Xantia Activa stop light - how long to go off?

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 02 May 2005, 15:47

Hi to all,
Just to collect some ideias, how long does it take for the stop light to go off on your Activas when you have stopped the car for a few hours (say all night long)?
On my activa it takes at least 25 seconds.
Accumulator is new. Any ideias?
Thanks,
Rostami.

ActivaV6uk · Unread post by **ActivaV6uk** » 02 May 2005, 15:57

Ive had/own 4 activas
Wicked Red (98) (105k) - 30 secconds
Light red (95) (105k) - 20-30 secconds (this sometimes can take alot longer)
Silver (95) (60k) - 60 seconds average unless the car has just been run, whne its light goes off the rear of the car goes to the hightest possition then drops back to normal drive (this car is not in use suprise suprise)
Blue (96)(117K) - 30 secconds
only the silver and blue cars suffer with the car repositioning at idel at a trafic light etc

oilyspanner · Unread post by **oilyspanner** » 02 May 2005, 16:13

I think the condition of the Acc sphere combined with residual pressure in the system determines how long the stop light takes, presumably a flat sphere and a system with some pressure remaining from the last drive will put the light out faster than a fully depressurised system with a good sphere.
stewart

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 02 May 2005, 16:14

Andy,
Thank you very much for your kind post.
I guess that its normal to take so long as 30 seconds. Do "normal" Xantias behave the same way?
By the way, what is the pressure regulator ticking and hissing frequency?
Thanks,
Rostami.

ActivaV6uk · Unread post by **ActivaV6uk** » 02 May 2005, 19:34

If it’s ticking frequently it sounds like the accumulator sphere. as for the arcs spheres taking there time i think its more the electronics centering, normally as the stop light goes out a good Activa will have the suspension move slightly back to a level setting. (I’ve now seen the method to manually level an Activa if it leans. my comment on it would be if it leans when parked let it unless it starts effecting the suspensions handling. It’s another thing i have to do a how too on - which will be better when I have next month off after I’ve been made redundant.
Andy

Unread post by **Thunderbird** » 02 May 2005, 19:46

My "normal" Xantia STOP light times:
New: 3 seconds.
Before spheres/LHM change: 30 seconds.
After that: 5 seconds.

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 02 May 2005, 19:53

I dont understand the differences in time.
When the STOP light turns off the rear of the car is still raising...so to be really honest I still have to wait a few seconds before I can drive off and enjoy the sheer activa experience! The awkward thing is that when in public places such as malls and parking lots, theres usualy someone waiting to take the place we are goint to leave free. However, since they dont know citros, most guys really get pissed off because thay have to wait more than usual!!! I have had a couple of very agressive looks now and again...

Unread post by **Thunderbird** » 02 May 2005, 20:05

In my Xantia, from one day to another, there is a very slight rise in the rear which you can hardly notice, unless the car has been stoped for a week. This happens because it has anti-sink valves, that keep it from going down. As soon as the STOP light goes off, the suspension is soft and ready to go. About 5 secs after turning on, cold start.

ActivaV6uk · Unread post by **ActivaV6uk** » 02 May 2005, 20:32

Rostami
Have you found that the breaks aren’t good if you do drive with the stop light on; with the wife’s car (light red) she tends to drive immediately and only waits when I’m in the car. There has been the odd time she has forgotten and driven with the stop light on and when she uses her breaks they nearly give me whip lash! of cause after the 30 seconds the light goes off and the car drives normally... so I figure some of it is pressure, with there being so many accumulator type spheres there is a chance that one of them is flat, this was until my friends Activa had all its spheres tested at peladies (I give up with that spelling) and they found that they were all fine... it still takes 30 seconds for that cars stop light to go out!
The Activa has about an extra litre of LHM but I can’t see why it would take that much time to build up the correct pressure unless it’s an electrical check as I said earlier. I’ve managed to get hold of the wiring diagram for the Activa system but it doesn’t cover the ecu's programming so it’s hard to say if this is a self test.
Andy

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 02 May 2005, 20:43

Andy,
So are we forced to believe that 30sec is perfectly normal? As usual there are very few people who can tell what is correct and what is not regarding the Activa. The 30 secs dont bother me at all...its just this feeling of insecurity that makes me go crazy. Do you have the wiring in electronic format? I´d love to see it

One other thing: exactly how many spheres does the Activa have? 8 or 10? I have seen contradictory data regarding this. In any case i will try to find out whats going on with my car...

ActivaV6uk · Unread post by **ActivaV6uk** » 03 May 2005, 02:10

its 10, and unfortunatly the wiring diagram is part of the 96 citroen manual update so i dont have it in electric format. its also not actualy mine but i am trying to get my freind to scan the whole thing in!
Andy

Panjandrum · Unread post by **Panjandrum** » 03 May 2005, 18:45

Mine is around 30-40 seconds. Curious to hear that some Activas don't shimmy at the lights. I thought they all did that - and a friend who tried an almost-new VSX for a couple of days refused it because it shimmied too.

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 03 May 2005, 18:58

What do you mean by Shimmy? flickering or something like that?
I have never seen the STOP light on mine flicker.

ActivaV6uk · Unread post by **ActivaV6uk** » 03 May 2005, 19:25

A lot of Activa's have a weird thing they do ware the car moves when idling, this is sort of an up and down action each strut often moves on its own when this happens. This is what he means by Shimmy. I agree that the cars we first had did this and I’ve heard one excuse for it being that the early cars had only single output pumps. However all the first year cars i have seen have the same pump as the 98 cars so this cant be the case, and one of the cars that is fine is one of the first year production cars.
the real difference seems to have been the way that the suspension has been looked after the ones with no problems have had there LHM changed every 30k and have been hydroflushed each time the fluid has been changed, (there was still a lot of swarf at the bottom of the LHM tank but this is known to be a common thing and in fact the reason for the fluid being changed.
Andy

Rostami · Unread post by **Rostami** » 03 May 2005, 20:51

Well, my Xantia does for sure like to shake herself!!!
As far as I understand its quite normal, and it happens on the sides that have tthe rams.
The fact that the car simpley does not stand still for even a few second did bother me quite a lot but in Portugal all citroen specialists I talked to recognized this behaviour as normal to Activas.