That there lever for the suspension!

Teebob · Post by **Teebob** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:13 pm

Hi all I'm new here having recently bought this

http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic ... c&start=15

I just wondered whether it's best to always leave the ride setting on the normal height or to drop it low when parked. It certainly looks a lot cooler when "dropped" I feel.

Can I presume that when you're altering the ride height you should do it stationary?

Should you drive it on the two higher settings? if not what are they for?

And when it's on the lowest setting there's no damping whatsoever so I guess again it shoudln't be driven like that?

Sometimes when I've left it parked low, when you start it up and put the lever up the back goes up straight away but the front takes a couple of minutes or more. Is there something I should (Or shouldn't) be doing?

Just thought I'd ask as I don't want to break it! I'm looking forward to driving it about and hopefully going to some shows when the weather gets a bit better. At the moment it's only gonna get used every week or so. Although the temptation to go out for a quick blast when it's still a novelty is quite hard to resist!

Anyway, sorry for rattling on already and I thank you all in advance for any help or advice you've got for me.

Cheers for now.

rayfenwick · Post by **rayfenwick** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:25 pm

Hi Simon. Welcome aboard!

The top and bottom settings are only for use when the vehicle is stationary. Low is good for when you're washing it (makes it easier to clean the roof if you're a shortarse like me, and high is only any use when changing a wheel or for maintenance. Remember though that a hydraulic Citroen can drop very suddenly if things are amiss, or if you bump a height corrector, so going under a car whilst on high is only for the suicidal. Use ramps or axel stands to make sure it can't drop on you.

Driving in the highest setting there is no suspension at all, so your teeth will leave your head, and many components will leave the car. This is not good.

Similarly, the lowest setting will scrape the bottom of the car on things, and that's not good either.

The middle setting is the one to do most of your driving in, switching to intermediate-high when driving on rough roads, fording streams etc. You can switch between normal and intermediate high (and vice versa) whilst driving with no problems.

HTH

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:33 pm

Hi Teebob

When you say a couple of minutes for the front to raise, do you literally mean a couple of minutes or just a delay from when the back goes up? A small delay is not too much to worry about.

The LHM level should be checked with the suspension in high - the disc should appear between the two marks on the reservoir.

I've not done it with this BX, but with my first, I often used to play suspension roulette at traffic lights - pull up, drop to low, then back to normal and hope it came back up before the lights changed! Does put more strain on the pump, but some 'exercise' is good for the system I reckon.

Teebob · Post by **Teebob** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:24 pm

Many thanks to you both for your help. It takes just less then 1 minute for the front to go up once the back has finished. This is quite normal then? That game sound fun btw!!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:39 pm

My BXs tend to rise front first, with the back following. You might have sticking struts and/or a sticking front height corrector.

Aerodynamica · Post by **Aerodynamica** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:05 pm

Most Citroëns I've owned have risen up back first but since I'm a Citro-nerd and tend to totally rebuild the height correctors and linkages of the suspension I always find that this improves the action and the front end should lift up promptly after the rear.

I think my BX 16 TRS went up front first too but depended on how long it had been sitting parked.

Wooscary · Post by **Wooscary** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:27 pm

Mine always comes up front first.

christhelion · Post by **christhelion** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:19 am

Mine comes up front first too. I wouldn't have rememebred had I not been messing about with it for getting rid.

The back sinks quicker than the front end as well. I used to park up at work in the morning, go out to get lunch at... well, lunch and the back would nearly be down but the front would be about half way down.

Oh.. and be careful if you drop the car near a kerb. Luckily I did it against a grass bank and realised just as it touched, I got away with some grass and mud on the splitter.
If you're gonna leave your car parked for a long time, don't let the front overhang a kerb or you could break the bumper when it sinks onto it.

I saw a Xantia the other day with the back at full height and the front at what looked like slightly lower than it should have been. I hope it wasn't deliberate, surely nobody is that much of a fool. Maybe the little rod popped off the height corrector, that's happened to mine before meaning it wasn't moving it up or down.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:06 pm

Mine does have at least one sticky strut, and the front has become a little slow to rise. Must get around to doing something about that...