squeek on trailing arm

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nimue
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squeek on trailing arm

Post by nimue »

hi, we bought a second hand xantia 2.00lt deisel.After raising suspension to is full height,to test it, we have developed an awful squeek,I think it is the trailing arm where the noise is coming from but cannot be sure..anyone got any ideas and remidies.[?]
thanks
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monkeyman
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Post by monkeyman »

Oh dear, it may be the bearings in the rear arms that need replacing. Does the noise come from 1 side only or both? Is there uneven rear tyre wear?
nimue
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Post by nimue »

hi, the noise comes from both sides and there were new tyres put on before we bought it so I cannot tell about wear.If it is the bearings is this difficult, bearing in mind I have never had a xantia before but have had many other makes
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shaunthesheep
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Post by shaunthesheep »

hi,
if you put the car in high height, then stand behind it, oh say about 5mtr (15ft) if the tops of the rear wheels are leaning in, then its one of the signs that the rear trailing arm bearings are on there way out.
nimue
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Post by nimue »

hi, they are leaning in slightly.....would this cause the squeek or is this the bushes? is it related or a coincidence,both going together, where are the bearings? near the wheel end? is this a job for garage or can I do it
regards
TheWorker
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Post by TheWorker »

i reckon the bearings could be the cause of your squeek, probably down to dryness.they usualy go as a pair, but even if one is worn the other should be replaced at the same time. if you look just in front of the rear wheel you will see a 24mm bolt head,this is where it goes through the arm and pivots on the bearings. you can do it yourself if you have the right tools and dont mind getting dirty,just remember to swap the shims as well. otherwise take it to your local citroen dealer/specialist.
wrinklet1
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Post by wrinklet1 »

Nimue, I must agree, a squeek from your rear end almost always means a bearing has gone. Sorry.
Hard/easy job to do if you have the time to do it yourself
Paul
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Post by nimue »

hi thanks for replies, have deciced it is the bearings....there is rubbing on wheel arch.Having only a Haynes manual to work from I will need a bit if help...you mentioned shims..the manual does not,could you possibly give me an ''idiots guide'' to what I need to buy before I start and any advice on best way to do this,and what is the main problem I am likely to encounter.Will some one be able to help if I get into trouble!!!
regards
wrinklet1
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Post by wrinklet1 »

BIG TIP
Have a look around, dont try changing the bearings yourself, they may be to far embedded into the arm and beyond repair. Get a price from phledies or however you spell it, or a low mileage car at scrapyard
nimue
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Post by nimue »

hi, have decided to go to scrapyard for a pair of trailing arms in good condition if I can find them.Failing that will get them anyway and replace bearings then change them on car. That is plan, may still need advice......removal of spheres ect
DLM
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Post by DLM »

Best way to go about this kind of thing (in my 'umble opinion) is to source some not-too-worn secondhand arms and the repair kits, and re-hab these off-car. You can then fit the rehabbed arms as a straight swap, and cut out much of the uncertainty and time worries in the job. My experience of the job is based on the BX, but it will be almost identical on the Xantia.
The complete job is as most definitely described above - easy/hard.
Easy: because none of the individual jobs is really difficult, if all goes well and no problems are encountered.
Hard: For several reasons.
(i) There are several individual jobs, and they must be repeated again for the 2nd side.
(ii) There is a risk of overrunning the complete job if difficulties are encountered, and hence of being off-road much longer than most people can be. The first time through it WILL take a long time.
(iii) If the arms you start with have over-worn, then vital components like the shims could be damaged - and a properly-shimmed-up arm is a must. Having to deal with badly-damaged components in the middle of this job is NOT fun, and leaves you potentially stranded.
All of the above applies even if you leave it to someone else to do. Not everybody may share my opinion, but I always like to have a plan B - and this way of doing things gives you precisely that.
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Post by uhn113x »

Hi (ect?)
DLM is spot-on. When you have the arms, it is worth drilling and tapping them Pleiades-style, so you can get some oil on to the bearings, and replenish it if you are keeping the car.
Yes, always have a Plan B - maybe C-Z as well [;)]
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davek-uk
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Post by davek-uk »

I'm rather intrigued about these trailing arms. I have seen photos given in earlier threads etc, but not having been under my Xantia to investigate I’m not sure what part these bearings are on. Do I understand it correctly that the drilling and fitting of a grease nipple is to fill the inside of the trailing arm to lubricate the bearing where it fits into the arm? If this is so, can you not get the same situation easier by drilling a hole, putting in the grease (or oil) and then plugging the hole with a rubber bung – is the tapping and nipple fitting essential?
The Haynes BOL manual have become so bad that they do not give decent diagrams of the suspension set-ups these days. Is there a good one on the web to give me some idea of what this is all about. Forewarned is forearmed they say…
If I could do something easily to prevent (or lessen) the wear on these bearings then I would.
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uhn113x
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Post by uhn113x »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I'm rather intrigued about these trailing arms. I have seen photos given in earlier threads etc, but not having been under my Xantia to investigate I’m not sure what part these bearings are on. Do I understand it correctly that the drilling and fitting of a grease nipple is to fill the inside of the trailing arm to lubricate the bearing where it fits into the arm? If this is so, can you not get the same situation easier by drilling a hole, putting in the grease (or oil) and then plugging the hole with a rubber bung – is the tapping and nipple fitting essential?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hi Dave
Yes, you understand it correctly. Pleiades use oil rather than grease, maintaining that because of the small arc of travel, grease would not provide good lubrication; I see no reason to disagree with that. They fill the hole with a screwed plug, slotted for a screwdriver. A rubber plug ought to work OK, but I would be happier with something more substantial. The position of the hole is critical.
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Post by Kered »

You don't say when the squeak shows itself.
Is it while standing still and pushing the rear up and down - or is it whilst driving and cornering?
If the latter I would call it a shriek and would put it down to corrosion behind the brake callipers - a well known problem with Xantias. This is easy to check as the rear pads wear into a wedge shape rather than parallel.
Derek
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