C5 suspension noise

bordercars · Post by **bordercars** » 09 Oct 2006, 13:01

C5 2.0 hdi
2003 plate
100k
fsh
owned for 5 months

I am getting a creaking from the rear of the car when getting out, also when driving i get a clunk, it does this when going over speed humps, turning corners and occasionally just hitting a manhole or drain.I bought the car from a company in Manchester where it had sat for 3 months in a damp envoiroment, i thought i maybe had a dry joint at first but have squirted lots of lube in and around all points that could move at the rear.The car has also spent a good couple of hours on a friends 4 poster trying to find the problem area.

I have also had a 2nd hand suspension pump fitted after burning out the motor on the previous attempts to resolve the noise, the motor burnt out whilst the car was at full height engine running, we think it was low LDS fluid but cannot be sure.Anyway have fitted a pump and the car now rises and falls as normal, but the rear seems slightly weak,this said i have done an airport job with 4 passengers and cases and the car sat ok, could this be the creaking and clunking, do i have a possible problem with the pressure in a sphere being low .

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 09 Oct 2006, 14:20

Normal symptom of a flat suspension sphere - is - no suspension - as basically the springy bit has escaped. So if corner can't be pushed down - sphere is flat.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 09 Oct 2006, 14:47

Does the C5 have the same rear arm bearings as in Xantia and BX. If so, could this be the noise?

bordercars · Post by **bordercars** » 09 Oct 2006, 16:45

the car bounces ok so i guess that's the spheres taken care of.

ref rear arm bearings

just had a look on

http://www.citroen-pr.net

the arm differs but the bearing carries the same part number, has anyone changed this bearing and if so what is involved ?

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 10 Oct 2006, 00:14

If the bearings are the same as the Xantia they're the same as the BX and probably the XM and CX. Loads of articles on doing them on here - but basic procedure seems to be, take off caliper and hang it out of the way, disconnect ABS sensor somewhere (if its the type that pokes through a hole in the casting it will be extremely tight and you'll break it trying to get it out,) and then dismantle the bearings.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 10 Oct 2006, 08:39

[quote="bordercars"]

ref rear arm bearings

just had a look on

http://www.citroen-pr.net

the arm differs but the bearing carries the same part number, quote]

Just in case you're getting into rear arm bearings, note that estate models have bigger bearings than h/backs.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 10 Oct 2006, 08:41

[quote="JohnD"][quote="bordercars"]

ref rear arm bearings

just had a look on

http://www.citroen-pr.net

the arm differs but the bearing carries the same part number, quote]

Just in case you're getting into rear arm bearings, note that estate models have bigger bearings than h/backs.

bordercars · Post by **bordercars** » 10 Oct 2006, 09:33

thanks John, any ideas on the procedure of changing, ie; do we have to remove the arm or can we change in situ

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 10 Oct 2006, 10:08

See my earlier posting. You'll have to take the arm out to get the old bearings out. Various techniques - current favorite seems to be to MIG weld round the inside of the bearing track - which obligingly shrinks when it cools and come out easily!

paulbx · Post by **paulbx** » 10 Oct 2006, 11:11

Often but not always rear wheels will be / \ instead of | |. Also first thing in the morning after being left overnight you'll geta "clang" like noise from the rear as you get in.

bordercars · Post by **bordercars** » 10 Oct 2006, 11:24

paulbx wrote:Often but not always rear wheels will be / \ instead of | |. Also first thing in the morning after being left overnight you'll geta "clang" like noise from the rear as you get in.

the clang noise as i get in is the same as what i get when driving, also when i leave the car and she sinks i get a creaking.
as a possible remedy a released the wylock nut on the rear arm 1/2 turn to 1 turn and that seemed to help for a while.

JT · Post by JT » 11 Oct 2006, 09:49

Hi,
Ihave a 2L. HDI C5 2002 reg and have had similar problems to the ones you have described. At first I was led to believe that the problem was the rear spheres. So I fitted two new spheres which I bought from Eurocar care in England. This seemed to solve the problem at first, but after a week all the clonking and creaking noises were back.At this stage I was thinking like yourself that the problem was the rear arm bearing.
However on advice from a mechanic friend who said that noises from the rear such as the ones I was experiencing could often be simple things like brake pads or wheel nuts not tight enough, I decided to take off the rear wheels and take a look. I discovered two things: (1) The brake pads could move up an down in the caliper and (2) There was corrossion on the contact points the wheels and the hubs. The solution was to change the rear brake pads and apply plenty of copper grease to the back, top and bottom of the pads. Clean the inside of the rear wheels with a wire brush where it makes contact with the hub and also apply plenty of copper grease.
Problem solved!! Well, I have had no noise since I did this and that was four months ago.
Maybe try this before going to the expense of changing bearings.
JT

Post by **RichardW** » 11 Oct 2006, 13:26

Quite a few ealier C5s had their rear axles replaced by Citroen under warranty, due to some thing inside somewhere collapsing and causing uneven tyre wear. I'm not sure they use exactly the same set up as the Xantia, so may not be prone to the same troubles. As it's can only just be out of warrnty might be worth having a discussion with your local dealer. A google search of the web should turn up something about the axle replacements.

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 11 Oct 2006, 17:55

Check.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/index.php?u ... /index.htm

Citroen

C5

//NiSk

bordercars · Post by **bordercars** » 11 Oct 2006, 17:59

thanks JT and Richard will try the brake side, we were in fact going down that road when i created another problem which when having the vehicle on full height and inspecting around the brake area the motor on the hydralics burnt out , i did open up and found it to be a resistor that had burnt thro but it still cost me 150 for a 2nd hand pump, so anyone leaving there car on full height be warned unless your LDS is at max you could have the same problem

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