2006 Citroen C5 - suspension issues after lift

[DarioA]

Hello everybody!

My C5 has given me another woe. Long story short, the car was on a two post lift for several hours (suspension on max, cap loosened before lifting).

After lowering the car from the lift, I started it and lowered the suspension first to height 1+, then to normal height.

The rear lowered normally, but the front stayed up on max height, then lowered extremely violently and very fast (dropped would be a better word than lowered), and the front right side fell down to the lowest setting (the car was crooked), so I raised the car up to max setting, which leveled it out, then lowered it to normal (rear normally again, front still too fast but no as violent).

All was well, or so it seemed - time for a test drive, the car is bouncing all over the place, and I know something is wrong, so I try rocking all four corners, and the front right won't even budge. Dang, I blew a sphere, or so I thought.
That was yesterday. Today I ordered a sphere and changed it (aftermarket), and everything is still the same, the car is rock hard on one corner, no suspending action at all.

LDS level is fine, there are no leaks, everything appears to be in order. The car raises and lowers normally. Sport mode works, all other corners are fine.

Before I condemn the new sphere, is there anything else that could be wrong and give these symptoms?

Thanks in advance!

[DarioA]

Update:

Today I tried switching spheres (left to right and right to left), problem still remained on the right, so that rules out a bad sphere.

I also did all sorts of combinations with lifting and lowering the car, the problematic wheel alone etc, but nothing changed.

The car behaves like it has a broken sphere, but the sphere is now good without a doubt.

What now? Anyone?

[myglaren]

Is there any possibility that one of the steel pipes has been damaged? A kink in it perhaps.
Or debris in the pipe somewhere from a damaged seal.

[DarioA]

Is there any possibility that one of the steel pipes has been damaged? A kink in it perhaps.
Or debris in the pipe somewhere from a damaged seal.

I will certanly check for damaged piping, but what stunnes me is the seemingly normal state of things. Nothing is leaking, the ram appears normal, raising and lowering works as usual and so does sport mode, I checked it with a scan tool, everything appears to be in order.

With that in mind, I might be going by some wrong assumptions. I assume that the ram is ok because there are no leaks and raising/lowering works fine. I also assume that if the firmness regulator sphere went, both sides would be affected. Am I wrong assuming this?

[Gibbo2286]

Height correctors should be your first call, the front one on mine had the wet in and blue copper corrosion, stripping it and cleaning it up fixed it, you might even be lucky and find that it's just corrosion on the wiring connector.

[DarioA]

Height correctors should be your first call, the front one on mine had the wet in and blue copper corrosion, stripping it and cleaning it up fixed it, you might even be lucky and find that it's just corrosion on the wiring connector.

Just to be clear, you had one stiff corner on your C5 and it was caused by the height corrector? By height corrector you mean the one that moves up and down depending on load, one per each axle if I am not mistaken? I'm excited to try this maybe tomorrow, hoping it's a simple fix because I've put way too much money into this one, we passed the point of beyond economic to repair a long time ago.

[DarioA]

Well, here's a head scratcher. After sitting parked for a day, the car fixed itself.

[Stickyfinger]

It will have been air in the system....so not a head scratcher at all

[DarioA]

It will have been air in the system....so not a head scratcher at all

That's the only conclusion that makes any sense, but I can't understand why now, after sitting for a day? I must have done the bleeding procedure dozens of times,and lifted and raised it countless times during the last couple of days, with no luck. Anyhow, I'm mightly impressed with the C5's self healing abilities, a few weeks ago the passenger side folding mirror fixed itself too.

[myglaren]

It just needed some time on its own, we all do sometimes.