1994 xantia 1.9 td

[bill hughes]

Hi all the rear wheels on my xantia have what looks like excessive negative camber and the tyres are wearing badly on the inside I have been told there is no way of adjusting the rear camber, the rear spheres were replaced about 5000 miles ago , I would appreciate any ideas you might have, Many thanks

[RichardW]

Bearings in the rear trailing arms are shot - well known Citroen failing dating back 40+ years now! Kits are available if it's a hatch, bit more tricky if it's an estate. Getting the rear arms off can be a bit of a trial, depending on whether the pin holding the hydraulic strut in wants to let go or not: http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... 11&t=44218" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bill hughes]

thanks for your reply Richardw it sounds a pig of a job and as I don't have access to a ramp or pit and given the car has done over 250,000 miles I think I will have to live with it, but thanks anyway ps. are the bearings likely to collapse completely Bill

[SteveM]

Hi, All I can say is that I have had some nasty experiences over the years with Collapsed bearings, car and hgv, belive me things are not pretty when they go.

[RichardW]

It won't collapse as such - eventually the camber will get so bad that the inner edge of the tyre will start to rub on the inner wing. It should have failed an MOT by then!! If it's got to that state, then it's likely that the arm will be damaged as well.

[bill hughes]

thanks for all your help,as the problem is not something I feel I can tackle myself would you know roughly what the job is likely to cost, thanks Bill

[lankytim]

Possibly cheaper and easier to just put a good used axle on rather than replace the bearings? That's what the saxo boys do.

[Old-Guy]

Possibly cheaper and easier to just put a good used axle on rather than replace the bearings? That's what the saxo boys do.

Not nearly so easy on a Xantia due to the hydraulic plumbing. There are plenty of threads (on this forum) on this subject.

[RichardW]

Assuming that the arms are OK, then an indie should be able to do both sides for say 4 hours total. So that's £200 - £250 for the labour depending on where you are, plus the kit at £50 / side (more if it's an estate). So £300 - £350 all in? This may go up as likely that some work will be needed on the rear calipers if they have not been done, and the rear brake pipes may well need to be replaced after they have been mauled. Ditto the rear suspension pipes which may not take too kindly to being removed. Budget £400 all in?

[bill hughes]

thanks for that info Richard w. its probably more than the old girl is worth so maybe time to look for a replacement Bill