Xantia Height

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mark_sp
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Xantia Height

Post by mark_sp »

Hello all
Here we go again. Noticed ride quality deteriorated over last month, particularly the rear of the car and assumed spheres (2 yrs old and 20k miles) but on pushing down both ends feel very smooth and fluid.
On a couple of occasions recently the rear of the car would not rise without setting the manual height control to high and then back to normal so began to suspect rear height corrector.
Further investigation revealed that if the car is parked with engine running after being driven the ride height on the rear looks considerably higher than normal but quickly drops to normal, maybe because there is no loading on it ?
Put the car into local Cit specialist who cleaned,lubed and worked it (inluding using forced air ?) and then test drove it, declaring it "not too bad".
Maybe not too bad for a 205 but definately bad for a Xantia. Anyway I'm convinced I have a rear height corrector problem but I'm puzzled by the fact that the car will idle at the correct height ?
Don't know if this is related but the local authority have kindly installed speed humps so I'm now negotiating about 14 of these a day.
Cheers
Mark
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Kowalski
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Post by Kowalski »

Is your height corrector intermittently sticking? Is the ride height correct?
I had poor ride on my Xantia, even though there was suspension at both ends it needed new spheres, the spheres had lost enough pressure to make the ride uncomfortable without losing all suspension. After replacing the spheres the ride is back to what it should be.
mark_sp
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Post by mark_sp »

Come on guys, opinions please, I can't throw any more money away on this car. It's been my most expensive car ever in terms of running costs.
Kowalski thanks but it's not spheres, it's ride height.
To restate the question:
I'm trying to decide if the problem is one of adjustment or replacement of the rear height corrector. Symptoms:
Rear of car won't rise from lowest manual setting to normal, has to be taken to high and then down to normal.
If car started from cold with no one in it and observed it rises to normal height. If someone in it the rear of the car rises an additional 6cm.
When the car is driven it is at this additional height but returns to normal within seconds of stopping and departing car with engine on or off.
It's been lubed and worked but no difference.
Thanks
Mark
ActivaV6uk
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Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate

Post by ActivaV6uk »

Hi mark are you finding that moving the leaver is a real pain too (i have this problem also). Is it HA or non HA suspension.
Andy
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Someone tell me I'm wrong but its got to be height corrector or its linkage sticking. Car loaded, height corrector tries to compensate and doesn't shut at the normal point but is kept open and probably at the early stage opened beyound the unloaded state - car rises but shut opp at normal height doesn't happen as its stuck - so it rises further. Stop - corrector still open so car falls rapidly through leakage back to regulator as valve not shut - eventually shuts as car drops and force increases.
If you say it has been lubricated then there is a problem with the corrector which must be changed or overhauled. I think it can be taken to bits but have never done one.
jeremy
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Kowalski
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My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

They can be dismantled and seals are available as a kit.
Often what goes wrong with height correctors is that the rubber seals wear and little pieces of rubber get lodged somewhere which jams up the corrector, the same thing can happen with dirt.
mark_sp
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Post by mark_sp »

Okay I've got an update:
The car went into independant specialist who lubricated rear height corrector and declared car to be "not too bad" - useless.
Car then went into main dealers who "tested" the rear height corrector, declaring it to be in perfect working order. They did replace the plastic linkage though which has fixed one of the two symptoms. The car can now be raised manually from the low to normal height, previously the back would not rise unless set to the maximum height.
However the main problem persists - which is that when the car is driven the ride height increases front and rear by 40 to 50 mm which degrades the ride quality. When the car is idling with no one in it the ride height is normal ?
Any ideas ?
Cheers.
Mark
ActivaV6uk
Posts: 650
Joined: 20 Nov 2003, 16:51
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars: C5 X7 2.7 hdi

Past cars
Activa, silver MK1 (221bhp stock) stripped out with twin sparcos Evo seats. 95
Activa, light met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met red MK1 98
Activa, dark met blue MK1 (202bhp stock) 96
Xantia exclusive V6 auto 3l 98
Xantia 2l 8v auto
BX 4x4 GTi dark met silver
BX 4x4 GTi white
BX GTi 16v white fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v black fibre bumpers
BX GTi 16v hurricane (doa)
BX DTR estate

Post by ActivaV6uk »

get all the returns blown out with compressed air, it sounds to me like the pump is creating more presure when its being driven and this is being passed to the suspension. i will read the documentattion i have on the system and see if i cna work out ware the problem is lightly to be. i can possibly send you a valve out on lone if we work out which one it is as my diesel activa will be off the road until vany finishes his exams :P
Andy
alan s
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Post by alan s »

OK, I'm firing in the dark a bit here, but I'll do a comparison with the BX on the presumption that they nay both have a similar principle.
The BX has 2 sets of adjustments; one set is connected to the lever inside the car and is connected via rods to the front and rear H/Cs.
If this is set incorrectly or is moved by a variety of means (won't get into that or it may confuse the issue) weird symptoms will occur including some similar to those you have described.
I had one that had been serviced by a Cit specialist who had it riding like a bullock dray due to wrong adjustments on these but in this case it was rough at the front. It needs the car to be over a pit or up on a hoist to do the adjustments as they are the most dangerous of all to touch but if you can get it onto one of those, it's not all that hard. In the case of the BX I think from memory it's 5mm from the front of the bracket and 7mm from the rear.
Set those before the settings on the sway bars are done for a correct setting.
It could also be that the rear arms may also be on the way out which may also be causing false readings. Have these been checked?
Alan S
Blagarse Yank
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Post by Blagarse Yank »

Sounds that you have exactly the same symptoms as my xantia, which has suffered with a failing/siezed HC Linkage.
This led to the car only being able to be set to low or high settings, and even when set up high-would eventually lower.
I'm not sure that the actually HC linkage is independently renweable-on mine I have decided just to get the HC renewed-as that price renews EVERYTHING I am told (pipes if broken/terminally rusted, linkages, lever mechanism etc)
Like you-I'm not really wanting to throw any money at my xantia-but the suspension has collapsed completely and its going to have to be done!
Blaggy
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

However the main problem persists - which is that when the car is driven the ride height increases front and rear by 40 to 50 mm which degrades the ride quality. When the car is idling with no one in it the ride height is normal ?
Has this been observed by someone else? - or does it just feel like it?
With a correctly functioning HC the car will sink when you get in it. There is an inbuilt delay in the things and the height should correct itself after 20 or 30 seconds with the engine running or not if the accumulator is sound.
The pressure of the system shouldn't vary according to engine revs. The demands for high pressure fluid is very small and if your accumulator is sound there is quite a sizeable reserve. There is a sophisticated regulator which cuts out when the required pressure is reached and indeed if it didn't some part of the system would probably explode.
I still go with linkage and lubrication. Unless something has bent I can't see why re-adjustment should be necessary. I have found that lubrication needs to be thorough as my BX front is prone to sticking. The best method I have found yet is to use a brush full of grease on the bits I can't see from underneath. The thing is almost completely invisible being between the steering and the engine.
To get grease in the correct place is not easy - are you sure your people have done it? The important place is (on a BX) the rod going into the flat face of the corrector.
Jeremy
mark_sp
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Post by mark_sp »

Thanks to both of you,
I think I'm going to see if I can come to some arrangement with my local garage to use their ramp.
Mark
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