xantia rear suspension problem

mike_zr7 · Post by **mike_zr7** » 11 Jan 2006, 20:33

Hi guys, On the way home from work today I noticed the rear suspension of my xantia felt vey hard. I stopped and noticed the rear suspension was sitting very low and had no bounce. I got the car home and tryed to adjust the suspension, the front went up and down ok, but the back went up to the highest position and remained there. I cleaned up the rear height corrector and noticed the dreaded plastic clip had came loose. I replaced the clip and everything seemed ok. However after driving a few miles the rear suspension has dropped down again and the ride is very hard. I have again moved the suspension up and down and at the moment it seems ok, but I am concerned that tomorrow the same problem will happen again. Any ideas anyone, is this a height corrector problem?

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 11 Jan 2006, 21:53

Which end of the clip unclipped ? The end that goes to the spring unit I presume ?

Did you replace the clip with a new one or just refit the old one ? The cup on the balljoint may have enough wear on it to allow it to unclip under strain, if so you should probably replace it with a new clip. As a temporary measure you could try reversing the clip.

Is the area around the balljoints and the cups themselves clean ?

Is the spring unit clean and well lubed or is it rusty ? IMHO the height corrector itself can't cause the clip to jump off, its either the spring unit seizing up due to corrosion, or a buildup of dirt around the cup on the plastic link preventing it from tilting freely, or wear in the plastic cups, or some combination thereof.

By the way, to test that it is fixed properly before driving off, put the car through a cycle of setting the height right down, then right up, then back to normal, and then check the automatic height correction for weight changes is still working.

If there is anything wrong, the clip will jump off during this test as setting the height to the extremes puts the clip through maximum operational strain.

Regards,
Simon

mike_zr7 · Post by **mike_zr7** » 11 Jan 2006, 22:34

Hi Simon, not sure what you mean by spring unit.
I have used the same clip, I may have to buy a new one.
The height corrector and linkages was pretty grubby, I have attempted to clean up the height corrector and linkages with a cloth and sprayed with WD40. Is it worthwhile greasing the linkages, or would the grease attract more dirt?
At present, after moving the suspension up and down a few times the suspension seems ok, I think the clip is still in position. I'll see if the problem returns tomorrow

Mandrake · Post by **Mandrake** » 12 Jan 2006, 00:04

mike_zr7 wrote:Hi Simon, not sure what you mean by spring unit.

The plastic clip connects to the rollbar clamp at one end, and the other end connects to the "spring unit" I'm refering to. This consists of a spiral spring held in place by two flat pivoting arms, whose pivot point is in the middle of the spring. The bottom one has the ball coupling on it, and the top one connects to the height corrector.

It works as a double acting override spring - when the suspension travels through its full movement the spring applies force to the height corrector, but allows the height corrector to stay stationary even while the suspension is moving.

This spring together with the hydraulic damping chamber inside the height corrector is what gives the 5-10 second delay that prevents the height corrector from trying to respond to individual bumps.

If you've got the back of the car on drive on wheel stands with plenty of room underneath for you to not get squashed, you can lie there and pull and push the suspension up and down by hand on the brace bar that bolts on from left to right, and watch the linkage and the spring mechanism move back and forth...

I have used the same clip, I may have to buy a new one.

If you can obtain a new one reasonably cheaply and easily then I'd suggest you do.

The height corrector and linkages was pretty grubby, I have attempted to clean up the height corrector and linkages with a cloth and sprayed with WD40. Is it worthwhile greasing the linkages, or would the grease attract more dirt?

Not sure about the best answer to that question

Perhaps someone else would know the pros and cons of whether grease would be more or less likely to attract more dirt...

At present, after moving the suspension up and down a few times the suspension seems ok, I think the clip is still in position. I'll see if the problem returns tomorrow

Ok well as long as the area where the clip connects is thoroughly clean, and the spring is clean and slightly lubricated, you should be fine after fitting a new clip. (it may even be ok now depending on what the problem was)

Regards,
Simon

mike_zr7 · Post by **mike_zr7** » 12 Jan 2006, 10:06

Hi Simon, appreciate your replies. This morning the rear suspension had sunk down. I tryed the citroen aerobics and the rear went up and stayed up. I noticed the clip has came off again at the spring unit, I think. I will hopefully purchase a new clip today. I'll keep you posted how I get on.
Regards, Mike Gaughan

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 12 Jan 2006, 13:16

Mike -

Purchase a bottle of WD-40 or similar. Then soak the linkage around the HC to free it up. I'm pretty sure a rusty linkage is the reason for the plastic rod keeps popping off.

Be careful working under your hydraulic Citroen ! Never rely on the suspension alone - use safety jacks.

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » 12 Jan 2006, 16:21

a new clip is £1.37p from the agents.

mike_zr7 · Post by **mike_zr7** » 12 Jan 2006, 21:34

Hi guys, thanks for all the good advice. I was unable to get a new clip today, Citroen dealer should have one tomorrow. I gave all the linkages a good clean tonight and soaked all moving parts with wd40. I tried again fitting the old clip, citroen aerobics etc and again everything seemed ok until I took the car out for a drive and guess what, the clip is loose again and the rear suspension is gradually sinking. Simon was spot on in his first reply, when he suggested to buy a new clip. John is correct, the cost of a new clip is only£1.37. I hope when I get and fit the new clip it will solve the problem.

Regards, Mike

mike_zr7 · Post by **mike_zr7** » 15 Jan 2006, 18:03

Hi guys, I fitted the new clip yesterday and so far it has remained in position and rear suspension seems to be working OK. Thanks for all the good advice.
Regards, Mike Gaughan

davek-uk · Post by **davek-uk** » 16 Jan 2006, 08:40

I had the same problem on Friday night. Came home and noticed the rear on high. A bit of Citrobics on Saturday morning showed no problems, but when put on normal the suspension didn't budge. Thanks to this board I knew what was wrong. The clip was fixed to the anti-roll bar but disconnected the other end. No chance of getting a replacement over the weekend so I cleaned the area, replaced the clip and put a tiewrap through the bottom of the spring unit and over the top of the clip. It can't come off now!