ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- #citroen #xantia #activa #hydropneumatic #projectcars
It's been a couple of weeks since my mental breakdown, and the Activa's baptism of fire (i.e. - I started using it!)
How bad is it, and what needs doing? Well, first up, it's the spheres!
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God, I love this car. I know she's not perfect, but she looks stunning in that colour. Another one on my list that I wish I'd bought back in the day...
Dutch police used to have a few V6 Activa's as unmarked fast patrol cars. Must have been so cool having such a car to do your work.
That's got so much more charisma than an Audi A4. Ingenious suspension rather than bore-sprung dork tecknik
I remember when these were new and I was a kid, I thought the Xantia was looking old and boring compared to other cars and even other Citroëns of the same age or older (my dad used to have a BX estate which I always liked better).
However, now in 2024 I think the design aged like fine wine (especially a pre-facelift one in a nice bright colour) and it's just ridiculously funny how these go flat around corners at speed while riding more comfortable than most luxury cars.
Ball transplants, my favourite!
People like to mention it holds the record for the Moose/Elk Test since 1999, which is impressive. Some journalist did try and recreate the speed (53mph) but failed, partly they said because of the tyres used.
Tiff Needel did say he was impressed but said once it lets go it it pretty dramatic and relies on the drivers ability to not ned up in a field!
Although it has not been beaten and is still good for a 25 year old car most modern cars have traction control and will be more composed on the limit.
Your suspension feels softer because the boot lid is open, you see the Hydractive goes on to the soft mode if any door or the boot is open. And you can also release pressure from the Hydractive sphere same way.
The XM does the same
Nifty
All true, except the diode's gone on this one. I think the spheres having 5bar in them probably had more to do with it!
I absolutely adore your Xantia. It's just perfect. (and that's coming from a seasoned BXer)
That's demystified so much for me on hydraulic Citroens - thank you. Wish I'd seen this in 78 when my dad had his GS 😊
Try opening one of the doors when you're changing the hydractive spheres. It'll open the electrovalve, which you should also be able to hear. Your car definitely looks a lot softer than mine at the rear, though mine is a bit on the firm side (spheres are good on mine). I've never driven an Activa that rides as well as a BX does over short bumps, but they definitely get better at higher speeds
Had an N reg Xantia and used it as a cab for 5 years…The only probs I ever had with it was the clutch cable kept on snapping and replaced the spheres a couple of times ..
Those mk1 Xantia's just are gorgeous (all of them). Real and proper old school Citroëns.
Classic car insurers don't think so, I rang some & was told they'd probably never cover my S1 Xantia.
I bloody love Xantias, me. Always have done. I mean, I love classic Citrôens more, but the Xantia was one I could've afforded if I hadn't needed a properly reliable car for work. Looking forward to more.
Nice work Rich. Found it all interesting how it all works. It's a nice car. Fortunately you had the Tractiva at hand.
I was half expecting a Audi A4 to go on your ramp during the long pause from driving from my Hilda mug. 😁
I had an N plate Activa, in that gorgeous colour, back in 2005. I loved it, but I wasn't in a position to afford the combination of repair bills, insurance and petrol at the time, so I only had it for about 6 months before it became a Fiat Cinquecento Sporting 🤣
Mine used to 'dance' at traffic lights before I got a specialist to look at it - Used to rock from side to side. I still maintain that was the fastest car point to point on a B road blast this side of a WRX Scooby - and it didn't try and break your spine while it did it.
Yeah, this one dances too. I *think* it might be flat Activa spheres, but I'm not sure yet.
@@UPnDOWN check the bushings at the linkage to the front activa acutator (tiny rod that looks lik an anti-roll bar).. there are two pieces of plastic bushings attached on both sides which tend to wear out and cause shuffle. I think these are available on the activaclub site or you can even 3D print them if not.
@@UPnDOWN also, while you mentioned it. If the front Activa sphere is flat, you can use the rear Antisink sphere and fill it to 62 bar of pressure because both have the same kind of connection and no damper valve, the only difference is the pressure.
The heck with the Audi A4. This is a much better choice. Good luck at the social! Looking forward to seeing the next video.
I've fitted a few c5 spheres on my Activa. They've typically only lost about 10-12% of their pressure in 20 odd years if they're genuine Citroën spheres, so they should still last much longer than even new normal spheres. Both hydractive spheres, the accumulator and the Activa sphere at the rear don't have a dampener, so you can just grind out the original dampener of the c5 sphere. It's just a matter of finding one with the correct pressure. The antisink sphere and (I think) the front Activa sphere require you to mount the pipe directly into the sphere, so they can't be changed as easily, though adapters are available in France. Citroën themselves supplied this style of sphere (as well as the older style of sphere but WITH the newer style membrane) on some Xantias as well, but they're quite rare.
Had the same issue on my XM with the hydractive spheres, i think you need to activate the regulators to depressurise them (opening the doors works I think) By the time I figured it out the garage floor was well lubricated .. !
I do like the Xantia. Lovely, quirky thing that it is
background music is fantastic, love it
I love these. I can remember the original ads and press cars with this particular colour.
Brilliant little tinkering Video Rich.
The Xantia was our second family car (I was a kid) and it was amazing. And eventually I got to drive it too. Lots of fond memories, but it's a really really nice car.
About the Activa, I think they overdid it with the spheres, 10 is really a bit too much, but I've always wanted to try one!
They didn't "overdo" it with 10 spheres...that's what it needed to work properly lol
@@UPnDOWN I mean, by having so many, it becomes a maintenance burden when they fail.
The result is indeed impressive, I would've loved to drive one!
Good old Meg......
Thanks for the video Kitch, love it!
C’est ne pas une voiture. C’est une Citroën ! Bonne route, Richard !
🚗💨🇫🇷
Incredibly appropriate T-shirt
شكرا معلم ستروان
Did I see a SM in the background didn't know that you owned one
10:52 No, you are now a Vulcan... I always thought these and the contemporary Renault Laguna were such good looking cars. But at least Pleiades didn't blow up your balls ;) Great video, by the way!
I love mine. The rear spheres were one of the first issues I had to sort as well. I still need to do a few more spheres. If you need an exhaust, I got one fabricated for my Activa at Autoworx exhausts in higham ferrers
little tip for adjusting the height corretors: loosen the clamps that are on the stabilizers completely, turn the car on, then push or pull directly on the height corrector until you have the car at the correct height, when it is at the correct height then jsut tighten the clamp on the stabilizer, then check the height again and it will be set at the correct height 9 times out of 10.
I did try that once (it might be in a video, I'm not sure) because in my head it worked perfectly, however in reality it never did! Must have been doing something wrong!
It was only a faff on the Activa because you're doing front to back AND left to right!
@@UPnDOWN it does work nearly perfectly, but the clamp needs to be completely free for it to work properly.
Ooh, good timing on the old TH-cam refresh!
So you became the Credible Hulk.
Love this car
I really like this car
Regarding the antisink, it is also a res for the rear brakes if i remember right for if the pressure drops, and you also get the bloody thing dropping its arse when you start it when they're flat, as you get the system pressure to open the valve and theres suddenly no pressure in there so it just sinks!
I'm guessing it's not flat then, as it doesn't drop when you start it.
@@UPnDOWNprobably 😂 just the "eh i don't care" got me!
proper car!
Fancy a go when it's in rude health? I'm interested to see what a proper driver could do with it.
We could use some microphones that screams when they are not turned on....
Almost there!
@6.24, can you lower the suspension with the engine off?
Good to see how to crack the spheres, when I took my Xantia to a citroen specialist for the spheres to be changed, they told me that they had to brace the rear spheres with wood to get enough leverage to undo them.
Nowt wrong with Xantia or A4, i own both of similar vintage, surprisingly the 1.9TD Xantia is about £50 more to insure than a my S4.
You can lower them, yes, but on the HA cars sometimes you need to run the engine. I'm not entirely sure why, but guessing it's anti-sink related.
Great to see such a beautiful car getting your careful attention ... and at least it was the mean rotten old Tractiva that spat LHM at you, not the beautiful, happy Red-activa ...
Not that we should anthropomorphise cars by giving them names and personalities!
Despite its problems this appears to be quite a presentable little car for its age.
Definitely. The previous owner alluded to the same thing - put some hours into it and there's a good car there.
Mine 1.8i 16v starts the same way, i like Xantia so much, mine is a lot softer, but ain't Activa sooo...
My dad had several ds and one day one of the spheres exploded and the compleet street on de back of the car was covered with the green mineral olie
Rich, getting covered in LHM is a rite of passage... I mean: how Citroen can a man get?
So how many rites of passage am I supposed to suffer? I must be more LHM than blood these days!
@@UPnDOWN The Suffering should be over now... but you know the thing about 'should', I'm sure.
@@UPnDOWN cut me and i bleed green!
I'd like to know what's inside those Spheres!
Plenty of images on Google where people have cut through them.
I had a new one of these in the red but had to sell it as it made my daughter sick everytime she was in it ☹️
Oh no!
You bastard. You've made me want another one.
Can I suggest that you call the Red Activa “Ractiva” to distinguish from “Tractiva” ?
It’s a genuine channel car now !
I think that might confuse people 😆
If the Xantia doesn't work out, I know of a bloke with a GS for sale...😅
Signs of early collaboration between French and Japanese car industries: LMH bukakke.
Words I didn't expect to read, part 563...
If you put a bag of cement in the boot on the drivers side?
Won't work: the car will still "correct" itself to what it does now
@@SterkeYerke5555 REALLY?🤣
@@charliecoco2115 It'll just see if there is a difference in the positions of the front wishbones and correct it if it thinks there is. Obviously you can calibrate that. I'm sure you'll see in the next video. The problem is that there can and will get play in the mechanism after all those years, so calibrating it won't work because it won't stay straight. The solution is to repair or replace everything that pertains to the roll corrector, all of which is luckily being produced again in France, and then calibrate it again. By far the most play develops in two small guides for the mechanism. I only replaced those on mine and it's been mostly fine since - though I still feel it would be better to just revise everything. The whole mechanism doesn't consist of too many parts after all (well, at least the mechanical part doesn't).
Hahaha!
Buy hubnuts GSA,,it needs a real mechanic.!!!?
Spot on!
I was looking for this comment
May all your suspension struts not be on a Ford S-Max.
Or your driveshafts...
Have you got an SM?
That is neither here nor there.
Getting covered in LHM is a Citroën baptism. 🤦♂️
Fame at last😂👍
😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍
More problems = More content... Yey?
Chaos is content!
If you wanted an A4, I wouldn't be subscribed. 😂
Nobody needs flat balls. Bad news.