Keeping An Eye On Your Rear Beam

[starky5 18]

I recently had to replace my rear beam because it had completely destroyed itself and failed the MOT. The MOT the year before made no mention of play, now other things suggest it was a dodgy MOT so I'm guessing this didn't happen in a year, but it cant have been to bad last year!

 

But getting to the point! How do people keep an eye on their rear beams? As I have now shelled out for a fully refurbished beam I would like to keep an eye on it so that if it develops issues I can fix it before it gets as bad as the last one!

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

as its fully refurbed, in theory it should be nice and greased and easy to strip down again, so maybe make a note on your calender to strip it and inspect it every 12 months or something, give it a once over and a regrease and pop it back together?

[harryskid 193]

As often as that, how many road miles if not time period would anyone suggest. My car does not do many in a year and being a rally car it all gets looked at quite oftern but not a beam strip down!

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

I'd strip it every 5 years to re-grease and replace the seals which is around as long as they last, a few quid at that period will save allot in the future

[harryskid 193]

I'd strip it every 5 years to re-grease and replace the seals which is around as long as they last, a few quid at that period will save allot in the future

 

Mine was rebuilt about a year ago, so thanks for giving me peace of mind Miles!

[Anthony 1,002]

As per Miles's comments, although I would add that beams with uprated torsion bars should be done more frequently (particularly if regularly used)

 

As I've long said, it's far far better to rebuild a beam whilst it is still seemingly "good" than it is to wait until it's showing obvious signs of failure, as by then, it's either too late or at the very least is going to cost you significantly more money. The biggest costs are the trailing arm shafts and beam tubes, and if rebuilt as a precautionary measure, these are often still serviceable and can be reused, whereas if you wait until it's knocking, cambered, has play or worse still seized/seizing, they're almost always scrap.

 

Oh, and whilst on the subject, you cannot tell if a beam is good without stripping it - all that a free moving beam without play tells you is that it is not definitely fubar, and nothing more. Price used beams accordingly if you can't strip them to inspect prior to purchase...

[welshpug 1,646]

Time to take mine apart soon, been 7 years since i built it with a brand new tube and arm shafts, its sat around for about 3 years on and off though, came apart easily back in feb when i fitted 21mm bars.

 

 

A very good point by anthony, paid £30 for the last two and i got them apart in the yard before taking them, mint arm shafts from early phase 1's

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

maybe I was a bit keen saying every 12 months

mind you, might just be easier to give it a once over every time your working round the back, e.g if your fitting new torsion bars, as you're working on it anyway, you might as well just check all is well

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

excuse the your/you're discrepancies in that reply! ^^^

[JRL 14 1 Cars]

^{Anthony stripped my old beam down to find it had been packed with filler! to make the tube less oval. I would never have known.}

[welshpug 1,646]

if they used the right stuff that's not a bad idea, but I guess it wasn't the right stuff

[Anthony 1,002]

From memory, it was more akin to bathroom sealant...

[harryskid 193]

From memory, it was more akin to bathroom sealant...

 

Bath room sealant comes in all sorts of qualitys too , some about as usefull as toffee!

[JRL 14 1 Cars]

Strangely enough the car handled really well. Handles even better now though! : D

[Alastairh 47]

From memory, it was more akin to bathroom sealant...

 

Jeez!

[pug_ham 243 3 Cars]

Strip & replace seals etc on cambelt intervals, five years or 36k unless with uprated bars fitted every 3 years.

 

As already said, condition is impossible to know without stripping it down, just because it moves as it shuld & doesn't have excessive camber doesn't means all is healthy inside.

 

g

[lagonda 41]

Fitted grease nipples to mine, so it'll last forever...if I remember/a*se myself to grease it regularly. Right?

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

They do nothing at all bar fill the tube with grease, the bearings are sealed so unless water etc gets on nothing will touch them, Seen a couple like this and 1 even had worn the tube oval much to his dismay after thinking what you have thought

[stef205 92 1 Cars]

I wouldnt say for ever, having worked with a lot of beams and seen this on a few beams, you would have to fill the tube up with grease before it would reach the bearings. But by all means not a bad idea.

 

(null)

[qwerty 9]

Can you buy new beam tubes?

[welshpug 1,646]

certainty used to be able to, but as yet not needed to get one as you can still find base models and get the beams pretty cheap,, with decent arm shafts in them too more often than not.

[stef205 92 1 Cars]

guys @ ssp engineering can sleeve old/worn tubes, they dont tend to do it to much as theres normally better tubes out there.

[lagonda 41]

They do nothing at all bar fill the tube with grease, the bearings are sealed so unless water etc gets on nothing will touch them, Seen a couple like this and 1 even had worn the tube oval much to his dismay after thinking what you have thought

 

Hi Miles....Perhaps you have a different/more recent bearing source, I bought mine from GSF in 2003 when I rebuilt the beam. Pretty certain they weren't sealed as I would have spotted that & not bothered with nipples. My recollection is thin-walled roller bearings.

 

I agree they're fairly finely made and always been worried that the grease might not get where needed. Has anyone tried a hypoid or other heavy duty oil?

[Anthony 1,002]

Grease alone will not, and in my experience does not, prevent failure.

 

It will slow the speed at which initial failure becomes complete failure by slowing damage caused by water ingress and delaying it completely seizing, but that is all, and by that point it is already too late.

 

This argument seems to go round and round, but I'll leave it as this - I have seen numerous beams with grease nipples fitted and that are full of grease, and the number I've pulled apart where they've been completely serviceable is little different to beams without grease nipples.

 

The tube full of grease does not make for a pleasant rebuild either, but that's a minor point.

 

The solution, as I've said time and time before along with people like Miles and Tom, is preventive maintenance, treating the beam as a part of the vehicle that requires periodic servicing/overhauling rather than reacting to symptoms of failure by which time it's already too late and likely to be expensive.

[Alastairh 47]

The solution, as I've said time and time before along with people like Miles and Tom, is preventive maintenance, treating the beam as a part of the vehicle that requires periodic servicing/overhauling rather than reacting to symptoms of failure by which time it's already too late and likely to be expensive.

 

Amen brother!