Hard Suspension Diagnosis

I could do with them please Derek. I have them in detail for the Xantia, but not for the XM!! Cheers.

OK, here goes. Normal credits to the XM Manual and Haynes.

Before measuring. Correct tyre pressures, engine at idling speed, manual control to normal, parking brake off.

Check each end of the car in turn. Push or lift the front end up, hold in position until it can no longer be held (the height control will sense the car is too high and will evacuate fluid) then release. The car will drop, then rise and settle in position. Measure the height (see below).

Push that end down and hold as before, then release. When the car has again settled, measure the height. Take the average of the two readings.

Repeat at the rear end.

Front measurement is taken between the underside of the subframe and the surface on which the tyres are standing.
For 195/70 tyres 144mm +10 -7. For 205/65 tyres 149mm +10 -7.

Rear measurement is taken between road surface and the point at which the rear silentblock mounting meets the body.
For 195/70 tyres 431mm +10 -7, for 205/65 tyres 436mm +10 -7.

Haynes suggests that the rear measurement on post '94 models be taken between road surface and the lower surface of the rear suspension crosstube and give a figure of 136.5mm. Should be fun measuring to half a millimeter!

Derek

Hi Derek

I thought I could find them but I can't. It would be great to have them as now I am convinced she's high at the front. Thanks a million.

Jamieb

I've been giving this some thought, there's got to be an easier way to check the ride heights.

For the results of my cogitations, please see my new posting under "XM issues".

Derek

An update - have just replaced the VN05N's in my suspension ECU and fitted diodes into the wiring to the white ECU plug.

Seems to have done the trick! much softer ride now. Electrovalves are buzzing exactly as they were before; I don't fully know why the work I've done has sorted the problem?

Still have a small rattle that is fed up the steering column when going over small sharp cracks in the road though. As posted previously, all the obvious items have been changed (ARB links, lower ball joints, track rod ends)

Are there any mounting bushes on the steering rack, etc? Any ideas?