JACKING UP A XANTIA ?

palmtree · Post by **palmtree** » 11 Jan 2011, 18:13

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum,
what is the correct wat to jack up a xantia ?
should engine be running and should the car be in the hi service position

ny car was on a ramp at a local garage for the tyres to be checked,
the engine was not running when the mechanic raised the front of the car using the small hydraulic jack(as used in mots) to spin the wheels
when the car was lowered there wasnt enough clearance to get the jack out so i had to get in the car ,start the engine and move the lever to the high position to get clearance to remove jack

i am sure the car doesnt handle as well it did b4 this was done
what is the correct procedure for raising the car as i need to change some tyres

i checked the level of the lhm fluid and noticed the top hat is at the top of the glass bowl, i dont know what the level was prior to taking it to the garage, i thought it would be below the rings if it needed topping up, however looking in the reservoir i couldnt see any fluid so have added a litre of lhm, i have no evidence of any leaks in the system
thanks in anticipation

p.s 2001 diesel xantia

Chris570 · Post by **Chris570** » 11 Jan 2011, 18:19

put the car in high before jacking up is what i do.

The garage jacking it up when in normal shouldnt have caused any issues i wouldnt have thought.

you have to check the LHM level while the car is in high

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 11 Jan 2011, 18:30

Welcome to the forum!

No damage will have been made to the suspension by jacking the car at
it's normal running height and allowing the pressure out. This regularly
happens in an MOT situation and the only way to prevent losing the hydraulic
pressure is to have the car in the maximum height position - this goes for
every hydraulic Citroen including the Cx, Gs, Xm and Bx.

If you feel there's something awry with the car's handling now i'd suspect
the balance of the tyres or damage to the rim.

The safest jacking point would be the front subframe with a pukka 3.5tonne
trolley jack and the sill to C pillar point at the rear. With the Citroen supplied
jack on the sills the suspension needs to be put into the max high position
but be aware that the car could slowly sink but it shouldn't being a late
model with a so called anti sink sphere that locks the suspension when on
high. Hope this helps, the procedure is covered well in the manufacturers
handbook.

Andrew

andmcit · Post by **andmcit** » 11 Jan 2011, 18:40

palmtree wrote:i checked the level of the lhm fluid and noticed the top hat is at the top of the glass bowl, i dont know what the level was prior to taking it to the garage, i thought it would be below the rings if it needed topping up, however looking in the reservoir i couldnt see any fluid so have added a litre of lhm, i have no evidence of any leaks in the system thanks in anticipation.

Mind, the fluid will drop right down in the reservoir with the car on the
maximum high position!! When the car sinks to minimum low setting
you may very well find fluid is expelled out of the vent in the cap as there
is too much in the reservoir to cope.

The float could very well be stuck in the maximum full position even if the fluid
that would adjust it's position has long since drained lower - it does happen.
You're correct to check the height in the maximum high position and the float
should drop when the car lifts up asthe fluid is used to pressure the full
suspension circuit. The float can have it's elecrtical connector unplugged and
the whole float assembly twisted through 90º and lifted out so I'd try this
before pouring more fluid out.

It'd certainly be worth getting an eyeball into the reservoir from the refill
cap with a decent torch first.

Andrew

palmtree · Post by **palmtree** » 11 Jan 2011, 18:56

thankyou all for your prompt replies,
will get on the case tomorrow

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 11 Jan 2011, 19:42

i have never known the float to stick, the usual cause of this if the car is all the way up on its suspension on level ground, is to much fluid in the tank,

even with the corect amout of citro blood in the tank/system it will still look half empty when looking in through the filler cap,

it is also possible the garage damaged the hight corector, i have seen this were agarage had the car slip on a jack which bent the bracket the H/C is bolted onto

regards malcolm

Post by **xantia_v6** » 11 Jan 2011, 20:15

I believe that if the wheels are left to hang with the height control at normal or low position, then it can cause air to be sucked past the strut seals, leading to a bumpy ride. A good bout of Citerobics (leaving it down for at least a minute) should fix it.

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 11 Jan 2011, 21:04

citronut wrote:i have never known the float to stick, the usual cause of this if the car is all the way up on its suspension on level ground, is to much fluid in the tank,

even with the corect amout of citro blood in the tank/system it will still look half empty when looking in through the filler cap,

it is also possible the garage damaged the hight corector, i have seen this were agarage had the car slip on a jack which bent the bracket the H/C is bolted onto

regards malcolm

This IS Exactly what it is when the Level Disks do not move...

The Tank is deeper then it looks, and needs to be half to empty before them level drops, this is ensure people do NOT put to much in, unfortunally its mis understood and too much gets put in!

Ive never heard of a level stick, its such a simple thing! If you unplug the two electrical plugs, twist the "Sensor" you can then lift it up to withdraw, you WILL then see the disks drop!

Paul

palmtree · Post by **palmtree** » 12 Jan 2011, 17:34

checked today, level sensor not stuck,
sensor dropped down as i lifted it out
as soon as i started to push the sensor back in the hole the top hat hit the top of the glass long before i had it pushed right home- so suspect too much lhm fluid, prob not helped by the extra litre i put in it
the reservoir bowl looks empty though ?
is too much fluid a problem ?

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 12 Jan 2011, 17:50

no the only prob is when/if the car sinks to the floor whilst parked up it might make a mess as the exccess seeps past the lid seal,

the tank should look at least half empty/full with car up on its highest and the carrect quantity of citro blood installed,

regards malcolm

palmtree · Post by **palmtree** » 28 Jan 2011, 20:42

update, to op
it looks / feels like the front of the car is riding in the higher driving position (3rd level) even though the lever is in the lower driving position
have given it a good bout of citreobics, but still goes back the same
float not stuck, but is still above the red rings,
have added litre of fluid , but when you look in reservoir bowl no fluid can be seen, there are no fluid leaks on the system at all,
any ideas please ?

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 28 Jan 2011, 21:17

LEAVE the fluid level were it is... you will end up OVER Filling it..

Sounds like the anti roll bar clamp under the car is out of adjustment...

You'll need to get some damm good high ramps to get under the car to make an adjustment...

Paul

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 28 Jan 2011, 21:25

Talk nicely to your tyre place and see if you can borrow one of their lifting ramps to get underneath.

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 28 Jan 2011, 21:27

To set the height correctly, the wheels ideally NEED the weight of the car on them so any adjustment on the anti roll bar clamp can be seen immidieatly..

Ideally a ramp that the 4 wheels drive on, which is what I think they use.. A ramp that lifts and has the wheels "dangling" wont work.

Paul

palmtree · Post by **palmtree** » 30 Jan 2011, 15:54

cheers for all the quick replies
took it to garage , couldnt see anything untoward,
the guys in the garage were in bit of a rush and needed the ramp for a money earning job - so it had to come off quick
where would i find the anti roll bar clamp, obviously on the roll bar ,where is it in middle of vehicle ?

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JACKING UP A XANTIA ?

JACKING UP A XANTIA ?

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