95 1.9td VSX estate suspension problem

isisalar · Unread post by **isisalar** » 27 Apr 2008, 19:28

Hi everyone
this is my first post on here and I hope you can give me some help.
Bought this car recently and it's my second Xantia.As far as I know all 7 spheres are new(less than 1000 miles)but whilst the rear suspension seems as soft as it should be the front most certainly is not.I've changed the LHM and cleaned the filters.The car does sink a bit when turned off.I've discovered that the front goes solid when the engine has been switched off for a few minutes but there is movement when the engine is running.If I said that the rear was like a marsmallow then the front is like a tennis ball.I can't hear any clicking from the pressure regulator at all.The car has hydractive.While bouncing the front end (engine running) I did hear a few clicks and once or twice immediately after the click it went solid but then loosened up a bit but no clicking otherwise.
any advice please?

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 27 Apr 2008, 19:43

From your description of clicks and brifley stiffening it sounds as if the Hydractive is working OK and as Hydractive sphere's are just about the stiffest you can get I wouldn't have thought that wrong sphere's would be causing the stiff front unless they are flat.

Whereabout's in 'The Smoke' are you? I'm near M25 J15/16 and have diagnostic equipment to interrogate the ECU to determine if anything electrical is wrong (as well as a sphere tester) if you wish to pop the car over.

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 27 Apr 2008, 19:54

What is the markings on the front wheel spheres ?
There may be several printed markings - please list separately.

The click you have sometimes heard must be the hydractive valve changing state, most likely to the default state when car is parked, which is the hard mode. This means the extra softness sphere is blocked out.
This should also happens automatically approx 1minute after the engine is turned off.
This sphere should however be connected as soon as the system pressure has reached the normal working pressure, when engine is idling and car parked.

It seems to your description of the problem, that the only suspension softness you have, is the low speed soft mode, exactly where the extra softness sphere is connected.
Either the front spheres were not replaced, are the wrong type, were bad quality regassed, or bad luck has hit you with ruptured spheres again.

The codes printed on the spheres may tell us more on correct sphere types.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 27 Apr 2008, 20:13

This thread may help a little in diagnosing the problem with the front. In the thread is a step-by-step guide to testing a hydractive system. The second thread that links into the first is for the Activa but it applies equally to the VSX as long as you ignore the Activa-specific bits.

Wrong spheres are a distinct possibility but it's just as likely to be the front electrovalve not operating correctly and you may well need to do the diode mod. The fact that the electrovale appears to click does not mean it's working properly. I was caught out like this when I fist got my Activa. The valve was clicking gently but doing very little otherwise.

A full hydractive diagnosis session as recommened by DickieG is a must. It's the only real way to ensure all Hydractive sensors are working correctly and to read any stored fault codes in the ECU. An oscilloscope will confirm the correct operation of the electrovalves by loooking directly at the signals being sent to them.

Unread post by **elma** » 28 Apr 2008, 02:30

DickieG wrote:From your description of clicks and brifley stiffening it sounds as if the Hydractive is working OK and as Hydractive sphere's are just about the stiffest you can get I wouldn't have thought that wrong sphere's would be causing the stiff front unless they are flat.

Whereabout's in 'The Smoke' are you? I'm near M25 J15/16 and have diagnostic equipment to interrogate the ECU to determine if anything electrical is wrong (as well as a sphere tester) if you wish to pop the car over.

May I ask what diagnostic equipment you use?

A friend of mine would really like to get that and has found it difficult to find.

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 28 Apr 2008, 06:14

elma wrote:May I ask what diagnostic equipment you use?

A friend of mine would really like to get that and has found it difficult to find.

I have an E.L.I.T. and a Lexia which are the ones used by Citroën dealers, plus an Sykes ACR4 which works on engines, airbags and ABS.

Unread post by **elma** » 28 Apr 2008, 12:02

Ok, I'm familier with Lexia system.
You are a very lucky person to have one of those.

What is the E.L.I.T.? and where can I read up on it?
Can't find anything on google.

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 28 Apr 2008, 17:41

elma wrote:What is the E.L.I.T.? and where can I read up on it?

An E.L.I.T is the earlier hand held (smaller) version of a Lexia made by the same company, Actia. It looks similar to one of those hand held meter readers the Gas Board use (that shows my age

) but unlike Lexia doesn't have a a full screen for data, just four lines of text, so whereas Lexia can provide oscilloscope and other useful functions E.L.I.T cannot, but it still has access to all ECU's for code reading and showing datastream.