Citroen xantia suspension

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jayjay
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Joined: 07 Jun 2010, 09:27
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Citroen xantia suspension

Post by jayjay »

Hi, I have a 1997 citroen xantia TDI and recently the suspension has become really hard. When driving I can feel every bump in the road and get thrown all over the place. I have changed it to high and low settings and the suspension does move but it's as bed (if not worse) in these settings.
Sadly, I'm no mechanic. I hope someone can give me any ideas about what I can check for myself or does it mean an expensive trip to a citroen garage? BTW, might it be the LHM fluid? I heard that mentioned a couple of times.
I hope someone can throw some light on this.
Thank you
andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

Hi, sounds as though it's 98% certain your suspension has flat corner green
spheres. These hold a bubble of nitrogen gas that acts as your cushion against
suspension/road movement and this gas escapes over time and makes the
travel of the wheels firm and unyielding. A thorough guide to their DIY replacement is covered here:

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... hp?t=24595

Any queries just ask the forum!!

Andrew
handyman
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Joined: 20 May 2003, 18:38
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Post by handyman »

Sounds like you have defective or worn suspension spheres. The spheres are gas pressurized and give proper Citroens their characteristic smooth ride. However, after a period of time, these spheres either lose pressure or the internal diaphragm ruptures. They provide similar functions to shock absorbers on 'normal' cars.

The two courses of action are either repressurizing, where you need the skills of somebody like Martin at Pleaides, or to replace all the defective spheres on the car, which may possibly be only two or more units. Good quality pattern parts are available and the cost is not onerous.

Avoid going to a main Citroen agent, as their charges can be prohibitive. :shock: :shock: :shock:

There are quite a few good independent mechanics and garages on this forum, for the mechanically inept. Tell us where you are based and we can point you in the right direction.

By the way, the suspension setting lever is designed for non-driving applications and neither the high nor low settings should be used in normal driving.:roll:


Handyman
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