Rear Left Suspension Bucking

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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by jgra1 »

hi all,

Mike my X7 doesn't cope with bumps well but feels fine on a (4) corner press.. following.


My front spheres were quite tricky to remove (after depressurisation) - did I read once that undoing a sphere (a tiny bit) before DP, was a good method, especially at the back end?

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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by KennyW »

John,

That was for the rear spheres on Xantia's and maybe earlier hydraulic cit's.

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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by jgra1 »

thanks Kenny ;)
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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by Y Cymro »

Well that didn’t start well. My filter chain wrench is slightly too small to fit the diameter of the sphere and the large enough Stilson has no clearance due to the bulkhead.
There‘s no one working at my local dealer to give a price and the local independent is adamant that Lexia is needed on X7 to depressurise and repressurise the system, and that’ll put an extra £60 on the bill, on top of the 2 hours labour (an hour a side, plus more if he can’t get easily remove the spheres - as they’re front spheres and therefore protected in the engine compartment from the worst of grime and grit, I thought they’d be easy to remove).
Anyway, that’s £200 labour and diagnostics, plus parts and fluid on top. I’d be surprised if the dealer charges that as they’re probably on standard time.

I’ve seen removal tools on eBay for 15 quid - has anyone tried them - assuming that diagnostics aren’t needed.

Any suggestions appreciated!
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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by Y Cymro »

GiveMeABreak wrote: 30 Jun 2020, 14:56 B) If you don't have a kit, you can manually depressurise the front or rear axles independently, depending on the spheres you are replacing.

Disconnect the battery.
Raise the vehicle and support on axle stands, wheels free.
Depressurising the front axle

Image
Depressurising the rear axle

Image
  • Place a hose on the pressure release screw (1).
  • Gradually unscrew the pressure release screw (1).
  • Wait for the pressure in the hydraulic circuit to fall fully.
  • Place a hose on the pressure release screw (2).
  • Gradually unscrew the pressure release screw (2).
  • Wait for the pressure in the hydraulic circuit to fall fully.
You will loose fluid, so don't re-use any reclaimed LDS that comes out, so make sure you have sufficient new LDS fluid to hand.

BSI Reset / Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure
I’ve started to replace the front spheres on my X7 following the procedure posted above by Marc.

I don’t have Lexia so with the suspension set to normal height I’ve loosened the LDS fluid tank cap and jacked up both front wheels so they’re hanging free. The rear wheels are on the ground as normal. Made sure the battery is disconnected.
Put a pipe over the suspension bleed screw at the offside rear of the engine bay and gently released the screw (10mm ring spanner). I’m a bit concerned because literally only a little finger full of fluid has escaped even with the bleed screw loose by a couple of turns (and moving on the threads - ie an indicator that it’s loose). With the cap removed from the LDS reservoir tank I can see fluid about 25mm from the top of the screw cap threads.

Before attempting to remove the first sphere I’m hoping that someone can confirm that this small amount of fluid being released is normal. I was expecting 1/2 litre or so!

Thanks
Steve

Edit: I suppose that providing I remove the bleed screw then there can’t be any pressure remaining?
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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by GiveMeABreak »

Steve, I would have the car on the lowest suspension height to ensure that the system is not holding pressure in the system before you full loosen the screw. The above procedure was carrying on from the main procedure when using a Lexia to depressurise it. So lower it first to release as much pressure and fluid back into the reservoir as you can before releasing the screw fully.
But before you do that, you may find that before you release the screw, try undoing the sphere slightly (just enough to get it loosen it), then go back and depressurise when you are ready to take the sphere off. A little pressure in the sphere can help loosen it beforehand. They are only supposed to be tightened by hand in any case, but can become tight over time.
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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by Y Cymro »

Thanks Marc

I followed your advice and then set at the first sphere with a strong nylon strap tool designed to take bits off a truck wrapped around the sphere, a 1/2” breaker bar with 2 foot pipe extension. Even with 80kg of bloke jumping on the end it didn’t move. Time to lick my wounds and book it in to the dealer.
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Re: Rear Left Suspension Bucking

Post by FlyMike_88 »

Just to update.

I had both rear spheres replaced recently at a specialist in Oxford and the ride is silky smooth now.

Thinking about doing the front spheres myself soon as they won’t be far behind!

Thanks, Mike
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