The wanderer returns - very hard rear suspension!

[white exec]

Valprex regas valves (d.9mm for Xantia) available from Tecnosir:
http://www.tecnosir.com/attrezzature_va ... hp?lang=en
Come in packs of five. Good company to deal with.

Original Citroen spheres (now grey) are the best quality around. Go for them if the price is not extortionate.
At least you only have 4 (plus Accumulator) - a distinct advantage!

Mister Auto worth looking at, but avoid Lizarte and Monroe, which have bad reputation.
Bolk is Mister Auto's own brand label (and M.A. is owned by Peugeot), but I don't know who makes those spheres.
Febi is a respected brand.
Others will have their recommendations.

[Rhothgar]

Does anyone know GSF code?

[Rhothgar]

Down here but they only seem to have hydractive?

[demag]

Ticking over can you push the back down by hand or is it solid?

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[Rhothgar]

Spoke with Pleaides. Rears definitely not salvageable they say as there's only an inch of travel when I sit on the hatch and try to bounce it.

Can't believe price of spheres now! £36 a piece.

[GiveMeABreak]

Well don't be moaning - when you have 7 to replace on a C5 X7 at £112 each (genuine ones) then you can start crying!

[demag]

I saw a sphere cut in half once and in the base was a sharp spike! Presumably to puncture the diaphragm if the pressure got too low. Nasty buggers.

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[GiveMeABreak]

Yes and the same on the C5s Dave with the saucer spheres - there's 3 of the little ninjas inside waiting to attack.

[myglaren]

Nice to see you back Roger, shame about the circumstances.

[Stickyfinger]

nothing like having your rear spheres spiked !

welcome back

[white exec]

If you can lay hands on a good quality sphere for £36, then you have a bargain. Genuine Citroen here (Malaga) about €90 apiece now, plus iva/vat. Life should be 3-5 years, longer if the gas pressure is maintained. What finishes off spheres is running them with low gas pressure: it over-stretches the diaphragm, weakens it, and then goes on to damage the rest of the suspension system. Sphere pressure on regassed spheres should be checked once a year, or at the first signs of firm running.

A bounce test (car stationary, engine running) should show easy softness at the rear, and a somewhat less so at the front. If pushing down on a non-Hydractive car (engine running) feels firm or solid, then there's a problem.

If you want to do your own regassing, you'll need valves (€30 for 5 approx) and a C720 tool (€120) from Tecnosir, and a cylinder of Nitrogen from your local gas supplier (deposit + about €30 for gas (or a refill) for a small cylinder). Or, as you say, a friend who has the kit. The C720 allows you to both test sphere pressure, and refill to the correct figure. One small cylinder of Nitrogen should last you several years.

[ekjdm14]

If the suspension has gone hard enough that you notice a bounce, I'd say replace the spheres with new as a matter of course. Keep the old ones if they're not ruptured & next time you're over that way you could get them tested/regassed to have on hand for next time if they're deemed suitable for regassing. (they generally last longer "on the shelf" than on a car as the membrane isn't stretched at all & is pressed hard against the inside of the sphere and loses far less pressure, so if the replacements lasted another 4 years, the regassed ones would likely still be fine to go on by then).

the accumulator and rear spheres were all ruptured on our car and it bounced along like a little indespension trailer with no load in it!

EDIT-: I see I've gone & posted a reply without reading to the end of the thread again! never mind

That's nasty, the spiked spheres thing. May have to cut open the ruptured ones from this car and see if they're the same. Also I wish someone had mentioned Monroe had a bad rep before I fitted 4 of the buggers! I have to say, they were cheap (which was a factor at the time, as the car wasn't even roadworthy yet & was unsure about how much work required to get there) & they are doing the job just fine for now but I may build a pressure tester and perhaps invest in some regassing kit in the future.

What is it about the Monroe items that isn't good, low pressure from new? I know Lizarte have that problem as the accumulator on the XM was 6 months old & giving 20 second or so ticks from what I recall.

[white exec]

I must admit to never having used Monroes, but was just passing on indifferent comments read more than once. Maybe they're better now.
If you're thinking about getting some regassing kit, don't forget that the C720 tool from Tecnosir allows you to check sphere pressure, as well as top it up. This isn't well publicised, even by them.

Procedure:
- Attach regas tool to the sphere
- Open the tool valve VERY slowly and until the pressure needle slowly climbs. The needle will move slowly and smoothly, and then suddenly slow down. Close the valve.
- The point at which it slows shows the pressure of gas in the sphere. It's the point at which it manages to open the regassing valve and begin to put gas into the sphere.

All pressure checking or refilling is best done with the sphere removed from the car. This guarantees there is no residual hydraulic pressure to give a false reading or setting.

[ekjdm14]

That could be useful, thanks for mentioning. I was planning however to make a cheap tester with parts from a scrap car & an oxygen gauge I think is in the garage somewhere & then if I have any suitable for/in need of regassing to invest in the kit at a later date.

Be interested to hear anyone elses opinions/experiences on Monroe spheres. Have to say, I was wary but they were cheap enough to be temporary if they were really gash. So far they feel fine though, but a pressure test may change my thinking!

[Hell Razor5543]

If you were to have a look through the posts by CitroJim you will (eventually) find a sphere tester that he built using (amongst others) parts from a Citroen.