Hi
I've got a 2.1 TD Xantia 1997/98 which is my first Citroen. I must say that I love the car, although getting spares for the 2.1 is a bit of a pain, and think the hydraulic system is great in princple.
My car has started to sit down on the rear a little when parked, which it didn't do when I got it, although it rises up fine when started. What do people in "the know" think is the cause. Do I replace all three rear spheres, just the rear central sphere, or is the problem the anti sink valve and not the spheres at all? I should point out that there is no problem at all with sink on the front of the car.
As far as I can tell the spheres on the back haven't been replaced for some time, they are externally corroded quite heavily. I tow a small caravan with the car, do people think this accelerates the sinking on the car? Lastly, when buying replacement spheres how do I know if my car is a hyrdactive or not?
Thanks for any general advice folks
Steve
xantia suspension general info
Moderator: RichardW
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stevecritchlow
- Posts: 32
- Joined: 24 Jun 2005, 13:41
- Location: United Kingdom
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Centre so called anti-sink sphere will only affect the height after starting. Suspension spheres won't affect drop after the car has stopped.
You get out of the car, suspension rises due to the reduction in weight. Height corrector opens to reset height, car should drop back to its normal height. Is this in fact what you are seeing? If its going too far the height corrector linkage may be sticky.
You can test some of this simply by sterting the car and when it at the coreect height - sitting in the boot. It should drop about 4 to 6 inches, then after about 30 seconds rise. If it doesn't drop - rear spheres have failed, If it doesn't rise - height corector may be sticky.
You should be able to do the same with the engine turned off. If it doesn't rise the accumulator is faulty.
Now someone will say you've got hydractive and it does something different.
Jeremy
You get out of the car, suspension rises due to the reduction in weight. Height corrector opens to reset height, car should drop back to its normal height. Is this in fact what you are seeing? If its going too far the height corrector linkage may be sticky.
You can test some of this simply by sterting the car and when it at the coreect height - sitting in the boot. It should drop about 4 to 6 inches, then after about 30 seconds rise. If it doesn't drop - rear spheres have failed, If it doesn't rise - height corector may be sticky.
You should be able to do the same with the engine turned off. If it doesn't rise the accumulator is faulty.
Now someone will say you've got hydractive and it does something different.
Jeremy
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by stevecritchlow</i>
Lastly, when buying replacement spheres how do I know if my car is a hyrdactive or not?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
A few ways to tell:
Hydractive (2) will have a button just in front of the manual height control lever (not a guarenteed sign, as I suspect some models put the button elsewhere)
Better ways to tell is to look at the diameter of the hydraulic pipe that connects to the suspension struts on the front suspension and suspension cylinders on the back suspension - in "normal" hydropneumatic these are very small diameter pipes - about 2.5mm outside diameter. On hydractive cars they are MUCH larger, I'm not sure what exactly but its something like 10mm, maybe more.
If yours has big fat pipes here its a pretty sure sign its hydractive. Another sign is the front hydractive sphere and control block mounted down by the bottom of the radiator - don't confuse it with the pressure regulator and accumulator sphere that is mounted at the front bottom of the engine - all Xantia's have this one, but only the hydractive will have the additional block with a sphere on it near the corner of the radiator.
At the back, the sphere you see in the centre is actually the so called anti-sink sphere, (which will always be there for any model mid 1994 or later) while the hydractive centre sphere is actually to the right of the spare wheel carrier. (Hard to see unless the car is up on ramps...)
As pictures are worth a thousand words, have a look at these:
http://www.aussiefrogs.com/shane/xantia ... pheres.htm
Regards,
Simon
Lastly, when buying replacement spheres how do I know if my car is a hyrdactive or not?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
A few ways to tell:
Hydractive (2) will have a button just in front of the manual height control lever (not a guarenteed sign, as I suspect some models put the button elsewhere)
Better ways to tell is to look at the diameter of the hydraulic pipe that connects to the suspension struts on the front suspension and suspension cylinders on the back suspension - in "normal" hydropneumatic these are very small diameter pipes - about 2.5mm outside diameter. On hydractive cars they are MUCH larger, I'm not sure what exactly but its something like 10mm, maybe more.
If yours has big fat pipes here its a pretty sure sign its hydractive. Another sign is the front hydractive sphere and control block mounted down by the bottom of the radiator - don't confuse it with the pressure regulator and accumulator sphere that is mounted at the front bottom of the engine - all Xantia's have this one, but only the hydractive will have the additional block with a sphere on it near the corner of the radiator.
At the back, the sphere you see in the centre is actually the so called anti-sink sphere, (which will always be there for any model mid 1994 or later) while the hydractive centre sphere is actually to the right of the spare wheel carrier. (Hard to see unless the car is up on ramps...)
As pictures are worth a thousand words, have a look at these:
http://www.aussiefrogs.com/shane/xantia ... pheres.htm
Regards,
Simon
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stevecritchlow
- Posts: 32
- Joined: 24 Jun 2005, 13:41
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
thanks for these replies. I've noticed the car is gradually sitting down even further while at rest, and tasking longer rising up to height after starting the engine (about 15 seconds now), although as I said before, it does get up to height and stay there with the engine running.
In addition I have noticed a groaning noise coming from the area around the front accumulator a few minutes after stopping.
Does any of this information help people with suggestions. My car is not a hydractive, its an SX model.
Steve
In addition I have noticed a groaning noise coming from the area around the front accumulator a few minutes after stopping.
Does any of this information help people with suggestions. My car is not a hydractive, its an SX model.
Steve
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FrenchLeave
- Posts: 359
- Joined: 18 Jan 2005, 21:47
- Location: 5 miles N. of Boston, Lincs
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Mandrake, that was a splendid link you posted.
Steve, sounds as if it might be an internal leak past the ram in one or both of the rear suspension units. If it is, the leakage will be returned to the reservoir via the pipe fitted to the rubber bellows on the suspension unit. Probably the best way to check is to detach the return lines from the reservoir and check for anything more than a minute flow of fluid.
Steve, sounds as if it might be an internal leak past the ram in one or both of the rear suspension units. If it is, the leakage will be returned to the reservoir via the pipe fitted to the rubber bellows on the suspension unit. Probably the best way to check is to detach the return lines from the reservoir and check for anything more than a minute flow of fluid.