xantia estate rear suspension hard?

rummins 123 · Post by **rummins 123** » 22 Apr 2009, 10:43

hi my p reg xantia has over the last few weeks has for some reason got very hard on the rear especially when i go over those dreded speed bumps and the car is bouncing from the rear .
i know the spheres go but would this only happen on the rear like this and if so are they hard to change or could it be something else ?

Martycit · Post by **Martycit** » 22 Apr 2009, 12:14

Its got to be the spheres mate, mine are also due soon on my estate and the car tends to rise slower than it should on a morning. Ive had a few xantias and the results are great when you do change them.

FrenchLeave · Post by **FrenchLeave** » 22 Apr 2009, 16:30

Bear in mind that when the suspension is in "Sport" mode it is quite hard. The difference between "Sport" and "Normal" is the centre (hydractive) sphere, so if money is tight try just changing that one.

They're not too difficult to change; car on ramps and you'll need a chain wrench or something similar to slacken the old one. Don't forget to exhaust all pressure before you start (suspension on low). Check the old seal has come out with the sphere, fit new seal to new sphere, coat mating surface with LHM and screw the sphere in hand tight only. Avoid the temptation to nip it up with the chain wrench!

Derek

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 22 Apr 2009, 17:38

rummins 123

Is your Xantia a VSX or Exclusive?

FrenchLeave wrote:Bear in mind that when the suspension is in "Sport" mode it is quite hard. The difference between "Sport" and "Normal" is the centre (hydractive) sphere, so if money is tight try just changing that one.

They're not too difficult to change; car on ramps and you'll need a chain wrench or something similar to slacken the old one. Don't forget to exhaust all pressure before you start (suspension on low). Check the old seal has come out with the sphere, fit new seal to new sphere, coat mating surface with LHM and screw the sphere in hand tight only. Avoid the temptation to nip it up with the chain wrench!

Derek

If so, the above won't apply.

Before you go changing the spheres, check the height of the rear of the car, the wheel arches should be roughly level with the top of the tyre give or take an inch or 2. If it is riding too high or low, your height corrector LINKAGE will need a good soak in WD 40. More details can be found by running a search on the forum

rummins 123 · Post by **rummins 123** » 22 Apr 2009, 18:12

hi its a vsx if that helps ,and i didnt know there was sports and normal suspension how do i change between modes ?

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 22 Apr 2009, 18:54

rummins 123 wrote:hi its a vsx if that helps ,and i didnt know there was sports and normal suspension how do i change between modes ?

On the VSX which has Hydractive suspension, there will be a button just forward of the height control lever.

FrenchLeave · Post by **FrenchLeave** » 22 Apr 2009, 18:59

I'm sorry if I've misled you. I'm an XM man and I assumed that Xantias were fitted with hydractive, serves me right for sticking my nose in where it's not wanted. My advice about sphere changes in general is still valid.

Ref the height linkage tip from red-dwarfers, it is always sensible to ensure the linkage is free and lubricated but I can't see how ride height will affect ride comfort - unless it's so low as to be near the bump stops.

Derek

red_dwarfers · Post by **red_dwarfers** » 22 Apr 2009, 19:22

FrenchLeave wrote:I'm sorry if I've misled you. I'm an XM man and I assumed that Xantias were fitted with hydractive, serves me right for sticking my nose in where it's not wanted. My advice about sphere changes in general is still valid.

Ref the height linkage tip from red-dwarfers, it is always sensible to ensure the linkage is free and lubricated but I can't see how ride height will affect ride comfort - unless it's so low as to be near the bump stops.

Derek

Don't fret about it Derek, we all learn something new everyday

On the Xantias, im not sure on the XMs

, if the spring linkage siezes, that end of the car will generally only settle at service high or low, before it does this it can be made to go to normal drive with a bit of jiggery pokey

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 23 Apr 2009, 00:17

If the height corrector isn't doing it's job and getting stuck a bit high, the ride will be harder, just as if you move the manual adjuster to the slightly above normal setting, the ride is much harder but you still have a bit of suspension compaired with the max setting.

rummins 123 · Post by **rummins 123** » 23 Apr 2009, 20:57

ok thanks all for the replys now i have something to checkout cheers

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 23 Apr 2009, 22:02

FrenchLeave wrote:Ref the height linkage tip from red-dwarfers, it is always sensible to ensure the linkage is free and lubricated but I can't see how ride height will affect ride comfort - unless it's so low as to be near the bump stops.

Ride height is quite critical for a smooth ride, for instance on my estate it was no more then 1" too low at the rear which had quite a detrimental effect on ride quality when I bought it.