ZX Volcane rear suspension - more advice please

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manolito
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ZX Volcane rear suspension - more advice please

Post by manolito »

before i start, forgive me if the terminology is a bit off, i don't know loads about cars.
anyway, this is a bit of a scary one.
i noticed that my rear offise tyre was rubbing on the inner wheel arch when the car's heavily laden. taking it to a garage and raising it they found that the two rear axle mounts (terminology?) were both broken. they are two sheet metal plates bonded either side of a rubber block, and one of the plates had come away on both the mounts.
they were replaced and the rear shocks also replaced. £300 i wasn't expecitng to pay out.
on checking, although improved, the wheel was still rubbing the inner wheel arch.
putting it up on axle stands and taking off the wheels i had a look around. everything looks in place, nothing looks damaged, but the nearside wheel is still about 10mm further out in the wheel arch than the offside one.
for the moment i've put a wheel spacer on there, but i'm worried that i have a much more serious problem.
the chap in the garage was talking about replacing the torsion bars, but they looked fine to me, though the front torsion bar was nearer the axle on the offside than the nearside by about 5mm. axle looks fine, but are there any bushes or similar inside the axle that may be knackered?
this is going to cost me more than the car is worth isn't it?
anyone got any ideas?
am i in a deathtrap?!
the car is a 1993 ZX Volcane 2.0i (8v) with 107,000 miles on the clock.
cheers
CITMAN
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Post by CITMAN »

In sounds to me if the rear arm bearing are worn severly. Do the rear wheels at the back lean in excessively and look like this / \. If so its defo the rear arm bearings and the only solution is a replacement rear beam. A reconditioned beam should cost about £300
jonathan_dyane
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

Manolito,
I must confess I am not an expert on the ZX, however, I suspect the axle arrangement is similar to scaled up AX with flexible mounting to allow the rear steer.
Does the affected wheel lean in at the top? If so the arm bearing is shot; in the AX the easiest (and cheapest) repair is another rear axle assy.
I'm sure I will be corrected if my suppositions are incorrect...
manolito
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Post by manolito »

thanks for the information. both rear wheels do lean in at the top as you say. they've been like this for ages, i assumed they were meant to be [:I]
damn, another £300-£500. beginning to cost more than the car's value now, having bought a new exhaust (£250), new shocks and mounts (£300) and now this, all in the last 6 weeks.
Anyone want to buy an 11 year old ZX Volcane? [:D]
CITMAN
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Post by CITMAN »

My 95 zx 1.4i wheels also lean in at the top but they dont rub. But when they do I will proberly replace it, as it may need a few other things doing like the heater matrix which is leaking a little, as it will cost more than the car is worth.
jonathan_dyane
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

Manolito,
What is the general condition of the car? If it is a generally good car, I would certainly have the work done.
Ignore such arbitary concepts as the cars 'value', just because it is of low market value does not mean it is of no worth. 107,000 miles is nowt...
I would expect to pay £100 - £150 for an excellent secondhand rear axle assy from a low mileage accident damaged car.
jonathan_dyane
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Post by jonathan_dyane »

Why not do the job yourself? Fairly straightforward, and the mountings will dismantle beutifully because they're new. A weekends entertainment!
gjb02
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Post by gjb02 »

Watch those brake lines, it took me ages to undo them without breaking the longer lines that go to the master cylinder. The old lines had rusted solid into the brake compensator valves, I had to remove them from the car to sort them.
I changed the whole rear axle for a secondhand one. The axle with shocks cost me £50. The four mounts, brake line and a couple of flexible hoses about another £50 ish. £100 and a day and a half to do it. The car handles better and I feel safe in the knowledge that I know who did the work!!
Job done, now how best to do those wishbone bushes??[:)]
manolito
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Post by manolito »

This problem has reared it's head again. Replacing the subframe mounts seemed to improve it for a while but the wheel rubbing the arch is back again and worse than before. So, taking the advice previously given on here and a few other similar threads I'll look at getting the complete rear axle assembly.
Is it just pot luck that I get a decent 2nd hand one? What I mean is, how can I tell if it is better than the one I have now? Just general condition or anything particular I should look at?
Also, does it have to be a 2.0i Volcane axle or any ZX (or any other Volcane even)?
This isn't something I can manage to do myself. I don't have a garage or tools for this sort of work. I can source the parts hopefully and then try to get someone else to fit them. Anyone give a guide on how long this would take a Citroen specialist garage (not main dealer)? Just so I know if he quotes me way over the mark....
I have new shocks and newish discs, etc already, so I guess I should get those fitted to the new axle shouldn't I?
Sorry for all the questions. I can probably answer some of your questions about building databases if you need answers :)
jimbolaya
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Post by jimbolaya »

Just replaced the whole rear beam with shocks , hubs, etc on my 1.9 td. Beam cost £50 from cit-ren in norwich (done about 60k apparently!) and cost £90 to fit. Have a look on parts gateway on net. You plug in what you want and lots of salvage yards reply to your request. I would specify it comes off a volcane, and make it a fairly low miler. My old beam had done 160k and i can really notice the difference!! Hope this helps[:D]
manolito
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Post by manolito »

Just been offered complete rear axle from somewhere called ACR (01254 tel no.) for £95 + vat (inlc deliv. and 90 day warranty).
They said it's off an N reg Volcane.
I didn't think Volcane's were made that late...
Am nervous that I won't get all the bits I need and that I'll be left in a worse state than am in now (though that is hard).
Could anyone advise me what parts I need to specify are included..... axle, torsion bar(s), rear arms (whatever they are), hubs, etc.
I'll check the mileage from what it came off
Thanks
Twiss
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Post by Twiss »

hello reading though this post and found that i have a simaler prob, my back wheels also leanin at the top but only about a few degrees, so i take it they should sit upright aand not lean at all? i have had the rear shock replaced a few months ago, if i have to replace the rear axel should i might aswell get a rear axel off a avolcane as i have a AURA TD so i get the rear discs as well?
manolito
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Post by manolito »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Twiss</i>

if i have to replace the rear axel should i might aswell get a rear axel off a avolcane as i have a AURA TD so i get the rear discs as well?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Twiss, I'm by no means an expert on this, but I think I read somewhere else that torsion bars are different diameter on volcane to other models, so you may want to be careful with that. Someone else will confirm with more conviction i expect.
manolito
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Post by manolito »

just been along to the local Citroen chap to see what he'd charge for fitting the complete new rear axle assembly.
He said i'd be better off just looking at the needle bearings in the existing torque bar and renewing them, and the bar if it needs it.
That'd cost me about £500 all in with a new torque bar (torsion bar - same thing?). His advice was that even if I got a replacement axle assembly I should get the needle bearings replaced anyway.
Is he taking the p*ss? £500?
So, what's the best approach. Find a small local mechanic who'll replace the whole axle for me? Where's a good place to start finding one of those chaps with a decent reputation? I live in SE London if anyone has any recommendations....
Cheers
jimbolaya
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Post by jimbolaya »

fella I used was no rocket scientist - believe me!
He said it was a bit of a bugger to fit BUT has done them before and said usually takes him 3hrs from start to finish even bleeding out all brakes etc.
Maybe you should try and make sure it comes off a matching model
( i.e. take it off one yourself ,or watch the salvage boys take it off for for a small fee into their stella fund!)
good luck , mines alot better now , maybe i got a volcane one ?
I dunno, but its not as bad as you think[:D]
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