Xantia seat height adjuster...

[ekjdm14]

Quick question on the workings of the height adjustment lever on a Xantia driver's seat (think it's largely the same on stuff like 405/406 and XM too).

Has anybody stripped/repaired the handle mechanism or could point me in the right direction with what I'm working on here. On the Black NA auto the driver's seat has always sprung upwards when empty, and sinks down again when you put weight on it, the handle moving from facing straight up to sitting level as the seat moves down.

I pulled the trim off the seat earlier to see what was going on and found the handle not attached properly and a couple of screws missing from the frame side so somebody has been here before (getting to be a common theme with this car!!!) and failed to sort whatever the issue is/was...

What I'm after is, from these pics am I missing any parts other than the 2 obvious screws? and are the parts in the correct order/right way round? (from the outside they were arranged handle/plastic spacer/metal piece).

Also, am I correct in thinking the adjuster should work on a friction-stop basis and the handle part should ratchet to allow the lever to "park" in the same position regardless of height setting? I ask since the only working example I have as yet encountered was in my 405 some 10 years ago and I seem to recall that's how it was but could be wrong...

Assuming I'm not missing anything other than the 2 screws, the only fault (if there is one) is that the ratchet mechanism in the lever/handle is jammed. This being the case, has anyone stripped this part down and either fixed it or found what goes wrong inside them?

Cheers all (pics to be added when they download!)

[CitroJim]

That looks about right to me and those screws come lose for a pastime...

Indeed, the lever should 'park' flat..

I've not known the mechanism fail and not work but with those screws loose it will tend to slip.

So, if the jacks you seat up and down and 'parks' then all is happy

[ekjdm14]

Cool, it could just be the missing bolts are causing the ratchet bit to not function so I shall fit some replacements (with Loctite!) and hope for the best

Thanks.

[RichardW]

You often find the screws under the seat.... M4s IIRC

[ekjdm14]

Yep I looked under the seat but nothing... PO at least hoovered the thing out well haha. They are a funny old size Richard yes, probably are M4. Found a couple of suitable replacements in the nuts & bolts tub and screwed it together. Still no ratcheting action so the handle part is buggered methinks, but I at least managed to get it back together in such a way that the seat stays where I want it & the handle is in almost the right "parked" position.
One less job left on the to-do list anyway so along with the arrival of the other sphere in the post & resurrecting the stereo I'm calling today a win all things considered. Cheers folks.

[RichardW]

There's no ratchet action on these - the lever stays in the 'set' position. Which means if you have it right up you always end up sitting on the end of the lever as you get in the car!

[ekjdm14]

Oh right, maybe I remembered it wrong then but I seem to recall the 405 had a ratchet & the handle looked complicated enough to house such a mechanism lol. Well in that case all is good with the seat now then

[CitroJim]

Could have sworn mine 'parks' on Gabriel but maybe it's where I like the seat or it's a feature of the leather seats it has - not standard, out of a VSX...

[elma]

I've had the same issue in the past, replacing the bolts sorted it.