changing ARB clamp ( xantia )

[Raul]

Hi

I cleaned the front height corrector but the front still does not rise when I put it on the driving position. In order to drive I have to put it on the high at first and then when it starts to rise I have to play with the lever to get it to an acceptable height. I tried to rotate the clamp but the spanner gets eventually in the way. I think the angle of the lever of the clamp that is on the anti-roll bar has deformed . Silly question but how do you change this clamp? Do I have to simply slide it along the arb to the end of it to get it off?

[CitroJim]

As you have been doing but the adjustment is VERY critical. A little change makes a big difference.

You need to be on a ramp or over a pit to do it and you must wait after each small adjustment at least 10-20 seconds for any changes to take effect.

Take care always when working on Citroen Hydraulics and ensure there is adequate space under to avoid injury should the car height suddenly fall.

HYDRAULIC CITROENS CAN KILL

[Hell Razor5543]

It is possible that the height adjuster (well, the levers that work it) has become very dirty, and so is mot moving cleanly. It could well be worth giving them (front and rear) a good cleaning and greasing to see if that helps.

As Jim said, make sure to properly support the car before going underneath. When I made a height adjustment on my Xantia at Jims' place, she was up on ramps. I overdid the adjustment, and she dropped all the way down. When she stopped moving the sump was lightly touching my chest. That was an interesting moment.

[elma]

When you say the spanner gets in the way do you mean that to get the car to an acceptable height you need to turn the bolt further than you can using the little window there for access?
My car is like that too, I just turned it further by reaching around the back. I think my pressure regulator is faulty though. Is your car otherwise healthy?

[Raul]

When you say the spanner gets in the way do you mean that to get the car to an acceptable height you need to turn the bolt further than you can using the little window there for access?
My car is like that too, I just turned it further by reaching around the back. I think my pressure regulator is faulty though. Is your car otherwise healthy?

Yes , the window is too small to adjust it properly. That is why I think the lever on the clamp that attaches to the dog bone is bent. The height corrector cradle linkages are free , I have regularly sprayed them with chain oil and other lubricant to get them free and when I removed the cradle to clean the height corrector the linkages were completely free. To be sure I soaked the cradle in the diesel for the night. How easy should the height corrector lever move? It seemed to be sticky but I pulled the height corrector apart and cleaned as much as I could. I did not find rust or too much residue in there, so I wondered what caused it to be sticky. After cleaning I could pull and push the lever inside and outside a little bit so I thought it should be ok to reinstall.

[MikeT]

I had to (or rather found it easiest to) use a small socket and wobble extensions. But we find it awkward because we don't follow the official method (which includes re-centering the manual adjuster linkages), nor have their specialist tools.

[Mandrake]

You won't be able to adjust the front height corrector with a spanner - a standard socket with a ratchet and short to medium extension is the way to do it.

If the bolt isn't easily accessible through the elongated slot then there is something seriously wrong - the bolt should face more or less directly down through the middle of the slot.

[Raul]

I went to the scrap yard and bought a new front height corrector with cradle. Is it possible to change the front cradle leaving the height corrector in place? I do not want to remove the height corrector again because it is so much work to disconnect the pipes. I only want to change the cradle.