90s French shite, creaking back ends and greasy nipples

[Dick Cheeseburger]

As the title suggests, my other half is currently smoking around in a 2000 Pugly 306 hdi in-a-state. Meridian model, for the record, which includes worn, smelly, half- leather. Lush.

Anyway, her back end creaks like buggery. I've since googled it and read all about the bearings in the rear trailing arms drying up and slowly eating themselves, with crazy wheel camber and other shiz as part of the fun process.

I also read that some peeps drilled a hole in each side, whacked in a grease nipple and loaded it with grease. Interesting thread here:

 

http://www.pug306.net/forum/threads/145533-Rear-trailing-arm-suspension-squeaking-another-way/page2

 

Anyone dealt with these old snotters themselves? It drives quite nicely apart from the bloody noise the ass end gives out, and made it through a new mot only a month ago. It's not a real long termer though, so any thoughts of replacing the dirty undercarriage in its entirely is not on the can-be-arsed radar.

 

Thoughts?

[ruffgeezer]

Once it has started to creak it is already too late, second hand or refurb axle time I'm afraid. Why not replace it with the dw8 one on the forum?

[Micrashed]

Seconded - creaking means its already begun to eat itself.

 

Drilling and fitting grease nipples to a good second hand unit would be a good means of prolonging the life and Ive heard it done a few times over on the French Car Club and AussiFrogs.

[twosmoke300]

Iirc you would have to fill the whole arm up with grease before it pushed out of the bearings . Aren't they a hollow casting ?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

That's a bugger. I still like the idea of wanging a couple of grease nipples in and getting it greased up though - nothing to lose in my view. I'm still really annoyed that I test drove it with the window up and the radio on quietly - I only heard the odd creak but didn't think much of it. It's only in the cold light of day that when you stand next to it as it's driving past that it's obvious it sounds like a buggered mattress. I even owned a D Turbo 306 a few years back and based my opinion on them as 'fairly reliable' due to no real issues with my old one.

 

Going back to logistics, the link above seems to suggest grease nipples in the torsion bars themselves. I assumed that I'd need to drill into the trailing arms, much closer to the rear wheels? Anyone got any links or photos?

[castros_bro]

For your viewing pleasure part 1 of a 3 part series of how to repair your own in a sort of bucolic rustic engineering way in the corner of your cow shed, it does show how they are constructed so you can workout where to stick your nipples for the best greasing effect.  I have replaced several complete secondhand units on Citroens without disconnecting the brake hydraulics or cable or exhaust and though a PITH is do-able in an afternoon and a public carpark in Camberley.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48eP5KZdSFs

 

 

 

Apologies if this shows the axel repair and yours is fitted with the alternative an axle

 

**** after a cup of tea and a ponder i think the only place to put a grease nipples is so the grease goes directly onto the outer diameter of the needle roller bearings

[beko1987]

Unrelated, but that vid shows mow much of a PITA its going to be to change the rear shocks on my ZX, everythings hidden behind something else.

 

Mine doesn't creak though thankfully, just bangs about, only being drowned out by the new clonking noise coming from the front when turning over rough roads...

[Richard]

I managed to silence the back end of my old Renault 9 by putting grease nipples in the tube. I say I, my friend did it because a customer's car had the same issue and he wanted to see if it would work. It's obviously not a long term solution but it's worth a try if the car's not a keeper anyway.

[Micrashed]

The nipple need to be tapped into the axle tube about 2 - 2.5" from the end. the aim is to get the nipple to inject grease between the two sets of needle rollers... 

 

Roughly as indicated by the red arrows in this picture: 

 

[Micrashed]

Unrelated, but that vid shows mow much of a PITA its going to be to change the rear shocks on my ZX, everythings hidden behind something else.

 

Mine doesn't creak though thankfully, just bangs about, only being drowned out by the new clonking noise coming from the front when turning over rough roads...

Banging ZX is usually the rear subframe mounting bushes - there doesnt need to be a lot of play to make a lot of noise in the car.

 

The C8 is suffering the same, but its a twat of a job to drop the rear subframe (wheel, beam, fuel tank, pipes all have to come away) so it can clatter a bit longer yet.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Cheers Castrosbro and Micrashed especially. I'm going with Richard's logic - the car's not a keeper (6 months I expect) and I really can't be arsed to get involved with it - too much other shiz going on right now.

Nipples are the way forward I reckon. Anyone know standard size before I go and buy the wrong ones? By standard size, I mean what size to fit the average grease gun!?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Anyone?