Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

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seedy
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Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by seedy »

This is specifically for a year 2000 HDi, but probably applies to all Xantias. It's so long since I took the rear suspension trailing arm off the Xantia that now I come to reassemble it I can't think how to get it back together.

There's a pushrod between the trailing arm and the hydraulic unit. The pushrod lives in a rubber gaiter. The pushrod axis is parallel with the length of the car. The pushrod is a steel rod with a circular cross section and it has one plain end and one end with a bell shape machined into it. I think this shaped end engages in a machined insert that sits in a blind hole in the trailing arm. This insert refuses to come out of the trailing arm, even though the retaining pin has been removed. The insert will spin but it won't come out. Inside the insert is a radiused bearing surface like a valve rocker. The pushrod won't fit into the opening in the machined insert.

Does the bell shaped end engage as I describe?
If so, how do I get it in without damaging it? It has come apart without difficulty, so I expected it to go back without problem (silly). Does the insert have to come out and if so how?
Or am I trying to insert the pushrod the wrong way?
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NewcastleFalcon
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

I have just done a rear strut replacement myself

new boots
rear strut anatomy

Image

This reply from Malcolm/Chris appears in the second thread alluding to a "magic angle" to get the rod back in the cup.
Malcolm (Citronut) wrote
Chris570 wrote:
I found that there is a magic angle that you can use that will get them in and out fairly easily,

aaah thats right but its only with the rod removed from the cylinder/strut
You can be sure that the "bell shaped" end of the rod goes into the cup when the magic angle has been discovered.

The cup doesnt have to come out of the radius arm, but once the pin is removed (if it has been removed completely) there is nothing holding the cup into the radius arm but corrosion and a tight fit.

I actually destroyed the cup on one of my attempts to get a rusted pin out of a trailing arm. The bottom bit of the cup where the pin goes through sheared off, and the pin remained in place in the arm. I removed the cup by putting mole grips around it and then forcing a screwdriver between the arm and the mole grips and this exerted sufficient force to shear the bottom part of the cup offand pop it out of the arm. With the pin fully removed however I suspect this method would pop the cup out of the arm quie easily. It is unnecessary though to do this in your case.

kind regards

Neil
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reblack68
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by reblack68 »

I had terrible trouble removing the remains of the rod from my C5, mostly because there was some pin left and I couldn't drift it out.

The cup can turn independently of the stub, so that can fool you (it did me for a bit) into thinking the stub is free in the arm.

Eventually I lost my temper, put a chisel behind the cup and hit it quite hard with a hammer. This sheared the remaining pin on both sides of the stub and the pushrod flew out. Things didn't seem so bad after that. :) Other than shearing the pin, which was what I had wanted, this brutal method didn't seem to do any harm. I'm fairly sure the pushrod could have been reused if it hadn't already been broken (the reason I was trying to remove it). If your pin is already out it won't take much of a clout to free the pushrod from the arm.
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citronut
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by citronut »

i dont know for sure but are there possibly two flats on the side of the push rod end that fits into the cup, which maybe have to line up to corresponding flats inside the cup, ( Chinese puzzle comes to mind ),

on doing arm bearings it is not usual to disconnect the rod from the cup, but just disconnect the cup from the arm and leave the rod and cup attached to the gaiter/suspension cylinder,

the cup can become stuck into the arm with rust, if your pin came out intact just get a small screw driver between the edge of the gaiter only enough to clear it for a small chisel to be placed against the side of the cup really tight against the arm, then hit the chisel with a hammer to free the cup from the arm,

the idea is the get the chisel in between the tapperd seat of the cup and the arm this has never failed as yet
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
seedy
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by seedy »

Thanks to all who replied (and very quickly - the 4th emergency service ;-) )

The magic angle is very close to perpendicular. I just tapped the end of the pushrod with a soft mallet to get it lodged, then used a short half-inch socket extension as a drift against the exposed side of the bell end to flip it into its housing. Voila!

The job isn't finished yet, because it seems to me that the reason the pushrod popped out is that I was removing the trailing arm whilst the hydraulic unit was still in place. This forced the pushrod to an angle that popped it out. By the same token, it won't go back in to the hydraulic unit without going to the same angle, which would knock it out again. :-(

Has anyone managed this trick?
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by citronut »

you need to disconnect the push rod cup from the arm, useing a small chisel tight into the point were the cup meets the arm, give the chisel a bash at this point,
but firstly carefully with a small screwdriver under the edge of the gaiter, gently hold just the very edge away from were its against the arm so not to damage it with the chisel,

dont pull the neck of the gaiter back of the cup as its a real pain to re/attach in situe,

although i think your push rod is out of the gaiter already if so
fit the push rod back into the cylinder and make sure the gaiter is fully onto the push rod cup right up to the tapperd seat were mates to the arm,
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
seedy
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Joined: 21 May 2007, 15:09
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Re: Xantia rear suspension pushrod - how does it fit?

Post by seedy »

Job done.

I re-fitted the trailing arm, including the main pivot bolt and the anti-roll bar bolts, then inserted the pushrod through the gaiter and into the piston. Then I tapped the bell-end of the pushrod into the housing on the trailing arm. (Used the half-inch extension and alloy hammer as mentioned in earlier post). At this point the pushrod is very loose at its rear end - it needs the weight of the car to firm it up. Then reassemble in the time-honoured way.

Thanks again to all for the quick and useful input.

Colin.
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