Rear Arm Bearing Kits

[Ian_Fearn]

I've done a few rear arm bearings and not at one single point have i considered pre-load or these shims.

Have i done something wrong? All cars in questions are absolutely fine since i did the job even on the GTi which was done well over 10,000 miles ago.

[MULLEY]

I spoke to local citroen dealer today & they are called wedge kits, & apparently there are enough in a kit to do both sides, so with 2 cars i have ordered 2 kits.

I think they are £9.85 each +vat to be added on top.

I presume Ian that if you dont use them, then the rear arms will again wear out quicker (however long that may be??). But what do i know

[mat_fenwick]

My understanding is that the shims (wedges) are to compensate for any machining tolerances between different arms. Therefore if a shim was present to start with, so long as you put it all back as it came out then the original shims should be fine, as the tolerances the bearing manufacturers have to work to are much tighter than those of the arm machining. If no shim was fitted then this may mean that none was needed from the factory when the bearings were originally set up. (Or that someone has had them apart and not put the shims back in...)

I replaced my shims with ones measured to be the same thickness, as the originals were rusty and distorted where the bearing had collapsed. Once assembled the bearings felt to have the right amount of preload.