Rear Beam

[Guest Colin45]

Hi,

I hear alot about rear beams and re-conditioned ones. How do i know if mine is okay or not, it drives okay and doesn't make any strange noises.

 

I have a 1991 1.9GTI.

 

Thanks

 

Colin

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Unfortunately they can drive mainly OK and not make any noise but still be fairly worn. The beam on my 1.6 did all this, however when I took it apart, one side was fine but the other side needed a new shaft and bearings.

 

Checks you can do, jack up and remove the wheels, remove the dampers, you should then be able to move the arm smoothly up and down against the spring of the torsion bar. In fact if you sharply push it down it should rebound and oscillate a bit before coming to rest.

 

Then check for play by grasping the wheel end of the arm and pulling/pushing. There should be no play.

 

Also inspect the inner wheelarch, there should be no sign of tyre rubbing on the metalwork.

 

After this the only way to know for sure, is to strip and inspect the beam. If you plan to do this, start spraying the ends of the torsion bars NOW, every week or so give them a soak. Then you have more chance of getting the bars out without major hassle.

 

In some respects it is worth stripping any beam of unknown history, even if it shows no signs of problems. I recently did this for a guy on here, the beam internals were A OK, and the car had history of an expensive beam rebuild in the not so distant past, including a complete new cross tube. However, the foam seals at the anti roll bar ends had not been replaced, and the main seals were also starting to fail. So with a good clean out, new grease, new seals, the beam will now be good for at least another 3 or 4 years, for minimal parts cost, whereas if left it could have needed all new bearings and shafts in 12 months time, at significant cost.

Edited February 19, 2010 by Tom Fenton

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

the only way to know for sure, is to strip and inspect the beam. If you plan to do this, start spraying the ends of the torsion bars NOW, every week or so give them a soak. Then you have more chance of getting the bars out without major hassle.

This is really the only sure fire way to know what condition your beam is in but on a nearly 20 year old 205, I would expect the worst even with no descernable play.

 

TBH even though it may feel / look OK to you now, the difference between a freshly refurbished one & one that feels / looks OK can be quite shocking imo.

 

Graham.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

TBH even though it may feel / look OK to you now, the difference between a freshly refurbished one & one that feels /looks OK can be quite shocking imo.

 

The beam I did was fine visually, and the car felt OK to drive to me when I very briefly drove it before I stripped it, but James who owns the car commented after he had driven it home at how much better it felt after a "service" and new seals.

[jord294 92]

Hi,

I hear alot about rear beams and re-conditioned ones. How do i know if mine is okay or not, it drives okay and doesn't make any strange noises.

 

I have a 1991 1.9GTI.

 

Thanks

 

Colin

 

fetch it along to me and i'll have a look for you.

 

only about half an hour away

 

[RGT100 0]

I Didn't Want to start a new thread but had a few questions

 

Both of my trailing arms seem to be free if I put the hand brake on an attempt to reverve the back end shoots for the sky

 

But i have squeeking coming from the back end

I have jacked the car put a leaver bar through the wheel and leavered it in and out i can't feel any play

Whilst jacked up i have pushed the wheel back up aginst the spring to see if it was a rough action or smooth and trying to make it squeek to locate the problem but it felt smooth i done the to doth side with out a problem i could see

 

No matter what i did i could not get it to squeek with the wheel of the floor

 

 

But once on the floor it made the squeek again you can just about make it squeek by making the suspension rise and fall on the handbrake

 

But if i grab the wheel and shake the car side to side it squeeks like hell ( the sqeek sounds like the spare tyre rubbing against the body)

 

I put my hands on roughly where the trailing arm bearings and can not feel anything, On the shocks i can feel the squeek but its not enough for the sound that its make it must be making it vibrate from some where else

 

Is there anything i am missing or overlooking?

Or has This happend to anyone on here?

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

With the cars weight off the beam I doubt you'd recreate the squeek if it is your beam making the noise.

 

It is possibly that the rear wheel is moving & causing the squeek, I had this on a previous 205 diesel, remove the spare / cage assy & see if it still does it.

 

The play only develops when you beam is in the later stages of death & the bearings have already ground away / broken up meanign the beam is most likely fubar so a lack of detectable play still doesn't mean its good.

 

As previously said, with the age of all 205's now, a beam refurbish should be one of the first jobs on the list of things to do imo while parts are still relatively easy to get hold of.

 

Graham.

[RGT100 0]

I have taken the spare wheel out the and it makes the noise still the funny thing is is that i push the suspension up and down there is very little noise and it gluides up and down very i easy its only if i push the car side to side that the squeek is noticable

 

Is it posibly the axle mounts squeeking they where repaced about a year ago

 

There Is plenty of room on the inside of the arch at least an inch on both sides

 

Forgot to mention it is a 306 i was told to come here if i wanted to know anything about axles/subframes as the 205 have a similar set up

 

I all ways wanted a 205 but the insurace is way to steep for me hope to have one as a second car in a couple of years when the insurance is below £800

[Baz 421]

fetch it along to me and i'll have a look for you.

 

only about half an hour away

 

 

Shameless plugging for business there Andy!!

[petert 588]

Even in our nice warm and dry Australian climate, every beam I've taken apart in recent years has needed repair, regardless of age or km driven. The outer bearing will be rusted and shaft worn, at the very least. If it hasn't been done you're only delaying the inevitable and possible unrepairable damage to the main tube.

[RGT100 0]

Hi does any one know where i can get the bearing kits from as GSF only provide the bearings and if i am going to do it i would rather rebuild it with new seals etc as well

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Main Peugeot dealer.....

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Hi does any one know where i can get the bearing kits from as GSF only provide the bearings and if i am going to do it i would rather rebuild it with new seals etc as well

Jimistdt is trying to source some more kits now afaik but if not then you can buy all the required parts from Peugeot, just for about double the price.

 

Graham.

[welshpug 1,658]

They're only £20 a side from Peugeot before any discount.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

They're only £20 a side from Peugeot before any discount.

Not like you not to quote a part number Mei...

 

Jimistdt did them in pairs for £23.00 inc. postage.

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=111501

 

Graham.

[RGT100 0]

They're only £20 a side from Peugeot before any discount

Is that with all new seals?

I read some where that peugeot are supplying poorer bearing with less needle rollers is this correct

 

Jimistdt did them in pairs for £23.00 inc. postage Is that with seals?

Do You know if they have the same needle rollers as the originals

The originals where Torrington 45 Rollers (outside)

Nadella 35 Rollers ( Inside)

Thats what i can gather from the threads i have searched through

[welshpug 1,658]

That's for the pair of bearings and the trailing arm seal, no ARB yellow seal though, will dig out the part number later

[RGT100 0]

no ARB yellow seal though

 

Is that the seal that sits behind the arb end cap

Just to ask the 205 kit are the same as the 306 kits arn't they?

Does anyone know if Jimistdt is close to getting more kits?Any idea of whenhe will get any?

[treesimon 0]

Funny i had the same problem as you have when i brought a CTI, Carried out the same test as you did.

 

I should have refurbed the beam but just wanted the squeak gone.

 

I managed to get rid of it by drilling and tapping the beam, fitting a grease nipple then filling the beam with grease, I used a pneumatic greaser at my work which filled the beam in no time (would take a while with a hand pump and alot of refills)

 

I then took it for a drive and within 30mins the grease had work and the noise was gone.

 

In total i only had the car for 7months. This was not a fix, and only masked the fault of the bearing breaking down.

 

I would have go it refurbed but the year before i'd had my 1.9 beam done and was not planning on keeping the CTI.

 

I then sold the car telling the buyer of the fault.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

I read some where that peugeot are supplying poorer bearing with less needle rollers is this correct

I haven't bought any from Peugeot for a while but I'm sure I saw a post by Miles saying they had gone back to supplying the better bearings since it was first noticed they'd changed to a worse design.

 

Jimistdt did them in pairs for £23.00 inc. postage Is that with seals?

Do You know if they have the same needle rollers as the originals

The originals where Torrington 45 Rollers (outside)

Nadella 35 Rollers ( Inside)

Thats what i can gather from the threads i have searched through

Yes, the kits Jimi got last time were in PSA boxes & contained the better type of bearings. I'll ask him for the images of the kits he got next time I speak to him & put them back into that topic.

 

Graham.

[jimistdt 1]

Hello, I have tried to get another batch of bearings, but it's not happening. Sorry lads.

[RGT100 0]

Does anyone know the part number for the rear trailing arm kit from gsf

I have emailed them but they said it dosn't exist

[RGT100 0]

Does anyone know the part number for the rear trailing arm kit from gsf

I have emailed them but they said it dosn't exist

 

I have just Rung Gsf and they say the kit Dosn't Exist is this true?

 

Also Peugeot have them a £35+vat a side Is that good am i likley to get the bearings with 45 rollers or the cheaper made ones as i have to put a deposit down as they have to be ordered in i don't want to put any money down if the are the cheap ones is there any way of getting round this?

[welshpug 1,658]

GSF dont do a "kit" but they do sell the bearings.

 

the kit is £20 from peugeot per side, 5132 62

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Give GSF the Pug Part number, they can cross referance it with there system