Rear Suspension-will Not Raise!

[pantman66]

hi,i have a 99 xantia 1.9 petrol and have a problem with the rear suspension, every now and again for the last month the rear suspension will not raise after starting but after maybe a mile or so it corrects itself and is ok for a few days.

this morning it will not raise at all even after driving about ten miles,has anyone got any ideas what the problem is and can it be fixed? if so will it be expensive?

hope someone can help

paul

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Hi Paul.

 

The suspension heights, front and rear, are controlled by a shuttle valve type device known as the height corrector. This will allow fluid to flow in and out of the system as the car is loaded & unloaded to retain the correct ride height. The corrector takes its input from a small plastic link which goes between a lever on the corrector and an arm which clamps to the anti roll bar. The lever between the seats also connects to the height correctors.

 

There are two possibilities here.

 

1. The height corrector has seized up and needs to be freed off. Get the car up on a lift or over a pit and with someone in the car and the engine running, work the lever between the seats while spraying WD40 or similar on the moving parts. Once you have got it free and working properly clart everything you can see with LOTS OF GREASE to stop it happening again.
   
2. The wee plastic link has fallen off and, without its input, the corrector can't make up its mind where it needs to be. A new one can be bought for pennies from Citroen but the problem is that the balls upon which it clips become rusted and worn and can't retain the link. A tested "fix" here in Shetland is to make a small "L" shaped peice of steel and LIGHTLY tack weld it to the bottom of the corrector arm so that it prevents the link from dropping off. Mine was like that for 2 years before I sold it and the guy who bought it says it's still OK another 7 months on.
   

Cheers. Hope this helps. :rolleyes:

[pantman66]

Hi Paul.

 

The suspension heights, front and rear, are controlled by a shuttle valve type device known as the height corrector. This will allow fluid to flow in and out of the system as the car is loaded & unloaded to retain the correct ride height. The corrector takes its input from a small plastic link which goes between a lever on the corrector and an arm which clamps to the anti roll bar. The lever between the seats also connects to the height correctors.

 

There are two possibilities here.

1. The height corrector has seized up and needs to be freed off. Get the car up on a lift or over a pit and with someone in the car and the engine running, work the lever between the seats while spraying WD40 or similar on the moving parts. Once you have got it free and working properly clart everything you can see with LOTS OF GREASE to stop it happening again.
   
2. The wee plastic link has fallen off and, without its input, the corrector can't make up its mind where it needs to be. A new one can be bought for pennies from Citroen but the problem is that the balls upon which it clips become rusted and worn and can't retain the link. A tested "fix" here in Shetland is to make a small "L" shaped peice of steel and LIGHTLY tack weld it to the bottom of the corrector arm so that it prevents the link from dropping off. Mine was like that for 2 years before I sold it and the guy who bought it says it's still OK another 7 months on.
   

Cheers. Hope this helps. :rolleyes:

[pantman66]

uote name='Colin Hunter' date='Oct 6 2008, 10:38 PM' post='35113']

Hi Paul.

 

The suspension heights, front and rear, are controlled by a shuttle valve type device known as the height corrector. This will allow fluid to flow in and out of the system as the car is loaded & unloaded to retain the correct ride height. The corrector takes its input from a small plastic link which goes between a lever on the corrector and an arm which clamps to the anti roll bar. The lever between the seats also connects to the height correctors.

 

There are two possibilities here.

1. The height corrector has seized up and needs to be freed off. Get the car up on a lift or over a pit and with someone in the car and the engine running, work the lever between the seats while spraying WD40 or similar on the moving parts. Once you have got it free and working properly clart everything you can see with LOTS OF GREASE to stop it happening again.
   
2. The wee plastic link has fallen off and, without its input, the corrector can't make up its mind where it needs to be. A new one can be bought for pennies from Citroen but the problem is that the balls upon which it clips become rusted and worn and can't retain the link. A tested "fix" here in Shetland is to make a small "L" shaped peice of steel and LIGHTLY tack weld it to the bottom of the corrector arm so that it prevents the link from dropping off. Mine was like that for 2 years before I sold it and the guy who bought it says it's still OK another 7 months on.
   

Cheers. Hope this helps. :rolleyes:

hi colin thanks for the quick reply,im not very good mechanically but will have a look in the morning

paul

[pantman66]

uote name='Colin Hunter' date='Oct 6 2008, 10:38 PM' post='35113']

Hi Paul.

 

The suspension heights, front and rear, are controlled by a shuttle valve type device known as the height corrector. This will allow fluid to flow in and out of the system as the car is loaded & unloaded to retain the correct ride height. The corrector takes its input from a small plastic link which goes between a lever on the corrector and an arm which clamps to the anti roll bar. The lever between the seats also connects to the height correctors.

 

There are two possibilities here.

1. The height corrector has seized up and needs to be freed off. Get the car up on a lift or over a pit and with someone in the car and the engine running, work the lever between the seats while spraying WD40 or similar on the moving parts. Once you have got it free and working properly clart everything you can see with LOTS OF GREASE to stop it happening again.
   
2. The wee plastic link has fallen off and, without its input, the corrector can't make up its mind where it needs to be. A new one can be bought for pennies from Citroen but the problem is that the balls upon which it clips become rusted and worn and can't retain the link. A tested "fix" here in Shetland is to make a small "L" shaped peice of steel and LIGHTLY tack weld it to the bottom of the corrector arm so that it prevents the link from dropping off. Mine was like that for 2 years before I sold it and the guy who bought it says it's still OK another 7 months on.
   

Cheers. Hope this helps. :rolleyes:

 

hi colin thanks for the quick reply,im not very good mechanically but will have a look in the morning

paul

ps, when you say lever do you mean the lever inside the car that adjusts the height in 3 positions? sorry to be thick but as i say im not mechanically minded.

paul

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Technically speaking, a "lever" is anything which moves in an arc around a fulcrum or pivot point and induces a force or movement on an object on the other side of the pivot. That being said, there are many "levers" in the system but the "One between the seats" is indeed "inside the car" Or at least it was last time I looked! The other levers are on the corrector units and are operated by the control rods from the control lever (Between the seats) or by the plastic link from the anti roll bar arm. I really don't know how to describe it any more simply!!!!!!! You'll just have to have a look and then it should all become clear(ER)!!!

 

Sorry!!!!!!!! <_<

[pantman66]

Technically speaking, a "lever" is anything which moves in an arc around a fulcrum or pivot point and induces a force or movement on an object on the other side of the pivot. That being said, there are many "levers" in the system but the "One between the seats" is indeed "inside the car" Or at least it was last time I looked! The other levers are on the corrector units and are operated by the control rods from the control lever (Between the seats) or by the plastic link from the anti roll bar arm. I really don't know how to describe it any more simply!!!!!!! You'll just have to have a look and then it should all become clear(ER)!!!

 

Sorry!!!!!!!! <_<

 

thats ok i would have wrote the same lol

thanks again i will see if i can sort out prob in the morning and will let ya know

paul