Activa Rear Suspension overhaul

[KevMayer]

I get so many bumps and clangs from the rear suspension that I have decided to overhaul it.

My steering pulls to the right and I think my rear left wheel is leaning. So, I'm planning to change the rear arm bearings on both sides. Change the subframe mounting blocks and replace the left hand side drop link. The ram on the right hand side looks ok. Although today when I looked there seemed to be LHM leaking from the small leak off pipe connection. I'll leave the ram it as it is for now though.

I also get a loud bang if I accelerate hard and then another bang when I brake hard (usually when teaching some other driver what Activa stands for. I try to drive sensibly most of the time but this beast just runs away with you. If you like Citroens you gotta try an Activa some time). Could this banging be a symptom of subframe block mounting wear or drop link rubber deterioration or ram bush failing (the bush on the ram at the rear arm end, as opposed to the anti roll bar end of the ram) .

This work should fix it. But, looking underneath it looks like I need to plan it carefully.

Can anyone offer any tips. I'm fairly confident to do it all myself but just need to know of anything to look out for.

a few questions:-

1. To change the subframe mounts Haynes susggests that I disconnect all hydraulic pipes before lowering the subframe. Does anyone know if this is absolutely necessary because there's an awfull lot of pipes on an Activa rear suspension.

2. I have picked up from this forum that the Activa ram and its associated spheres haveto be depressurised separately from the rest of the system. How do I do this ? (some valve at the back of the Activa sphere I believe, but which of the 3 spheres in the middle of the car is the Activa sphere ?)

The drop link should be easy enough.

I'll be driving around in my 1.9 turbod SX while the Activa is off the road. The suspension on my SX seems so much simpler.

thanks for any replies.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY.

Cheers,

Kev

[Peter.N.]

I would think that most of your rear suspension noise is coming from your disintegrating trailing arm bearings, especialy if you can see one or both wheels leaning. The most difficult part of changing them is removing the outer part of the bearing from inside the arm. If you have an arc welder, this can be fairly easily achieved by running a ring of weld around the inside of the outer part of the bearing, when it cools it will shrink the bearing so it should be fairly easy to prise out with a couple of screwdrivers.

[handyman]

The banging noise you can hear is the exhaust pipe hitting the subframe, which usually means the lower and/or upper engine mountings are worn. These engines seem to give the mountings a harder time than the standard lumps. Check the lower unit under the gearbox at the rear of the engine, as this is the most likely. I have had this problem on two of my Activas and like you, I thought it was suspension at first.
If you do not fix it, your exhaust will snap. Do not ask me how I know!

[KevMayer]

I think I'll do the left rear arm bearing first and also change the drop link on that side. Then see how it goes.

Or, should I do the rear arm bearing on both sides at the same time ?

cheers, Kev