You perceive a snap from the shock absorbers of your Citroen C4 especially when you cross a retarder. The concern is you don't know if it is reaction et what should be done. Indeed noise at the shock absorbers will generally indicative of wear and it is a good habit to take care of it in time, before the damage become more critical. This is the reason why in this article we will start by explaining to you Why shock absorbers do this noise on your Citroen C4. Then we will provide you with indications in order to choose well shock absorbers if you count them replace.
Why do shock absorbers make noise on my Citroen C4?
Problems caused by shock absorbers on Citroen C4:
We will start by listing you the various defects that your Citroen C4 could have. However if you need more explanation about the role and operation of shock absorbers in order to understand the origin of the dysfunctions, we tell you this below.
Shock absorbers slamming on Citroen C4: Oil leak:
The first wearing parts turn out to be the seals. Indeed the shock absorber to work well turns out to be charged with oil, so each end of the cylinder is equipped with a gasket to prevent the escape of the liquid.
However, as this part undergoes a number of shocks, the rubber seals eventually crack and become less efficient. Therefore if you observe oil in the shock absorbers oozing, usually it will take to change the shock absorbers fairly quickly. Indeed it reveals that the compression and decompression is no longer done properly and this can a clicking noise.
Shock absorbers slamming on Citroen C4: Used oil:
Also if you often drive on bad roads with holes, suspensions will be used more and more closely. And if compression decompression is done too quickly in the rooms of compression this risks to inject air inside the oil and make the shock absorber less efficient.
Shock absorbers slamming on Citroen C4: Worn shock absorber cup:
Then another component which is subject to wear is the shock absorber cup. This is used to connect the suspension system à the body of the vehicle. Consequently, she also undergoes large vibration. And if progressively a game is created within the cup, this goes damage the shock absorber prematurely and the game may make a clicking noise.
Shock absorbers slamming on Citroen C4: Worn bearing ring:
Also it is possible that the concern comes from the bearing ring. The latter allows you to amortize your Citroen C4 at the moment turns since there is a charge transfer towards the outside of the turn. In this way if noise occurs during turns but also that the car pitch and you have difficulty maintaining leadership, it will probably be a question of the bearing ring.
To finish on the problems caused by the shock absorbers of your Citroen C4, we also advise you to browse the following article: How to recognize HS shock absorbers on Citroen C4.
How a shock absorber works on Citroen C4:
To understand these problems, it is useful to know how a shock absorber works on a Citroen C4. A shock absorber is integrated in the suspension system of the Citroen C4. It must allow decrease the rebound effect of the suspension spring. To do this, it consists of a cylinder filled with oil and piston with hole. In order to hold the spring, the shock absorber will compress and decompress thanks to the piston and transferring oil from the compression chamber to another chamber. The oil will pass through the holes of the piston which will allow adjust the speed of compression and decompression of the suspension spring.
In more detail, the shock absorber turns out to be a stem connected to the spring that goes retract and tighten using the spring at the time of a speed bump for example. This way when the spring contracts this will compress the rod of the shock absorber. To do this, the perforated piston will penetrate the compression chamber. Thereby the oil that was present there will be transferred inside the other room thanks to the piston holes. Thereafter when the spring is going to relax, the piston will withdraw from the compression chamber a pair suction effect the oil will be re-transferred towards the 1st bedroom. And this way the oil will pass from one chamber to the other to cushion impacts while driving but also when stationary when loading your Citroen C4 or when you get inside.
Tips to replace the shock absorbers on my Citroen C4:
As it often happens that the elements of the suspension are damaged because they withstand a lot of impacts, this is how you will perceive the shock absorbers snap on your Citroen C4. Note that in general a shock absorber will be used 5000 times per km. It is for this reason that it is very important to have them checked frequently. If you want more information, do not hesitate to consult the following article: When to change the shock absorbers on Citroen C4. The concern is that when it needs to be changed it can be difficult to know what kind of shock absorber to buy.
How to choose the shock absorbers for a Citroen C4?
It exists two people type of shock absorber. There are shock absorbers hydraulic which contain only oil, and you will also have compressed gas shock absorbers. These also have oil but in addition they contain nitrogen. This will allow better responsiveness during decompression because the gas will repel the oil and that will not be done just by the suction of the piston. They will be more resistant with strong compression variations but they will also be more expensive. So we advise you to equip yourself with this type of shock absorber if you are driving on bad roads or in campaign and that your suspensions are very often requested or if you have a sporty driving and you brake suddenly.
Finally we suggest you respect the manufacturer's recommendations available in the maintenance manual for your Citroen C4, to ensure you keep the same firmness of the shock absorbers. You should know that if you choose another brand, it is necessary that properties are compatible to make sure you keep them in good condition about 80 kilometers. Change turns out to be an operation that requires time and that will be expensive. Therefore it is advisable to pay a good price at the right time to ensure you a certain tranquility.
If you wish after that to replace shock absorbers of your Citroen C4 on your own, we suggest that you consult the following article: How to change the shock absorber cup on Citroen C4
To finish: a slamming shock absorber in a Citroen C4 is not something to ignore. We recommend you to go to your mechanic without waiting because it is dangerous to ride with hs shock absorbers. In the future, to keep your shock absorbers for the long term, we advise you to also read the following article: When to change the shock absorbers on Citroen C4.
If you wish to go a little further in the maintenance of your Citroen C4, do not hesitate to consult our other pages on Citroen C4.
