selling the MG to keep our costs down. I'll be doing an advert shortly!

Gareth

davoxx · Unread post by **davoxx** » 28 Mar 2011, 17:06

looks very nice indeed.

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 02 Apr 2011, 14:53

Well, thats the end of my Activa ownership for now.

Chris and his father got here early! Was still hoovering the interior. Took them for a quick drive and did a roundabout one last time and promptly got a reminder of how amazing these cars are at cornering, i will miss the Activa dearly, but its time to move on for now, there is really is no space here for looking after such a car, or the time.

As you can see, cleaned up really well, and i fitted a spare pair of mudflaps too.

Goodbye Activa, its been a good experience!