please help Citroen Xantia problem!!

[Cathal]

Hi all im new here and my xantia has a problem with the rear suspension
I was looking at a few topics on the forum and tryed greasing the rods on the back suspension.
the problem i have is that the suspension will only go to service height and the lowest is it possible to be a height corrector thing???
and are these expensive to replace?

[Xaccers]

Hi Cathal, first welcome and take a deep breath, make a cuppa and relax, it's a common issue that is caused not by the rear height corrector (barrel like thing with pipes going into it and rubber caps on the ends), but the horizontal linkage between the HC and the anti-roll bar.
There are basically 3 causes of "Oh bother it's not working"

1. The horizontal linkage has seized but spraying it with plus gas and then working it by using the manual control to raise the car to roughly right hight then slip it back to normal position. Sit in the boot and let it sink down, then get out and let it rise back up and repeat. Or, remove the linkage unit, you don't have to remove the actual HC or it's pipes if memory serves, gently pop the plastic dog bone off (it connects the linkage to the clamp on the anti-roll bar), soak it in diesel and manually work the linkages to free them up. It'd be worth buying a replacement dog bone too as they're not expensive.
2. As above but the dog bone has popped off. Chances are the dog bone is worn or slightly cracked so needs replacing, free up the movement of the linkage, fit the new dog bone and it should be fine.
3. As 1. but the dog bone is in attached, it's the arm from the dog bone to the clamp on the anti roll bar that's snapped. Free up linkage movement. Buy new clamp (you might be able to get the arm on its own. Scratch the position of the clamp on the ARB so you can set it in the same position and fit the new arm and dog bone. Expect the rear hight to be slightly out when you've finished, it will need the tiniest of adjustments of the clamp around the anti roll bar, micro meters of adjustment.

[citronut]

hi and welcome

i agree with what Xac says but i call the mechanism the H/C cradle which has the two turrets/linkages attached,

its these turrets that become seized and what the main root cause of the problem is,

when the turrets become seized it can cause either the doggy bone to pop off or the short arm to shear off from the clamp that is clamped to the anti roll bar,


NEVER NEVER GET UNDER A HYDRAULIC CITROEN OR CARRY OUT ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM/RIDE HEIGHT WITHOUT THE CAR BEING SAFELY SUPPORTED AS THEY CAN AND HAVE KILLED

[RoadkillUK]

I have a video clip on YouTube that shows the rear suspension doing what it should, take a look, you can see the dog bone connector, its the white thing. There's some more clips on there too.

I originally took the mechanism off, its possible without removing the hydraulics, just a bit of fiddly. I gave them a good clean and greased them up and put them back on, I later removed them again and dismantled it, cleaning everything of rust, greasing up again and refitting. I've had no problems since.

Although if it is the dogbone that has come off, ignore the previous paragraph. I

Oops forgot the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eqxAyN ... ata_player

Hope it works, this was done on my tablet.

Lee

Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 2

[Cathal]

Thank you all of you i had a suspicion it was something to do with the rods and plastic thingy lol excuse me im not sure about the real names
I remember my father having a Citroen BX i think it was GTi or something miss that car.. Main reason i got the xantia..
back on topic i used some freeing oil on the rods etc but i didnt know about a manual way to set the hydraulics can u give me the specifics on where I could find the manual
adjuster? once again thanks people oh btw my Citroen has 202 thousand miles on it and still going stron service every 5000
Thank you
EDIT: oh and also passenger side floor is wet car is letting water in any common problem area i should look for???
thanks

[xantia_v6]

EDIT: oh and also passenger side floor is wet car is letting water in any common problem area i should look for???
thanks

A/ The heater matrix is leaking - is there water on the bottom of the black plastic casing you can just see in the front right-hand corner of the passenger footwell (assuming RHD car)? This is bad news as changing the matrix will take you about a day...

or B/ The scuttle trim is not sealed. This is the plastic trim along the bottom of the windscreen on the outside. It should be sealed to the windscreen with silicone sealant, or water can drip from the windscreen into the air intake at the LH side.

[Xaccers]

Thank you all of you i had a suspicion it was something to do with the rods and plastic thingy lol excuse me im not sure about the real names
I remember my father having a Citroën BX i think it was GTi or something miss that car.. Main reason i got the xantia..
back on topic i used some freeing oil on the rods etc but i didnt know about a manual way to set the hydraulics can u give me the specifics on where I could find the manual
adjuster? once again thanks people oh btw my Citroën has 202 thousand miles on it and still going stron service every 5000
Thank you
EDIT: oh and also passenger side floor is wet car is letting water in any common problem area i should look for???
thanks

The lever is beside the driver's seat between it and the passenger seat, you've been using it to go to service height and low.
You should be able to use it to catch the car half way between the two.

[citronut]

you should never make any adjustments to the ride height clamps on the anti roll bars till you have exhausted all other cause's , ie. the siezed linkage's is the first port of call,

the best way to free them off long term is with them off the car in a vice, work lube work lube work lube work lube work lube work lube till they are floppy loose, then smuther them in grease