Citroen C5 Tourer 2008 X7 Exclusive - Suspension still rock hard after new front spheres

[Kees]

Hai,Mantisman.
I understand this mistake, because they call this sphere "stiffness sphere".
It's a wrong name, in normal ride mode the 3 sphere works together as a big balloon with a curtain amount of volume for the suspension, how more volume than the softer the car feels.
But when there is a bump in the road and a few other things, the system shuts off the center sphere, so then you have only the corner sphere's ergo less volume so stiffer suspension.
About youre question that one corner is really hard, this is only possible when the sphere is broken, but start as i say with the center sphere.
Greetings,
Kees.

[Mantisman]

Hi Kees,
Thanks for your helpful reply.
When talking about the right hand corner being really hard you say "this is only possible when the sphere is broken". Do you mean the sphere for the right hand front corner? Or the centre sphere?
The sphere on the right hand front corner is new and the pressure has been checked and is absolutely fine.
Regards,
Ian

[Kees]

Ian, i mean the right hand corner sphere. If you look at the system and how the strut pipes are connected then you wil see, that they are connected to each other by the stiffness regulator.
A question, can you lower and raise the car the normal way? If so, then for sure there is no problem with the strut.
Greetings,
Kees.

[Mantisman]

Hi Kees,
I can raise and lower the car. One of the first things I tried after the new spheres didn't solve the problem was to raise the car to the high setting and then lower it down to the low setting thinking it might bleed the system. It raised and lowered fine. It also came back up to the normal height setting without a problem.
Regards,
Ian

[Kees]

Next things i should do is change the corner sphere's in front, from left to right and right to left, so you can see what the problem is.
Greetings,
Kees.

[Mantisman]

Ok, thanks Kees. I'll try that and let you know what happens.
Regards,
Ian

[Mantisman]

Hi all,
My indie mechanic hasn't been able to solve this problem. He thinks it must be the strut but the car was fitted with a new right front strut in January of this year so I'm reluctant to spend another £220 on another strut just to find that it isn't the strut that's causing the problem!
Can anyone recommend a Hydractive 3+ suspension expert in the UK that I could take the car to? I'm up North in Carlisle but willing to travel anywhere in the UK if it means I can get it fixed.
Regards,
Ian

[Kees]

Hai, Ian.
Last time i gave the advice, to change the sphere from left to right and right to left.
Did your mechanic have done this, and what was the result?
Greetings,
Kees.

[Mantisman]

Hi Kees,
When I suggested it, my mechanic pointed out that the car has already had 2 different spheres on the right front with the suspension being hard. The original one which we thought was the the cause of the problem in the first place. This one had slightly reduced pressure but still had life left in it. Then the new one. When it was still hard after the new one was fitted, he took it off again to check the pressure and it was fine.
The strange thing is that when I collected the car after the new sphere was fitted, the suspension was fine for a day but then went back to being hard. When I took it back to get the new sphere’s pressure checked, again when I collected the car, the suspension was good again but only for a day and then went hard again.
Regards,
Ian

[Kees]

Hi, Ian.
Well i can't explain it for myself, but the only thing that left over, is that there is something wrong with the strut.
But again i can't explain it.
I know that you have replaced it, but if you look how it works, there is a piston inside and on top of it a colum of lds fluid and then the sphere.
In normal way,when the wheel travels up and down, the piston pushes the fluid inside the sphere and the sphere pushed the fluid back in the strut to put the wheel in the normal position.
So, somehow it seems, that the colum lds fluid is not pushing upward in the sphere by the piston, maybe there is an internal leak in the strut, because you say when the system is completely depressurize (by removing the sphere for testing) the suspension is fine for a day.
You have to keep in mind, that even when the car is parked, the struts are still pressurized because the car keeps an amount of high and maybe there is a small leak inside the strut, that there's lds fluid somewhere in the strut that not belongs there.
Greetings,
Kees.

[Mantisman]

Hi Kees,
Thanks so much for your helpful reply. When you explain how the sphere and strut work together, it makes sense that it could be the strut causing the problem and when the system is de-pressurised when removing the sphere, it fixes the problem for a short time.
I guess the only thing left to try is fitting a new strut. If it turns out not to be the strut, I could always sell it again.
Thanks again,
Regards,
Ian

[Kees]

Let me know the result please.
Greetings,
Kees.

[Paul-R]

Remind me which side strut we're talking about? I bought a pair of struts to fit my X7 and have only used the LH side so far.

[Mantisman]

Hi Paul-R,
Sorry for the delayed reply. It's the right front strut that I need.
Regards,
Ian

[Paul-R]

Then I have what you want if required. I was keeping it on a "just in case" basis. I just don't know what the going rate for a new OEM (not Chinese) one is ATM. Or, how to get it to you other than using a carrier of some kind. Unless you're in the area of Wirral at all?