Pimped suspension after rack change

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wockhead
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Pimped suspension after rack change

Post by wockhead »

Hi, i have a 95 1.9td sx xantia and have just changed the steering rack, i disconnected the hydraulic ram and swapped to the the new rack before reffiting.
The power steering all seems to work fine, but i am having problems with the suspension. The symptoms are that it takes ages to move from the lowest position to the highest position and visa versa, and when i put it in the normal driving position, it rises to the maximum ride height?
Has anyone got any ideas whats up with it? btw, i'm a bit of a xantia newbi, so go easy [;)], cheers
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

How about the hydraulics ticking ?
Ticking like mad when pumping up - or just occasionally ?
When up - does th ticking calm down to something like a tick every 30 seconds or so ?
You have checked the level of the green hydraulic LHM fluid in the reservoir ? - should be max 2 inch down (use your finger as a gauge) when car in low.
wockhead
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Post by wockhead »

wow that was a quick response! thanks
I just been out and checked....it was on the lowest ride height, started the engine, move the lever to th highest point and it went straight up....ticked quite a lot.
Then moved lever to lowest position (with engine running) left it for about 3mins and nothing happend!
Ive just read about the front height sensor being attatched to the roll bar.....now...i had to unbolt the roll bar to get the bottom wisbone off to get the rack out....could i have damaged the sensor? ( i wasnt very gentle with it as it forced the roll bar around trying to get the wishbone out)...would a damaged sensor give me these symptoms?
loads of fluid in the resovior btw
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Still a bit unclear if is the whole car - or just the front (or rear) that does not behave ?
messing around violently with the anti-roll bar (ARB) will for sure have upset the height controller (HC) function.
In order to maintain the correct driveheight - the HC is connected by a mechanical linkage to the ARB. I'm convinced you have bend the linkage such the HC now is getting false information on the ride height. This is no big deal - but will for sure mean some messing around with the height setting to regain the correct height.
You MUST have access to a pit - as the adjustment to the HC-ARB linkage must be done with weight on wheels. Also fiddling around with the height setting is VERY dangerous while under the car - as the car can - LITERALLY - sink down on you within few seconds. And you can forget any telltales about human biceps holding off the weight of a car !
There is a clamp on the ARB which must be loosened just barely to make it move when tapping on it with a small hammer. The clamp must be moved a few millimeter around the ARB to regain the normal height. Remember to have the height setting in normal ride position.
wockhead
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Post by wockhead »

Cheers anders, Thats great, thanks for the advice,
it only seems to be the front that is playing up, or not, if you pardon the pun, i shall go and have a look.
As i havnt got access to a pit, i presumme a set of ramps will do the job?
cheers
oilyspanner
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Post by oilyspanner »

Ramps should be okay, sounds like the connection on the ride height corrector has come off, from memory these look a little like a miniature tow hook, if this gets disconnected then I think the car jumps up in the air and stays there, have fun.
Stewart
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

Tx Stewart [:I]
As usual I'm thinking BX tech pr backbone
Stempy has this schematic showing the situation :
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/cap ... 366010.gif
wockhead
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Post by wockhead »

cheers guys,
It was the small plastic connector that had popped off the ball, it looked a bit like a gear linkage connector....so put that back on and suspension now goes straight up and down when i move from high to low and visa versa.....still got the problem where the normal ride height setting gives maximum suspension travel?.....i pressume i have inadvertently moved the pinch clamp round the anti roll bar, i have spent about 3 hours trying to set this clamp back to the correct setting but to no avail.....
...does anyone know how of a procedure to correctly reset the front ride height clamp on to the roll bar?
thanks [:)]
wockhead
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Post by wockhead »

Well i bit the bullet and have dropped the car off at a citroen specialist in coventry, the mechanic did exactly what i did yesterday, that is moved the antiroll bar pinch clamp through its full range of movement, but nothing happened, then mechanic reckoned this should change the height?.....he thinks the HC mechanism might be shot....any thoughts?
oilyspanner
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Post by oilyspanner »

The linkage on the Xantia is rather complicated with a lot of moving/sliding parts, a good clean and lube of these linkages both front and rear is a good place to start.
Stewart
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