Xantia Rear Suspension

( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Very probably, yes. When were they last done? When was the LHM last changed?

If it's sitting at normal ride height correctly, then no.

A VSX has Hydractive, so there's the four wheel spheres, one centre sphere each end, the main accumulator and the rear anti-sink sphere.

Adrain The spheres have never been touched from new. The LHM has been changed recently. Which sphere should I replace or should I just do all the rear ones? The rear anti sink sphere sound promising.

I thought the suspension is suposed to go extra bouncy if its faulty, not rock hard?

Adrian wrote:

( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

On an 11yo car? They're about 8 years overdue for replacement...

ALL OF THEM! ESPECIALLY THE ACCUMULATOR...

OK, the accumulator acts in a similar way to the battery in your electrics. If that sphere is flat, then you have :-

1. No reserve of pressure if the engine cuts whilst you're on the road - which means NO BRAKES. AT ALL. It's not like a normal car where you just lose the servo. You Will Have No Brakes At All.
2. Nothing to dampen the pressure pulses from the pump - which can crack the regulator housing.
3. A pump which is working FAR harder than it needs to. And which will fail sooner.

And - just to add another reason... If the front spheres are flat, then the rubber strut tops are working FAR harder than they need to - because, apart from the tyre sidewalls, they're all that's giving you any suspension. If they let go - AND THEY DO - especially on a car that's been run with flat spheres - you may well find your front struts doing this :-

That's the *least* important to change. Do 'em ALL. Seriously. They're not expensive - £20 each or so. You will not believe the difference.

When the spheres are flat, you have NO suspension other than the tyre sidewalls. The bouncing is *because* it's rock hard and just bobbling from bump to bump.

Adrain

I've noticed that the rear brake pads have little wear, even after 2/3 years of use. I guess this is all related to the sphere pressure. The car does take a while to pump up in the morning, but this has always been the case since I bought the car in 2000. The car has never really braked well without the engine runing.

thanks for the advice.

Adrian wrote:

James ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

No, it's just that hydraulic Cits really don't use their back brakes very much, unless you have a weight in the boot.

The normal problem's that the pads stick and the brakes don't do anything at MOT.

With the anti-sink, it shouldn't sink at all overnight.

It should have enough pressure reserve for two or three stops from speed...