New owner a lot of problems Updated

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 25 Jan 2010, 19:31

The gap on the ABS sensor is critical - I would expect the 3mm gap is too
large for the signal to correctly sync with the ECU so this would be your
prime suspect.

Foamy LHM suggests your LHM fluid primary feed pipe to the pump isn't
tightly corrected and it's dragging air into the circuit as it's pressuring/drawing
fluid into the high pressure circuit - this would account for the occasional stiff
steering too. I don't have any direct personal experience with this problem
but near identical symptoms on an Xm in the club-xm forum resolved the
problem there:

http://www.club-xm.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1022

Andrew

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 25 Jan 2010, 20:17

Foamy LHM suggests your LHM fluid primary feed pipe to the pump isn't
tightly corrected and it's dragging air into the circuit as it's pressuring/drawing
fluid into the high pressure circuit - this would account for the occasional stiff
steering too.

Thats what i thought, so i have changed the feed pipe with new.
do you think that is the small round plastic cap on the tank that causing the problem?

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 25 Jan 2010, 20:29

Have you put a tight jubilee clip on the second feed pipe since that photo was taken?
Are they both tightly done up on the pump end?

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 25 Jan 2010, 20:36

Ooooups.... second feed pipe? where is that pipe?
no i have only one clip. This is how i bought the car...
the pipe next to the primary feed as i can see is returning a lot of LHM and i thought it was the steering wheel return.
is it necessary to put jubilee clips on every pipe?

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 25 Jan 2010, 20:40

Ignore me I was getting confused, you're right that's a return

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 14 Feb 2010, 10:44

Hi to all
After many many hours of trying to fix my problems i started to think how trouble free was my previous Xantia 1.6....
Anyway i am waiting a left front strut to come from UK as mine started to internally leak badly and finally lost 0.5 liters of LHM in 3-4 minutes. I am also waiting from GSF 5liters of hudraflush as here in Greece this thing is unknown!!!!!

I have some questions to make.
1. Foam in the LHM and air in Brakes. I temporarily used a transparent pipe from tank to pump and i saw that tons of air were getting in the circuit

I hope that with hydraflush this will be solved. (Filters and tank are clean the LHM maybe very old)
If this wont fix the problem, i will change all spheres and then..... i think that I will sell the car as spares...

2. Vehicle Speed Sensor. The wiring is OK the speedometer is OK.
The Lexia shows the following.

for the suspension ECU. The speed parameter is always 000 and the car always in Soft mode.

And

For the engine ECU. Here the veh. speed is always <5kph.
Another thing that is odd to me is the AUTO Sign. : neutral.....
My car has a manual gear box, is this normal??????

I have ordered a spare VSS just to see if mine is half dead, but i am afraid that i will not be able to fix this fundamental problem.

regards
Lefteris

Sl4yer · Unread post by **Sl4yer** » 14 Feb 2010, 20:01

Are those taken with the engine running?! And did you really have a door open? Pretty sure it won't switch to firm with a door open.

I wouldn't worry about the autobox thing (nearly sure mine says the same) but there is a lot missing.

James

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 14 Feb 2010, 20:56

No the readings ware taken with engine switched off AND the door open as the car can"t move due to the strut problem. The only thing that prevents the car to switch to firm mode is the speed sensor.
If the auto box thing is normal, maybe with a new sensor the problem will be solved....
Thanks
Lefteris

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 14 Feb 2010, 21:07

Hi Lefteris,

With the ignition on, a door open and the engine not running, you will never see the system switch to hard mode. The only time you will see hard mode on the Lexia is when driving hard around a bend, braking hard or accelerating and then only very briefly.

Check like this. With ignition off, open a door. Listen for a click and a hum sound from the electroalves. Close the door and listen to the electrovalves. They will hum for a further 30 seconds and then switch off with a click as the ECU selects hard mode to prevent battery drain.

The speed sensor is fine if the speedo works properly. The same sensor drives both the speeo and the ECUs.

Foaming in the LHM means air is entering somewhere. You have eliminated one cause by replacing the hose from the tank to the pump with clear plastic. The air must be getting in somewhere else, maybe a leak on the return hose from the pressure regulator to the tank although you would see this as a leak normally.

The other source of air can be a punctured sphere which is letting nitrogen gas into the system. Any sphere can cause this but the most likely ones in your case are the main accumulator or Activa Accumulator.

Old LHM can also foam. You can tell how good the LHM is roughly by looking at its colour. If it is a good, bright green it is good. If yellow or brown it is bad and must be replaced.

Your faulty strut could also be causing the foaming.

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 15 Feb 2010, 07:48

Hi thanks for the answer.

With the ignition on, a door open and the engine not running, you will never see the system switch to hard mode. The only time you will see hard mode on the Lexia is when driving hard around a bend, braking hard or accelerating and then only very briefly.

you misunderstood me. i have driven the car for many kilometers with the lexia connected and all work fine, except speed readings in both screens.

Check like this. With ignition off, open a door. Listen for a click and a hum sound from the electroalves. Close the door and listen to the electrovalves. They will hum for a further 30 seconds and then switch off with a click as the ECU selects hard mode to prevent battery drain.

it works as it should. But on the move never switches to hard mode.

As for the air problems,

You have eliminated one cause by replacing the hose from the tank to the pump with clear plastic

Yes i did that..... But the only thing i saw is a lot of air going through the tube to the pump. I have even tried to seal the little plastic cap on the tank side of the feed pipe. then i have changed the tank and the filters with the ones from my other xantia, but still air get in the pump.

The other source of air can be a punctured sphere which is letting nitrogen gas into the system. Any sphere can cause this but the most likely ones in your case are the main accumulator or Activa Accumulator.

Old LHM can also foam. You can tell how good the LHM is roughly by looking at its colour. If it is a good, bright green it is good. If yellow or brown it is bad and must be replaced.

All the spheres are new. but i will start changing them again with that order.

The LHM is not so old, it is dark green, that is why i am going to hydraflush the circuit, as it seems dirty.

maybe a leak on the return hose from the pressure regulator to the tank although you would see this as a leak normally

Very useful info, but how can i check that?
And is it possible to blame the doseur valve for the air in the circuit - brake lines?

regards
Lefteris

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 18 Feb 2010, 11:09

Hi Lefteris,

Sorry for the late reply

It is odd that both ECUs do not indicate any road speed although you say the speedometer works?

Both ECUs and the speedometer are fed by exactly the same signal from the vehicle speed sensor so if the speedometer does work then it has to be a wiring fault. I can supply the necessary diagrams to help find the wiring fault if this will help.

You are right that the Hydractive/Activa ECU will never switch the Activa Electrovalve if there is no road speed signal. This is a vital signal for the system to work.

The air in the hydraulic system is a mystery. Normally air can only get into the system where there is suction present and this, really, is only between the tank and the pump. Everywhere else is under pressure to a greater or lesser extent.

It is possible that the LHM returns from either the pressure regulator or the power steering system may be a bit leaky and drawing air but leaks would be apparent. Look carefully at the large rubber pipe from the pressure regulator back to the tank and for leaks around the power steering system.

The LHM, if dark green, cannot be too bad. If a Hydraflush and a refill of fresh LHM does not clear the air problem, then the pump must be the culprit.

Unread post by **xantia_v6** » 18 Feb 2010, 14:12

Re the air leak, maybe there is a crack in the plastic lid of th eLHM tank, try running a hose directly into the tank through the filler hole, and see if the air disappears.

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 18 Feb 2010, 15:17

xantia_v6 wrote:Re the air leak, maybe there is a crack in the plastic lid of th eLHM tank, try running a hose directly into the tank through the filler hole, and see if the air disappears.

Sure i will do that..... but I will do it after change the front strut, clean the tank again and put some frech Hudraflush. (I have just received the strut and the valuable oil

from UK.
I have no leaks at all. The car is absolutelly dry (exept of course the srut)

CitroJim wrote:You are right that the Hydractive/Activa ECU will never switch the Activa Electrovalve if there is no road speed signal

Not only the Activa Electrovalve, but all 3 of them. That is why the system stays in soft mode always. I have found this strange problem in the XM Forum
http://www.club-xm.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=996

CitroJim wrote:Both ECUs and the speedometer are fed by exactly the same signal from the vehicle speed sensor so if the speedometer does work then it has to be a wiring fault. I can supply the necessary diagrams to help find the wiring fault if this will help

I have downloaded the diagrams from service.citroen.com. The strange thing here is that the wiring seems to be ok.
Already I have checked that the singnal pin of the sensor and the pin 11 of the ACTIVA ECU (White connector) have conduity (Ommeter shows 0.00)
Furthermore the pin 11 of the ACTIVA ECU AND the pin 9 of the engine ECU also have conduity

So since my speedometer works and the signal goes to both ECU's i cant understand what to do.
Next thing to try is to feed the Pin11 with the signal from the speedometer with a thin long wire.
Maybe the sensor is not providing a strong signal, so the speedometer it might not be so sensitive as the ECU's and can read the speed.
Anyway i hope soon to receive my new speed sensor...... from UK again

and test it.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 18 Feb 2010, 17:11

lefgrter wrote: Maybe the sensor is not providing a strong signal, so the speedometer it might not be so sensitive as the ECU's and can read the speed

That's about all it can be Lefteris. It'll be very interesting to know the resolution to this odd issue.

Yes, you are absolutely right, without the speed signal none of the electrovalves will switch...

lefgrter · Unread post by **lefgrter** » 18 Feb 2010, 18:14

CitroJim wrote:
lefgrter wrote: Maybe the sensor is not providing a strong signal, so the speedometer it might not be so sensitive as the ECU's and can read the speed
That's about all it can be Lefteris. It'll be very interesting to know the resolution to this odd issue.

Yes, you are absolutely right, without the speed signal none of the electrovalves will switch...

I will post the resolution of this problem when I solve it

I have just thought of something.... when the car is stationary (speed 000), engine running, the suspension is in soft mode. If i press the accelerator pedal suddenly all the way down and release it before the engine blows out, what the suspension should do

stay in soft or momentarily change to hard mode?
I am asking this, because according to my lexia, my suspension stays in soft mode. If it shouldn't then maybe i have a problem with ECU.
Thanks again
Lefteris