Cx Front Not Rising

C

Cooch Goodwin

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
209
Location
Cootamundra Australia
Hi froggers

My CX goes up at the rear after about 30 seconds when the car is started but the front does not seem to do much at all. It to me seems to stay in one position all the time except when on the high setting when it does go up. The rear of the car seems to be working well, nice and soft but the front is alot stiffer hardly moving when my portly figure attaches itself to the front bumper and bounces (my portly figure not the car) :eek:

Please tell me that I only need regassing.

:cheers:
Cooch
 
Cooch

I would suggest that if you are already portly you do not need regassing :rolleyes:

However, my first guess is that there may be something sticking between the height lever and the front height corrector or,

The front height corrector is sticky or,

The front spheres may be flat(ish) and taking longer to pressurise. Alan and Shane may offer more information however.
 
UFO's right ... If it does go upto high you DEFINATLY have a linkage problem down to the front height corrector.

My suggestion... If it was me... Sit down, think "what did I touch last" .... Oh I buggered something didn't I ... (again :disappr: ). You haven't by any chance tinkered with the anti-roll bar :confused:

Anyway, axle stand time, follow the rods from the height lever down to the height corrector, and the clamp on the anti-roll bar back to the height corrector. No doubt you will find a seized/unplugged/bent/dodgy part of the linkages.

Height correctors are very simple dumb devices, they only do what there told, if the linkages tell them to only go on 'low' and 'high' ... that's what they will do :)

seeya,
Shane L.
 
DoubleChevron said:
UFO's right ... If it does go upto high you DEFINATLY have a linkage problem down to the front height corrector.

My suggestion... If it was me... Sit down, think "what did I touch last" .... Oh I buggered something didn't I ... (again :disappr: ). You haven't by any chance tinkered with the anti-roll bar :confused:

Anyway, axle stand time, follow the rods from the height lever down to the height corrector, and the clamp on the anti-roll bar back to the height corrector. No doubt you will find a seized/unplugged/bent/dodgy part of the linkages.

Height correctors are very simple dumb devices, they only do what there told, if the linkages tell them to only go on 'low' and 'high' ... that's what they will do :)

seeya,
Shane L.
Click to expand...

Thanks Craig and Shane.

When my brothers Suzuki not so Swift is off the Pitt (low speed crash) I'll sneek my gas leaking portly frame under the CX and have a gander.

The last time I almost got stuck under it I was welding a new bit on the exaust as it was also leaking gasses. "keeping it in the family" I do remember refitting a rubber bung that went over a line that had a corkscrew in it and is encaptulated in a plastic cylinder under the car under the drivers seat.

:cheers:
Cooch
 
Cooch

Certainly check the linkages, but as a Plan B I reckon it sounds like the front spheres are nearly exhausted.

If they're flat, and there's enough fluid in the system, it will still pump up to a height know as "higher" on the full height setting, but it will also still have little if any spring/damping.

I recall you commented at Wagga that the car seemed to be "thumping" over bumps at the front, but the back was OK. I also recall discussing how easy it was to remove the spheres for regassing. (Or was I on my second bottle of red falling down juice at the time? It's all a pleasant blur! Maybe PVA will remember.)

If you can grab a pair from someone that are a known quantity, ie, have an acceptable pressure in them, then it's the work of only 10 minutes to swap them and see if it makes a difference.

Beats trying to squeeze your Manly Frame under the beast!

Of course, the masochist in you may enjoy that, in which case, ignore me and have fun!

For Dog's sake, however, do NOT try adjusting height setting linkages from under the car without having it on stands. That's a lot of large green frog to have perched on your manly chest! I reckon I'd hear the squeals from here in Melbourne, and I'd have to turn the CD player up to drown them out!

Cheers, Pottsy.
 
pottsy said:
Cooch

Certainly check the linkages, but as a Plan B I reckon it sounds like the front spheres are nearly exhausted.

If they're flat, and there's enough fluid in the system, it will still pump up to a height know as "higher" on the full height setting, but it will also still have little if any spring/damping.
Cheers, Pottsy.
Click to expand...

Hi Guys,

sphere condition will in NO WAY inpact the height of the car .... Seriously, it can only be the height correctors ... Only they appear to be working, which only leaves the linkages.

seeya,
Shane L.
 
Cx front...

Hi Cooch,
I had a wierd problem with my CX about 10 months ago....front only....
As I drove down the driveway, the front end would suddenly drop....right to the bottom of the suspension. Despite what everyone said, No one had been stuffing around with height correctors or anti roll bars or anything. Everything was untouched . :nownow:
It turned out to be an internal fault in the safety switch. :rolleyes:
The fault was quite funny to watch. The car went up, then down, then up, then down etc etc all by itself, but only the front. :crazy:
I changed the safety switch, and that stopped it. No problems since. :banana:
You might also clean the filters in the LHM reservoir.
Cheers...George. :cheers: :cool:
 
DoubleChevron said:
Hi Guys,

sphere condition will in NO WAY inpact the height of the car .... Seriously, it can only be the height correctors ... Only they appear to be working, which only leaves the linkages.

seeya,
Shane L.
Click to expand...

Hello again Froggers

Shane I will get in the car tonight and try the up down thing and see if the front does go down lilke Linda Lovelace with the car on low, then up on high as Bob Marley on the high setting. Its on the normal as Peter Costello setting that when started it doesn't move, this will indicate weather its a height corrector? apart from that I'll see if uncle will lend me his spheres when he gets them re-gassed.

I thank everyone for their input and will get on it as soon as I hav time.

Last night the bloody head lights went off while I was driving down town then 1/2 second later came on again :eek: it did this a couple of times but only on the low beam (first click of the head light switch) not on the low high position (second click) s#!t s#!t s#!t s#!t :adrink: :adrink:

I will sort it later so it looks like moonlight drives from now on. (the missus will be pleased she'll probably even throw a struggle rug in the back seat, and this is what I'm realy afraid of :D )

Pottsy it doesn't mean Im fat (there I said it) just because when I went to see Jenny Craig as I went in the front door she zipped out the back like a startled rabbit.

Do you think PVA was listening to our conversation over the loud incessant cracking and subsequent munching of nuts? yous not mine. The diff seemed to have a little wine left in it as well so you were OK on that score. remember Uncle went for a drive with you in Moby Dick :) , when he got back he told me "Boy he realy drives the thing, no slowing down for roundabouts" :D etc


George 1/8th I hope its not the safety switch your talking about as it sounds too weird.

OK Shane I have just done a complete diagnostic on the upy downy of the car.

When started in the dead low setting after sitting over night top of front wheel rim to mud guard lip measures 150mm and the bum is nearly on the ground. Put to the first position 10 seconds and bum rises, front up to 155mm. 2nd setting bum goes up further and after about 20 seconds front goes up to 200mm on highest setting bum goes up even more and front stays at 200mm.

Looks like you are on the money with correctors adjustment me thinks

:cheers:
Cooch
 
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Not getting a rise at the front

Hi Cooch
I had a similar problem with my XM.
The front height corrector was seized in one position and I freed it up by working it backwards and forwards with a big screwdriver. Be aware that it only moves a very small amount, perhaps only 6mm. I also greased the corrector linkages and it is now working well. I think the problem started after I had lowered the car to its lowest position and it just never rose again. I have only recently bought the car and it may not have been in the lower position for some considerable time.
Good Luck, Ernie
 
Hi Guys,

quick 'n' easy height checks:

normal ride height:
--rear spats run directly through the wheel center.
--front ... a clenched verticle fist will fit exactly between the tyre and the top of the inner guard.

...... This sounds dumb .... clenched fist, but try it, works with DS, CX, BX, GS, Xantia ...............

Low:
--both ends bounce on bumpstops, no suspension travel available.

High:
--Both ends are concrette .... on tyre wall flex will allow any movement.

seeya,
Shane L.
 
horrid1 said:
Hi Cooch
I had a similar problem with my XM.
The front height corrector was seized in one position and I freed it up by working it backwards and forwards with a big screwdriver. Be aware that it only moves a very small amount, perhaps only 6mm. I also greased the corrector linkages and it is now working well. I think the problem started after I had lowered the car to its lowest position and it just never rose again. I have only recently bought the car and it may not have been in the lower position for some considerable time.
Good Luck, Ernie
Click to expand...

Ok Ernie I'll try the screwdriver bit when access to the old mans pit comes availabe, no point me getting bodily fluids all over the carport.
I have this picture in my head of a sheep that I saw entangled in a big lump of fence wire and over the ensuing days had scratched troughs in the dirt trying to get out. I don't want that happening to me.

Thanks for your help,

:cheers:
Cooch
 
Cooch, just a thought.

Given that your CX is running ATF instead of LHM it could well be that the height corrector is sticky. The pokey pokey with a screwdriver should prove that one way or another.

Stickiness (In overall operation but mainly in the suspension legs) was the main reason that I re-converted my first CX from ATF back to LHM. And come to think of it, the security valve could also be reluctant to move its internals for the same reasons. Mind you, on the CX I thought the front and rear circuits were both fed at the same time once the security valve swung over.

One of the CX Gurus will no doubt know this. My memory is not what it once was. (And don't ask what it once was, I don't remember!)

Pottsy.
 
CX ....front end

Hi Cooch.....you said....

"George 1/8th I hope its not the safety switch your talking about as it sounds too weird. "

Weird or not, that was the fault mine had. Let's face it, these cars are weird anyway. :joker:

It was not an easy job to fix. Let me elaborate....there is nothing hard about replacing the safety switch EXCEPT that, in typical Citroen style, it's almost impossible to reach/access/locate/replace.
Almost impossible. Almost. :rolleyes:
It's a funny little thing with 4 pipe union connections, and one or two wires connected at one end, and a drain hose coming out.
It's held in place in a pretty unusual way....there are some pipe brackets it sits between, and ONE bolt runs through both of them and the safety switch. The pipes just about hold everything in place. There are two pipes above, and two below.
Once you undo the 4 pipes, there is only the one little bolt holding it all in place, and the drain hose and 2 wires. ( or 1, I can't remember).
It's simple to swap it over, as long as you have about 20 minature hands and eyes in the tips of about 100 fingers. :(
Good luck, if you ever have to do this, like I did. I've had no front height drop since., and I never touched the height corrector.
P.S. Straight after I did this job, I noticed the pressure warning light now comes on whenever you turn on the ignition, and stays on until the pressure in the system has built up far enough for the brakes to work. This is as it's meant to, only, mine never did this before.

Cheers....George 1/8th. :cheers: :cool:
 
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