Rear Axle

[CCollier300571 1]

Hello all. After digging around to find as much info on rear axles, but not really finding what i need to know i thought id better post specific questions.

 

1 Is the suspension suppose to be "bouncy" If so how bouncy do you class as ok?

 

2 How much movement can you expect to get out of an "ok" axle?

 

3 The wheels sit flat on the floor with no toe in at the top so i know the bearings are ok, but how do you determine if its siezed?

 

4 Looking at the cost of refurbing an axle using parts off the net. Buying one already done looks to be cheaper. Solong as its done properly and correctly. Unfortunatly you wouldnt know for a while till it fails. Can anyone recommend a good company who refurbs them?

 

No doubt there will be other questions i need to ask which will come out in time so if anyone can help please feel free to post. Cheers all.

[welshpug 1,646]

the only true way to see what the state of it is, is to strip it apart.

Edited December 19, 2011 by welshpug

[jord294 89]

There's a few guys on here who rebuild beams

 

Depends who you want to go to

 

I'm in north wales, Tom Fenton oop north, Anthony in the south easy and I think Alastair in the east

 

There's also welshpug in south wales

[CCollier300571 1]

Ive just been out for a second opinion and the nearside wheel is closer to the body than the offside so it looks like a rebuild. The only thing is buy all the bits in and do it myself or go for a rebuilt axle but not sure as to what spec its been built to. Also could the outer axle shaft be damaged or worn so new parts would work?????????????????

[welshpug 1,646]

you really can;t tell till its apart.

 

Tom Fenton isn't too far from you in Rotherham

[CCollier300571 1]

Is he good? Have you a link or number to hand? Cheers much appreciated

[CCollier300571 1]

Thinking about it.....................at the very least its bearings so for the bit extra i might aswell have the works done on it

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

Hello There,

 

As mentioned I am in Rotherham, if you like I can take a look at the car and give you some options. As you mention in one of your posts, depending on what is found when the beam comes apart, sadly it often is not as simple as just popping in new bearings and away you go. Frequently now I strip a beam to find the majority of it either corroded or worn (or both) beyond repair.

 

I have done beams for a number of members on the forum, I can give you a list of names should you wish to speak to some of them for their opinion on my work. Feel free to PM me for any more info.

 

Thanks

Tom

[Cameron 16]

If you drive the car you should be able to tell immediately, I've driven a car with a siezed beam and it tried to fire me out the sunroof over bumps, I've also had one on it's way out but not yet siezed and there's a distinct knocking coming from the back.

 

The rear suspension is pretty supple on 205's, so if you sit on the lip of the boot it should compress an inch or so.

 

Ps.. "toe in at the top" is called negative camber.

[tartanbloke 35 1 Cars]

Morning,

 

I would personally recommend a refurb beam from Tom Fenton as the quality is great for the price paid and it transformed the handling of mine.

 

Also, it was easier and quicker to remove the beam, drive to Rotherham (with the family in tow) and back, then fit it; than it would have been to refurb the beam myself.

 

Chris

[d7ve_b 44 1 Cars]

I'd also recommend Tom for beam work or 205 work in general :-)

[Anthony 1,002]

If you drive the car you should be able to tell immediately, I've driven a car with a siezed beam and it tried to fire me out the sunroof over bumps, I've also had one on it's way out but not yet siezed and there's a distinct knocking coming from the back.

Sorry, but that's simply not accurate.

 

Whilst driving it can show a beam that is definitely knackered by it being siezed, excessively stiff or knocking and banging, I've seen plenty of beams that showed absolutely no symptoms at all on the car or when checked off the car, yet when stripped were absolutely clattered. Generally speaking, by the time it's bad enough to impact drivability, it's usually pretty far gone already, if not completely knackered.

 

Or looking at it another way - symptoms of a dead/dying beam will point towards a dead beam, but the inverse is not true - the lack of symptoms does not in any way say that the beam is good, merely that it's not definitely knackered.

 

As has been said, the ONLY way to know the true condition of the beam is strip it apart.

[Cameron 16]

Sorry, but that's simply not accurate.

 

Are you just disagreeing me for the sake of it nowadays? A siezed beam is horrible to drive and catapaults you out the seat over bumps, I don't see how that's inaccurate.

[welshpug 1,646]

quite rare to find a seized beam, most done ever get to the seized stage but go way beyond but you can't tell till the torsion bars are out at the lease due to the tension they have on the trailing arms.

 

my 205 passed an MOT with a completely shot beam, there wasn't a single identifiable needle roller bearing, it didnt handle too badly to the un-initiated in fresh rear beams !

[Anthony 1,002]

Are you just disagreeing me for the sake of it nowadays? A siezed beam is horrible to drive and catapaults you out the seat over bumps, I don't see how that's inaccurate.

The implication of your post was that you can tell if a beam is knackered by driving the car.

 

That is not the case for the reasons I clearly stated in my post above.

 

The reason I seem to disagree with you a lot of late is because you keep posting incorrect and misleading information, usually on topics that you've little or no experience on.

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

quite rare to find a seized beam

 

Come round my house, I've loads of the feckers !!

[welshpug 1,646]

that's where they've all gone then

 

any luck in separating them and re-using the crossmember? given they have seized the bearings haven't actually collapsed yet?

 

 

I guess my experiences is more with 306's is that the heavier car is less likely to have the beam to seize.

[Cameron 16]

If you drive the car you should be able to tell immediately, I've driven a car with a siezed beam and it tried to fire me out the sunroof over bumps, I've also had one on it's way out but not yet siezed and there's a distinct knocking coming from the back.

 

Do I need to do this on every post I make to keep you off my back? Take some of your own "advice" and read what I say properly before you reply.

 

This guy clearly has little experience of taking beams apart, right? That's what I gathered that from the first page. So advising him to strip his beam is ridiculous, isn't it? Advising him to take it to an expert such as Tom would help, but it won't help him understand. What he can do with very little experience is drive the car and listen for noises, if he notices the rear suspension is solid or knocking, that's a pretty good sign that something is up with the beam! That is the point I was trying to make - giving a guy with little experience a quick and easy first step to diagnosing the problem.

[tartanbloke 35 1 Cars]

Come round my house, I've loads of the feckers !!

 

One of which is definitely mine....he he.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Anthony's spot on, and anyone who has built beams will say what he has said, I've know loads which seem fine, Passed MOT tests (Not that those mean allot) and when striped the tube is beyond repair, just because it moves and does't make any noises isn't a 100% way to say the beam is OK.

[Cameron 16]

Good job that's neither what I said or what I was implying then.

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

any luck in separating them and re-using the crossmember? given they have seized the bearings haven't actually collapsed yet?

 

Sadly what seems to be the case is that the brgs collapse or wear through first, the weight then pushes the arm into negative camber, this brings a greater contact area of the arm shaft into contact with the tube, the shaft then wears into the tube until the surface area and the weight of the car stops the shaft moving wrt the tube, the shaft then corrodes to the tube and hey presto one seized beam. Usually by this time the shaft is so seized that normally the trailing arm will sledgehammer off its interferance before you shift the shaft. Strangely usually only one side, most commonly the drivers.

Edited December 20, 2011 by Tom Fenton

[Alastairh 47]

Tom is a good guy, you won't be disappointed.

 

Al

[CCollier300571 1]

Ohhhhhhhh loads of info. Cheers fellas. To answer everyone who has posted. The suspension does go down an inch or so when sat on the boot lip. but when driving down a bumpy road it does bounce you around no end. When parking up it creaks no end. The worse bit about it is it feels like the rear end is steering the front. If driving at 70 on a dual carageway and twitch the steering its like the rear tries to come round on you. I have done the bushes in the front which is why im concentrating on the rear now I think its just starting to go. Further Tom Fentons comments. Yes i live fairly close. Looking at some posts thats been made it sounds like you do a good job. Any chance of a chat about it further and what you do. Cheers once again

[Tom Fenton 1,536]

No problem buddy. You can either do it via PM, or if you prefer I can give you my mobile number so we can talk on the phone.

 

Thanks

Tom