New but doesnt feel new.

[IrfanIbrahim]

Hi, xantia s1 petrol non hydractive here. I had replaced two rear spheres (left and right) and front main sphere, purchased original citroen (grey in colour) sphere with exact spec for my car which are 30 for the rear and 62 for main. Get them installed and done citroebics etc. Whats bugging me is the ride is not that soft as I remember it was before, it still give a bang if I hit potholes , small but high bumps, and etc, or is that normal? Cruising was fine.. Another thing is the accumulator sphere ticks every 10 seconds or so when firsts starts the car, after some driving the tick intervals become less, 7 secs+-. It couldnt be the accumulator sphere because it was new, or was it?

[myglaren]

Certainly sounds as though your accumulator is flat.

[IrfanIbrahim]

But it was new.. is there any other problem that could cause frequent ticking other than flat sphere?

[VertVega]

A new accumulator ticking intervals was around 50 seconds in mine.
All the original and the new replacement spheres were green colored.

I guess you remembered to tighten the pressure release screw.
Did you remove the old seal and placed the new ones for the spheres?
Any visible LHM leaks?

[myglaren]

But it was new.. is there any other problem that could cause frequent ticking other than flat sphere?

A large internal leak would probably give rise to rapid ticking. As vertvega has commented, the pressure relase may not have been tightened properly, or have been wound in too hard and damaged the seat - this would definitely constitute a large internal leak. Also the ball may have escaped if the pressure release screw (bolt) was removed completely.

[IrfanIbrahim]

I did replaced the old seals with new one. No leaks visible anywhere atm. What is internal leaks? Preasure leaks?

[IrfanIbrahim]

Started the car this morning, took 5 seconds for the stop light to extinguish, the tick was 20 sec interval with once being 37second. Do citroebics , the front respond quickly but the rear drops very slow but rise up quickly. Do the boot test and only succeed 1 rise..

[IrfanIbrahim]

Did some driving and now the interval reduce to 10 secs.. Turn ignition off and start again does no better.

[Peter.N.]

Does the rear move up and down easily if you bounce it, if not I would suspect the radius arm bearings.

Peter

[citronut]

with the engine running and suspension set at normal ride height/level, if you press down on the front or the rear, is there soft movement up and down in the suspension,

what condition/age are the front corner spheres,

are both the front and rear height corrector linkage/turrets free/not seized and well greased

[IrfanIbrahim]

With engine start, the rear does feel soft but it still have the springy feeling when I push it down with body weight. The front sphere was replaced ages ago, but it still allow for movement and still felt soft. I suspect the rear contribute to the harsh ride, but the sphere was new so It could be the bearing? How to look for that? Also ring the supplier to ask about the accumulator sphere for a replacement, will get it replaced and see how the tick interval will be.

[citronut]

do you know Sujit Singh, he lives in Malaysia
i will pm you his email address

and might either be able to pressure test your spheres, or he might know were you can have this done,
as he is an avid citronist/fan, and a CCC ( citroen car club UK ) member

[xantia_v6]

Did you check the part number of the spheres you fitted? It is not just the pressure, but also the damper holes and damper valves which must be correct for your car.

What is the regulator cycle time with the suspension at high and low settings?

[IrfanIbrahim]

On low the tick are presumably longer by 10 seconds.

I will try to contact him, thanks malcolm.

[xantia_v6]

With the suspension on low, any leakage within the struts or rear brake circuit are eliminated, leaving only the front brake circuit and pressure regulator to be leaking (if the tick period is still short).