Wobbly Front Arb ...

[lordvader 0]

Hey all.

I sometimes get a creaking noise coming from my front end when doing low speed maneuvers (namely reverse parking), so when I got home today, I decided to check the condition of my drop links.

The RH side one seemed fine. Grabbing it and trying to see if there was any play yielded very little movement (it was solidly fastened to the ARB).

The LH side was a different matter. Though it too was solidly fastened to the ARB, it seems that the LH side of the ARB isn't as solid as the RH side, and there's quite a bit of movement down there. Could this be related to my creaking, or another issue all together ?

 

Do I now have an excuse to uprate most of my front end components ?

 

What does it all mean ???

 

Also, some of the rubber on the drop link (not the bit making contact with the ARB, but the bit above it) is quite soft (feels hollow). That normal ?

 

 

I love my 205

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Any play in the front ARB can be either due to a worn bush on the front subframe or a worn droplink.

 

The bush would have to be pretty bad though to allow any noticable movement, in what plane is the movement? Vertical of horizontal?

 

The rubber around the droplink does become softer with age but if it isn't split it should be fine. They will feel soft as there is only grease inside them until you push it to the metal of the droplink joint.

 

The creaking noise could be the top mount bearings, is it mainly when you are turning the wheel at low speeds?

 

Graham.

[Guest smokinslim]

ARB bushes gone perhaps?

When i disconnected both ends of my bar it swung round straight to the ground. Replaced both bushes and it was quite an effort to move it. Made no end of difference to handling. Cost £2.40 me for the bushes.

[lordvader 0]

The movement is on the horizontal plane, and it is quite significant, being a few cm forwards or backwards.

 

Creaking is only when I turn the wheel at low speeds (I have the power steering model).

 

Thanks for your replies

 

Any play in the front ARB can be either due to a worn bush on the front subframe or a worn droplink.

 

The bush would have to be pretty bad though to allow any noticable movement, in what plane is the movement? Vertical of horizontal?

 

The rubber around the droplink does become softer with age but if it isn't split it should be fine. They will feel soft as there is only grease inside them until you push it to the metal of the droplink joint.

 

The creaking noise could be the top mount bearings, is it mainly when you are turning the wheel at low speeds?

 

Graham.

[Anthony 1,003]

The movement is on the horizontal plane, and it is quite significant, being a few cm forwards or backwards.

Centimeters?! Have you checked that the two clamps that hold the ARB to the subframe are tight, as they'd have to be seriously loose or the bush missing to give that sort of play in my opinion.

[lordvader 0]

Centimeters?! Have you checked that the two clamps that hold the ARB to the subframe are tight, as they'd have to be seriously loose or the bush missing to give that sort of play in my opinion.

 

I may have exaggerated a tiny amount, but I'll say between 1 and 2 cm of play. I'll check the clamps tonight, and have a good look at the bush.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The movement is on the horizontal plane, and it is quite significant, being a few cm forwards or backwards.

I agree with Anthony, that sounds pretty bad.

 

Even with both clamps undone I couldn't get enough movement to remove some worn out ARB bushes on a 205 last year without lowering the subframe so a few cm's, something is definately wrong.

Creaking is only when I turn the wheel at low speeds (I have the power steering model).

To me it sounds like its the top mount bearings which are dry & making this noise. Jack the front of the car up & see if the noise disappears, if it does lower it until the wheels are starting to compress the suspension again & see if it returns, getting worse with more weight back on the wheels.

 

Graham.

[lordvader 0]

To me it sounds like its the top mount bearings which are dry & making this noise. Jack the front of the car up & see if the noise disappears, if it does lower it until the wheels are starting to compress the suspension again & see if it returns, getting worse with more weight back on the wheels.

 

Graham.

 

Just to clarify, the top mount bearings are different to the rubbers, right ? Can the bearings be purchased seperately, or will need to get a top mount kit ?

 

Since it seems that most components will need to be replaced, are there any uprated components that I may use (such as group N rubbers for my top mounts) ?

[mi16nut 0]

Yes, you can get Group N rubbers & top bearings separately. Try AB Motorsport or Shenpar for the rubber. GSF do the bearing separately, but it's listed for the Citroen Berlingo, not a 205.

 

Mark.

[lordvader 0]

Well I had another quick poke around last night. The play on the LH side is more like 1cm, but there is a noticable creak when I grab the drop link and try to move it.

Also, I poked around where the bushes were on the ARB, and they're pretty much falling apart (managed to break off some red/orange rubber). The RH bush seems pretty intact (unless it's no longer there).

 

What effect to worn bushes have on the ARB ? Is there a degree of urgency here ? The car still drives very nicely, but now I've got this to think about (no, I'm not paranoid).

[Anthony 1,003]

The bushes are very cheap from Peugeot, so worth doing regardless really.

[Guest smokinslim]

You'll feel the difference when it's done if its got that bad.

[gti_al 1]

The bushes on my car were so shagged that they actually disintegrated when i removed the subframe... I think they were under $10 from caravelle though, so definately worth doing.

[Guest smokinslim]

Like i said earlier they me £2.40 for the pair.

[lordvader 0]

Sweet ! Glad to hear they're so cheap

 

Question though, what are group n rubbers like ? I've read lots of nice things about them, but what's the driving experience like, especially for a daily driver ?