Oh no 🤦🏼??? I've just bought another Xantia !

[zs&tas]

Yes xantia V6 that's it . I can choose any height it will go to and stay, just won't come down not sure what my next move should be

[zs&tas]

So when I'm looking , there's a bunch of pipes everywhere under the back , I could do with some sort of return system diagram so I can see what's next ? It's a shame but if it's anymore work I don't really have the energy for this , shame it's pretty much my dream car .

[zs&tas]

I've unscrewed the centre sphere (non suspension) , as I was there , it's a dead end and I wondered what would happen , nothing happened , no fluid came out which I thought was strange ? Lol.

[admiral51]

Looking back at the whole thread there are things we can ( maybe ) cross off the list.
Jim said about rear trailing arms but if the car drops with rear spheres loosened then crossed off ?
Rear H/C removed car stayed at highest at rear so good Anti Sink and Rear Corner Spheres however quote from OP above "I've unscrewed the centre sphere (non suspension) , as I was there , it's a dead end and I wondered what would happen , nothing happened , no fluid came out which I thought was strange ? Lol." to me that is a duff sphere?
The car i believe has been sat for 5 years, LHM is therefore 5 years old as are the spheres. The front is behaving to a large degree, the rear is not even with 5 years old fluid and spheres.
If it was mine i would replace all spheres, remove the LHM, clean the LHM tank and filters and replace with Hydraflush and bleed the system.

Colin

[CitroJim]

As you say Colin, a lot can now be crossed off

Having seen your video on Instagram of the LHM frothing when you loosened the rear sphere I'm minded to think the rear spheres may well be ruptured and full of LHM...

I'd be inclined to pop some new, or at least known-good, spheres on the rear and see if that improves matters... Likewise the anti-sink sphere as given it acts as a rear accumulator, if it is also ruptured it may be having an adverse effect on the operation of the anti-sink valve...

[CitroJim]

One more question, the pressure regulator, if all is good and the main accumulator sphere is healthy, should emit an audible 'tick' every thirty seconds or longer as it cuts in and out to regulate the main-line hydraulic pressure like a thermostat.

If it ticks very regularly and at far more frequent intervals than 30s then it's likely the main accumulator is flat. If so then the pump may have trouble maintaining the required hydraulic pressure in the system and again this ca cause the rear anti-sink valve to remain stubbornly shut...

You can also hear the 'ticks' if you put your ear to the hydraulic pump via a stethoscope (or a long screwdriver!)...

When the pump is working to build pressure it will sound like a little machine gun. when idling (when pressure is reached and the pressure regulator has cut out) it should be silent... On the next 'tick' when the regulator demands pressure from the pump you will again hear a burst of machine gun fire... This burst should be of short duration and not continuous...

A good system will 'machine-gun' for perhaps 5 seconds and then idle for over 30 seconds before the system calls for a top-up of pressure...

I hope that makes some sense, if not, I'll try to word it a bit better...

One important thing is to establish the system pressure source is working well before going too much further... A combination of a dead accumulator sphere and flat corner and anti-sink spheres could well be collaborating to cause the problem you have...

[zs&tas]

That all makes sense thanks , so nothing came from the so called anti sink sphere ? .
The problem I'm having is not wanting to throw money away untill it goes to an mot and I get a list of jobs . If I know replacing something will definitely get the car coming down then I will do it .

[admiral51]

zs&tas i understand your predicament, something is keeping your car high at the rear, mechanically it seems to work when pressure is released and lowers at the rear.
I forget the gas used in the spheres, but LHM will normally only froth with air and or the gas from a ruptured sphere.
Expensive option is replace all spheres and LHM and bleed the system to remove any impurities.
Cheap(er) option is to bleed the system and by default fill any ruptured spheres with LHM, not gas , it takes time and the rear will take a lot of bleeding but not knowing the state of the spheres etc.

[zs&tas]

Admiral51, I should have said thanks for the recap , I appreciate it a lot. If I could get the car roughly working , I would be prepared to fit all new 8 spheres. Buy all new pipe work and make it sweet . I'm just trying to get it moving and to a mot station first lol. I think a good move would be a new accumulator sphere, and see if it helps things, if not I can always use the sphere on my other xantia, I've had that car 5 years and I've never changed it

[admiral51]

Looking at it from a different angle, if you have a known working accumulator sphere, it maybe worth swapping it onto the problem car to see if that helps eliminate the problems you are having. If you put the suspect one onto the car that is behaving and the car behaves then that is not the problem but then you run the risk of contaminating the system of the working car.
Regardless both will need to be bled after fitting/refitting as air will have been introduced to the system.

Colin

[CitroJim]

As you're not massively far from me, I may be able to provide you with some test spheres - I still have a few knocking around here...

[zs&tas]

That's a great idea admiral51, why did I not think of that . Thanks Jim I appreciate it , Ill let ya know .
I went out there a min ago to listen to the pump. I put the suspension from low to normal height and the pump had to work away to get the front up. Once it was there it shut up for a good length of time , but then the car wasn't doing anything sooo??

[CitroJim]

I went out there a min ago to listen to the pump. I put the suspension from low to normal height and the pump had to work away to get the front up. Once it was there it shut up for a good length of time , but then the car wasn't doing anything sooo??

That is normal and expected behaviour and would suggest the main accumulator is serviceable and the system is able to reach a stable pressure and maintain it for a satisfactory period of time. One more thing possibly eliminated

[zs&tas]

Sorta wish that was the problem tho , then I would know lol. I bet it's just a return pipe blocked or squashed or something . I don't really have the time to go looking for that , someone else might have to have a crack