Damn Failed MOT

[Dieselman]

GOPR0953.JPG
It looks like the mech at Citroën Freeborn is right it is the same shape
how about the fixing down 4 boltholes

I really don't think a Xantia strut top can be fitted to an Xm, even if the bolt holes are the same.
The orientation is incorrect and I think the Xantia one is taller.

I wonder if the Xantia metal tube was used when making these Xm strut tops.

Can you please measure from the baseplate to the top of the casting, as that is all that matters.

How close to the scuttle flange is the sphere at normal and Max height settings? I would have thought with an additional 10mm height, the sphere must be touching the flange.

The differences in actual casting and rain drip cowl are immaterial. The original four dimple strut tops had straight sides, after 10 dimples was used the casting was changed to the stepped design, presumably as an easy identifier.

Has anybody reported this issue back to Meca-Place?

[Southerneruk]

The suspension strut sits in 10mm deeper in to the strut mount, the clearance between the firewall lip (overhang) to the top of the sphere is 12 mm and not 20 mm like on the other side, best bit under the sphere at its widest point it is 25mm gap, making it a lot easier to get a chain wrench around the widest part of the sphere
From baseplate to top of casting on new (Xandia) 115 mm to the top of the nut 130 mm, on old (XM) top of casting 105 mm, top of the nut 120 mm
I think the rubber mount in between the metal plates is thicker rubber, because with the old one I can not get my little finger under top plate, but with the new one I can.
I had email meca about this to find out as much information as I could, all I got back was it is the right one and next email and two more following I never got a reply back.
This Dutch firm seems to be more freely open with information, but then they are dealing with recondition strut mounts and not new, that is why the deposit just in case you don't sent your old one back to them

[Dieselman]

It's bizarre that these aren't an exact replication of the originals, they have been made from scratch.
Either the rubber section is too thick, or the internal tube is too long. If the latter it would have been simple to reduce the length of the tube by 10mm.

Member gtdpz has reported fitting them and they are of quality manufacture and work perfectly, but he also noted they sit higher than the originals.

Thread viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11321&p=133208#p133208

Mecaplace one did sit slightly higher compared to my Citroen origial even when it's off the car, doesn't really affect how it works though.

I can tell they used CNC moulding and vulcanised rubber instead of polyurethane. Just by feel the rubber is quite a bit softer than PU.

[Southerneruk]

umm different type of rubber.
It is the anti-roll bar, that keeps the car going in a straight line and not roll, it equals the pressure out, pushing one strut up and the other pulling down.
Only thing to do now is drive it around and take note of anything that happens that should not happen, but I have this funny feeling that it will only be noticeable when doing a bit of speed, driving to the MOT and back I was lucky to reach 25 mph, it might take to be doing 50 plus before any thing comes to light

[Dieselman]

There's nothing to worry about, your original remaining strut top is also using the same type of vulcanised rubber, so has similar properties, but even if it was different it wouldn't matter.

As you said the ARB both sets the suspension height and keeps the car level side to side. The Arb connects to the lower part of the strut, so is not affected by the strut piston/rod position.

As one strut top appears to be 10mm higher that rod must be effectively 10mm shorter. The piston inside the strut will also be 10mm higher, but the raise the car to the correct level (as set by the Arb) the height corrector has let in a bit more Lhm.
In hydraulics the system pressure is always equal in any part of a static system, in this case the front suspension circuit.

In normal driving there will be no difference at all, the piston is slightly higher in the strut, but it doesn't matter.
The only time there may be an issue is at maximum height setting. If the maximum height is restricted by the strut reaching the end of it's travel, one side will have 10mm less travel than the other.
It's possible the maximum height is restricted by either the height controller, or the suspension arm deflection, in which case the strut doesn't reach the end of it's travel.

[Southerneruk]

I have been thinking about height on the suspension strut, I will test that later see what happens