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suspension fluid change
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JimC   
Tue Dec 30 2014, 09:31pm
Joined: Sep 07 2010
Member No: #229
Location: Scotland
 I'm told that it used to be recommended to change the suspension fluid due to water contamination and wondered if anyone has felt the need to do so on a C6?
It just might be a cure for my 'water bed' ride (after changing spheres & shocks)!
JimC   
Sat Jan 03 2015, 07:37pm
Joined: Sep 07 2010
Member No: #229
Location: Scotland
 Alternatively, does anyone know if there's a water trap in the suspension system and if so, does it empty automatically?
gmerry   
Mon Jan 05 2015, 02:55pm
Joined: Dec 11 2009
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland
 Hi Jim, Happy New Year and all.

I have no idea what consitutes a waterbed ride. Is this your term to describe a wallowy ride with no damping?

I'm guessing that the state/age of the fluid might make a difference - eg when it is full of bubbles you get a very soft ride. But this problem sorts itself out after a few hours of driving.

To answer your question about the water separator. No there is not one. Any small amount of water will emulsify with the oil. To change the suspension oil, just disconnect the hose below the reservoir and refill with about 3 litres of new LDS.

Also a question, you state replacement spheres and shocks. Which of the 7 spheres were changed out?

Regards
G
JimC   
Tue Jan 06 2015, 07:34pm
Joined: Sep 07 2010
Member No: #229
Location: Scotland
 Thanks Gerry, All the best to you & yours too!

Hmmm, you've got me there as I thought there was just four spheres - one for each corner!

The car was really bouncy so everything was checked and I believe Nick said the "front two" spheres were changed out (where's the other five?).
The shocks were leaking - one about 9 months ago and the other one a couple of months ago.

I then had a suspension leak where a section of metal pipe (I can only describe it as 'running behind the bottom of the radiator on route from Driver side to Passenger side') was leaking where it joined a rubber hose. Once that was tightened up the ride improved a lot. However the water bed ride returned within the next few weeks... hence the above posting.

However, here's an update (and don't laugh as I already feel a bit of a Numpty): Several weeks after fixing the leak I decided to lower the suspension and top-up the tank. Just short of 3 litres later, it reached the right level! The ride ain't so bad now

gmerry   
Wed Jan 07 2015, 09:59am
Joined: Dec 11 2009
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland
 Hi Jim, sounds as though your issues are largely sorted although I'm intrigued as to what you meant by "waterbed ride".

Regarding the spheres, the three in the front run at very high pressure (both precharge but more importantly the dynamic peak pressures so get a hard life. I'm surprised that the front stiffness sphere (lives under the RF wheelarch) did not need replacing when the other two fronts were done. Again from my own experience, the only aftermarket spheres even worth considering are the IFHS ones: the others must have diaphragms made of marshmallow because thay have such a short life.

Regards
G
JimC   
Fri Jan 16 2015, 05:02pm
Joined: Sep 07 2010
Member No: #229
Location: Scotland
 Hi Gerry,
I once had the pleasure of a night on a waterbed and found that whenever you moved at all, you were still bobbing up 'n down 10 minutes later (I won't go into anymore detail!).
The car similarity is... whenever I went over a mild hump in the road, the car bounced for some time after (as if the shockers were shot).

Cheers.
Jim
speedfix   
Sat Jan 17 2015, 12:44pm
Joined: Sep 28 2012
Member No: #1043
Location: south west
 As I had run the car for 5 months with the magnet and the state of the fluid [1000,000 miles] when draining the system to do the shocks I thought it would be a good idea to fit a new tank [cheap as chips] with a new magnet.

state old and new fuid



Will see what debris the magnet has collected when I open up old resvoir.
Resvoir replaced away with the snap clip and useing a jublie.





Off topic, shocks and all work can be done with the battery connected and without the use of Lexia, had Lexia standing by just in case.

Oh the car is just a little softer in the normal ride position.
Will give it some hi speed stick on the track when time permits.
 

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