Xantia still not smooth! **FIXED**

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cc101
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Xantia still not smooth! **FIXED**

Post by cc101 »

Hi all, following lots of good advice from this forum i'm still not convinced that my Xantia is as smooth as it should be! So far i've replaced all 4 corner spheres (there are 5 in total including the accumulator sphere), bled all the brakes, cleaned the filters in the LHM tank, greased up the height correctors (the car rises very quickly in the morning and lights go out within 2 seconds), I have also bounced all corners and they seem fine.

I used to own a mk2 1999 hdi Xantia which felt a lot smoother when going over speed bumps and potholes etc. On this car (early 1994 td) it seems to very crashy when going over bumps and potholes like a normal sprung suspension!

I have also done the three finger test on the front wheels, the only thing I haven't done is change the LHM as it looks quite clean and lube the front struts. Will a LHM change make a big difference?

Thanks in advance, Chris.
Last edited by cc101 on 12 Oct 2012, 19:11, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by Old-Guy »

Assuming you fitted spheres to the right spec., I'd suggest you check your tyre pressures and put some fuel in the tank. Our 95/6 estate rides much better with the tank more than half-full and some load in the back. Worst, even on minimum tyre pressures, in its usual configuration - low(ish) tank and just a laptop and me on board. As you say, it's the potholes and smaller bumps that are most noticeable, the suspension always smothers the bigger undulations and humps.

Do you drive anything else for comparison? Just try something newish like an Astra a Focus or a Mondeo for comparison then you'll realise just how good your Xantia is - especially for a car that's nearly 20 years old. :)
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by cc101 »

Thanks, checked tyre pressures, got all the spheres from gsf, I just noticed that the front spheres have a date on them which says they were manufactured over 2 years ago, do they have a shelf life on them and lose pressure over time?
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by Xaccers »

did your mk2 have hydractive though?
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by cc101 »

Hi, the mk2 was a forte model without hydractive, thanks.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by Northern_Mike »

Old-Guy wrote: Do you drive anything else for comparison? Just try something newish like an Astra a Focus or a Mondeo for comparison then you'll realise just how good your Xantia is - especially for a car that's nearly 20 years old. :)
I have to say, that I'm getting a bit disheartened with my Xantia now. The roads round here are just so rubbish, that they have so many of those ruts and sharp bumps that it just can't handle. Hand on heart, my 2004 plate Berlingo Multispace rides better on most of the roads I go on these days. OK, it's not a patch on the Xantia on the motorway, but on poor local roads, and the back roads I use to work, the Berlingo is way more pleasant.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by Spaces »

Rattiva_Mike wrote: I have to say, that I'm getting a bit disheartened with my Xantia now. The roads round here are just so rubbish, that they have so many of those ruts and sharp bumps that it just can't handle. Hand on heart, my 2004 plate Berlingo Multispace rides better on most of the roads I go on these days. OK, it's not a patch on the Xantia on the motorway, but on poor local roads, and the back roads I use to work, the Berlingo is way more pleasant.
One of the reasons so many 4x4s clog our roads - perhaps the European manufacturers should offer their South Amercian market cars here - they have more compliant springs, tougher suspension and joints, higher profile tyres and slightly higher ride height.

I try and fit tyres with a taller and as supple a sidewall as possible, increasing rolling circumference slightly when possible -without straying too far from the original. This has the added benefit of making the car's footprint longer and narrower, good for standing water, lower frontal area, directional stability, potholes, slippery roads and stability through fast corners on less than perfect surfaces. You lose on roundabouts. Contrary to common belief, the same car with narrower tyres will have the same amount of tread on the road as one with wider tyres, ceteris paribus. Just make sure the rim width is no more than 75-85% of the tyre's width if the sidewalls are to be allowed to do their job.

Xantias feel to me like a racing bike with short forks, quick to dart into a corner but which don't like roads with sharp bumps - a typically Peugeot trait. I usually prefer cars which are inclined to the opposite, but the hydractive suspension does allow for variation on the standard ride and handling - if you are prepared to spend a few hours experimenting with different size spheres, pressures and damping.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by ihatecars »

I had no end of probs with my Xantia, I took it to all the Citroen specialits in Glos area, non were any good (excepet charging me money) - until a member in this site suggested I try Moss (London Rd) in Stroud. A small outfit, the guy there said he just swapped the spheres and all my harsh ride had gone (plus a fair wad of cash) - I could tell within 50 yards of driving the car, suspension now soft. It does all the "dropping the tail" at high speeds as I guess it should. In fact the car has been as good as it will ever be. I don't know what actually happened as Mossy's or exaclty what they did, but after taking the car to so many "specialists" they got the ride sorted. Previous to that vist, all my linkages were checked, greased and so on, even alternative (softer) sphere fitted. Mossy did query my existing spheres, as "where on earth did you get them", answer - a specialist Citroen garage.

Anyway, pehraps what I'm saying is, it might need someone who has good knowlegde of these suspension systems, which seems to exclude Citroen dealerships.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by Northern_Mike »

Spaces wrote:
Rattiva_Mike wrote: I have to say, that I'm getting a bit disheartened with my Xantia now. The roads round here are just so rubbish, that they have so many of those ruts and sharp bumps that it just can't handle. Hand on heart, my 2004 plate Berlingo Multispace rides better on most of the roads I go on these days. OK, it's not a patch on the Xantia on the motorway, but on poor local roads, and the back roads I use to work, the Berlingo is way more pleasant.
One of the reasons so many 4x4s clog our roads - perhaps the European manufacturers should offer their South Amercian market cars here
Having lived there (Florianopolis, Brazil) for some time and driven a variety of South American market cars, I just hope and pray it never happens.

Best car I drove there was a 1992 Passat. Imported specially by a German friend of the family and bought secondhand by my father-in-law. It was *way* better than anything else I drove over there. They also had a Brazilian Market 1994 Passat, which was pretty vile in comparison. They replaced it with, of all things, a Renault 19, which was also Brazilian built and awful. I drove numerous small cars - Fox, Polo, Corsa. They weren't a patch on the Euro spec ones.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by CitroJim »

Spaces, yes indeed, the Xantia is set up to be a tad firmer than might be expected from a hydropneumatic car and it aids handling certainly at the expense of a slightly poorer ride across rubbish roads.

If you really want to glide and waft along then you really need an XM... Whilst a Xantia will not quite rival say, an XM you can get close by experimenting with sphere pressures and sphere damping rates and some good improvement can be obtained.

Have a natter with Martin at Pleiades and he can talk to you about 'comfort' spheres. They can attain a good ride across rubbish but at the expense of sharp handling...

One thing, if the stop light goes out after only two seconds then that's a bit quick. Your accumulator may be a bit weak and surprisingly, this can have an effect on ride. Also, have you definitely confirmed the suspension is working properly by doing the levelling tests - if you sit in the tailgate with the engine idling the height should correct after a short delay and ditto when you get out. The front is firmer but by sitting on the slam panel (with care) you should see the same effect. If the suspension cannot pass these basic tests then it will not give optimum ride comfort.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by cc101 »

Thanks for the replys guys, I've lubed up the front struts and it's made the ride a little better, done the sitting in the boot/front test with engine off and on, the car does rise back up, I can't hear regular clicks from the accumulator sphere, only when it's put into service high does it click a few times near the top of travel. I suppose next step would be a LHM change?

Chris.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by jacksun1987 »

Yes i must admit on speed hups and put holes its like a normal sprung car, but on humpy country roads i went from a bx to a laguna. Yes it was comfertuble but i took it down a humpy country road i could olny do 40 with out the car bouncing all over the place i could do 50 to 60 no problerm in the bx xantina
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by myglaren »

I often am disappointed with the C5 suspension. There is a rather bad bit of road at the approach to work that feels quite bad but just yesterday as I was leaving an identical C5 passed as I was waiting to leave and it was surprising how it floated gracefully over the bumps and potholes that really shook the other cars that were passing at the same time.

It is probably mainly perception and getting to expect too much from them.

The floatiness of Steve(trainman)'s C6 is incredible though. Makes the C5 feel like an ox-cart.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by cc101 »

Hi all, I'm still getting an intermittent harsh ride accompanied with the brakes grabbing and letting go! I've now replaced all five spheres, completely changed LHM and bled all brakes, cleaned filters and put a jubilee clip on the pump feed pipe as it had the old style clip. Also I removed and cleaned the rear height corrector cradle (thanks Jim). I think there must be air getting in somewhere as the harsh ride and grabbing brakes must be connected somehow?

Any suggestions where to look first? (the pump and regulator was changed 2007)

Cheers all, Chris.
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Re: Xantia still not smooth!

Post by cc101 »

Picked up a good working doseur valve yesterday and will fit when the weather perks up, hopefully tomorrow! If that doesn't fix the grabbing brakes then I can't think of anything else, everything bar the doseur valve has been replaced, changed the HP pump LHM supply pipe yesterday so can eliminate that too!

Chris.
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