Citroen: How to change Rear Spheres

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Citroen: How to change Rear Spheres

Post by Guest »

Courtesy of Alan Smith.
The rear spheres have to follow a set procedure to change.
Firstly; Set the suspension right to the highest setting (the one used for wheel changing)
VERY IMPORTANT: If the vehicle is not being worked on over a pit, you MUST - repeat MUST put axle stands in a position so that they will stop the car from falling on you if you accidentally lose pressure either by a sudden leak or through the height corrector being disturbed.
Next you use a chain type oil filter remover or a special sphere remover & wrap around the sphere. It will unscrew in an anti-clockwise direction. They are normally very tight, so a lot of force is required to initially loosen them.
WHEN YOU FEEL IT START TO TURN - STOP UNSCREWING IMMEDIATELY.
Loosen only 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn.
Then drop suspension adjustment lever to the LOWEST setting & release the bleed screw on the accumulator; this is a 12 mm bolt which is accessed from the front of the car it is slightly right of centre of the car just behind the radiator. Loosen 1 - 1 1/2 turns.
The spheres should by then screw off by hand.
If the membrane is ruptured internally, it is possible for a fair amount of LHM to spray from them giving the impression that there is still some slight pressure in the system.
It is important to note that throughout the entire unscrewing procedure that a careful eye is kept on the cylinders that the spheres screw into to make sure that they do not start to turn, as if they do, the pipes leading to & from the cylinders can be damaged.
Upon completion, remove wheel stands (if possible) & reset suspension to normal ride height. Retighten accumulator bleed screw & start motor. If the car refuses to rise after a couple of minutes, you can loosen the bleed screw a couple of times; if this makes no difference, remove the intake line to the LHM pump which is a 1/2" approx black rubber looking hose which leads from the LHM tank down to the pump & prime with LHM. As soon as you hear the pump start to pulse & see the LHM in the hose disappearing down the hose fast, either quickly refit the hose to the tank (having already fitted a new jubilee clip loosely over it) or have an assistant in the car to switch the engine off when told. Once the car has pumped up, again bleed the system via the accumulator 12mm bleed screw a couple of times & the job is all over. It was recently suggested by someone that a film of silicone grease should be put on the threads & "O" rings of spheres prior to fitting to help prevent them jamming & making future sphere changings less traumatic.
The whole job, although when spelt out in this much detail may sound daunting, is in fact about 15 to 20 minutes a side (dramas permitting) It is a very minor & simple operation which demands common sense in relation to both the job & personal safety.
Hope you find it as simple as it really should be.
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

A few notes on changing the anti-sink sphere on a Xantia. Have the rear wheels on ramps, otherwise you won't have room to move. Loosen off the 9mm pipe union leading into the sphere before moving the sphere itself, otherwise the pipe will break. Do less than a quarter turn on both before depressurising. When fitting the new sphere, enter the union nut on to its thread before screwing on the sphere.
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