Faulty Speedo Causes Hard Ride?

[regdorpten]

If that's the case my centre spheres are in poor shape. It drives like a go-kart, even more so since the four corner and accumulator spheres were changed. And I can't feel any difference between when the speedo's working and when it's not.

I still find it hard to believe that if one of the inputs is down - ie the speed sensor - the car remains in soft. I would expect incomplete information to lead the ecu to put the car into hard.

[DerekW]

Hard to believe or not, that's what the official manual says and it's confirmed by my experience with my estate. Also that of Archman, see his Dec 23rd post.

It doesn't have to be your centre spheres that are the problem. The diodes in the ECU may be fried, in which case the hydractive valves will be stuck in the closed, hard position. As Archman wrote, you should be able to hear the electrovalves operating via the radio, you might even be able to hear them buzzing normally.

Derek

This post has been edited by DerekW on December 27, 2008 06:34 pm

[Peter.N.]

The fact that you can hear them whining doesn't necessaraly mean they are operating correctly, as I found from experience. Mine were clicking and whining on opening a door but were not staying open, fitting the diodes solved the problem. They were opening initially but the AC voltage across the coils was not sufficient to hold them open.

If the centre spheres are good, its very easy to check the operation, open a door and the suspension should go soft, close it and wait about 30 seconds or until you hear the whine stop and it should go hard. There is no mistaking the two modes, the suspension movement in soft is about three or four times that in hard mode. If you centre spheres are shot though, you will feel no difference, so the first thing to to should be change them.

Peter.N.

[regdorpten]

Thanks, Peter. The whining and the clicking is there and there is[I] a difference - not a huge one - between the hardness before (about 20cm play) and after the click (about 10 cm play but much less at the front).

I'm changing the centre spheres and anti-sink next week, and if that shows no improvement I'll fit Roy Mackay's e-crofting kit which I would expect to remedy any (all?) diode issues.

[Peter.N.]

If you are getting a noticable difference between hard and soft, the diodes will be OK. Change the spheres first and see the difference.

[xmexclusive]

I did not think early Mk2 CT's were fitted with anti-sink.

John

[Ciaran]

Certainly my S2 2.1TD (formerly TCT), doesn't have anti-sink, think you're correct John.

Ciarán

[DerekW]

It's easy to check without crawling underneath the car. Just take a look at the hydraulic pump, if it has two high pressure lines it's a 6 + 2 pump and has anti-sink but no priority valve.

Derek

[regdorpten]

I stand corrected. No anti-sink.