Ride control problem

[c4tree]

Hi all. Anyone familiar with 1994 C4 ride control issues?
I lifted off the actuators off the shocks and turned the ride control dial through tour, sport, perf settings and their is no movement.
Could it be a fuse and if so where? Or something else?
Help please on diagnosing this one. Cheers

 

[Oneball]

No experience of it in the C4 but loads of experience of it on Maseratis. If the control unit detects an error it will switch the system off so the motors won’t move.

Is the error light on permanently?

Does the error light come on at start up and go out after a few seconds?

Get someone to turn the ignition on while you’ve got your hand on one of the shock motors with it on the shock. You should feel it cycle. This is the self test. If all four test ok the light goes out. Feel all four to see if they all cycle. This will confirm if there is a single shock or motor at fault.

If nothing cycles it can point to a control unit issue.

Doubt it’s the fuse as according to this it does other stuff too

 

[c4tree]

Cheers, funny thing is, there is no error light on the dash, never has been. maybe bulb gone? As you say, i will check fuse 18 again. Maybe it the actuators themselves....??

 

[Oneball]

Light should be here assuming yours is the same year



Do you know if it’s ever worked?

On Masers it’s usually the motor or slightly less often the shock, sometimes they just seize and can be freed off with some penetrating oil. I’ve had to replace a completely shock unit though.

 

[Oneball]

PS forgot to say if you took the motor off the shock. Then turned the ignition on and then moved the switch and the motor didn’t move after you’d switched it that’s normal. As the self test at start up would have flagged a fault to the ecu that it wasn’t moving the shock correctly and disabled the system. Still should have a light though

 

[c4tree]

Thanks buddy, i noticed the ride control light does come on at start up for about 5 secs then goes off.
i will check the actuators again tomorow without actually starting the engine and report back. thanks,.

 

[c4tree]

ok, checked the actuators again and they do move when i partially turn the ignition key.
Maybe they do work after all and i can't actually feel the difference when driving. Strange..........,

 

[Oneball]

Get someone to turn the selector switch while you’ve got a hand on one of the motors to see if it moves.
Maybe the switch isn’t doing anything?

 

[UKBeancounter]

ok, checked the actuators again and they do move when i partially turn the ignition key.
Maybe they do work after all and i can't actually feel the difference when driving. Strange..........,

I also have a 94 with FX'3 on. I had the original's revalved at Bilstein in Leicester (had a friend who worked there, since left). With the normal valving there is very little noticeable difference in damping under 30 miles an hour. If you google the system details there is a graph on a US website which shows at what speed the actuators alter the damping. As I recall, the Highest setting does nothing until above 50mph.

The suspension on the C4 has always been a bit of an issue for me. I have looked at maybe putting coilovers on mine, but am torn between keeping it standard as it is now, and improving the ride quality. I fitted higher Nm springs a few years ago which are great at the track but shite on the road, way too bouncy. If I had kept the revalved Bilsteins on (which were leaking) it may have been better, but with standard valving on the replacement Bilsteins it is under damped with harder springs.

I always recall someone telling me before I bought the car (17 years ago now) the settings are 1 - Bouncy, 2 - Hard, 3 - Rock Hard !!!

Jason