Clanking from rear

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:51 am

Well, it's never boring.. some sort of clanking sound has started from somewhere within the passenger side rear arm region. It's only been two days but it's getting gradually clankier ( no such word). Sounds like something's dry/ needs lubricating. When I bounce it by hand though it doesn't always do it..
But just coming up the cobbled street outside now it was clanking like f**k and people were looking at me as though I was a freak ( so I killed them all)
Just having lunch then I'll go and check it out.. sorry, just got a call, scrub that, gotta go on the autobahn (arghh!) to get my guitar repaired, so can't look at it now. Sorry to bang on. Any thoughts greatly appreciated - before I get clanked outta my mind.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:25 pm

Have you looked for anything loose underneath? Such as exhaust, spare wheel etc.? I assume you have, but have you checked for rear arm play too?

mike st gilles · Post by **mike st gilles** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:51 pm

Don't know if you've still got the OE trims on your MK 1 but mine were really noisy after a time and it took me a long time to work out it was them. If they are there try taking them off. Just an idea..........

Kitch · Post by **Kitch** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 6:24 pm

If it's not the rumbling trims, it might be a rear arm bearing. They do clank, but most noticably when raising or lowering it in my experience.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 7:39 pm

Thankyou for replies chaps. I don't actually know what OE means Mike - could you expand?
It went up and down the autobahn as smooth as , but then it clanks around town in the aforementioned manner - going over bumps and sometimes cornering. Exhaust is secure, as is spare wheel.. ran out of time today. Will look tomorrow. If it is the bearing, how do I ascertain this?
Cheers

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:05 pm

Original Equipment.

Have a look at the rear wheels from behind, do they do this? / \

If they do, then your bearings are shot, if not that doesn't rule them out but makes them less likely to be the cause.

maxgreenwood · Post by **maxgreenwood** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:24 pm

took me ages to work out why my car was clanking when going over cobbled streets, something really sounded loose under the car.. but it was the wheel trims.. a little adjustment and they're fine.

In my limited experience check for / \ on rear wheels - mine were like that when i got the car and screeched like hell, along with shot rear spheres it wasn't a pretty sound / ride.

I'm sure you'll root it out soon enough.

Aerodynamica · Post by **Aerodynamica** » Thu Sep 18, 2008 11:36 pm

I started getting a heavy clunk from the rear near side on the CX going over bumps. I couldn't replicate it outside the car by bouncing the rear at all but soon found that a sharp lift of a corner caused the clunk sound and it turned out to be the rear arm bearings as you'd expect!! the old bearings had turned to rust coloured grit instead of rollers

The rear arm bearings are a heavy DIY job but a DIY job nonetheless..

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:51 am

First time DIY rear arm work has become harder to do since scrap BXs became instant metal cubes. The job itself is not particularly difficult but can stretch out a bit timewise if unexpected problems or delays arise en route.

Previously I would have recommended sourcing rear arms which are not too far gone from a scrapper BX and rebearing these arms at your leisure beforehand. This then makes the job a case of straightforward replacement and minimises downtime. Perhaps you may be lucky enough to find some.

In any case do a survey beforehand to make sure there are no extra repairs which will come to light during disassembly e.g. rotten brake pipes or caliper problems. There are few easy ways to get around stuck antirollbar 13mm bolts in their highly recessed location so get the loosening juice to work on those now and invest in a hexheaded 13mm socket if you do not own one already. Loosener on the brake pipe fastener bolts may also ease the way ahead.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 1:31 pm

I agree with all said above /\

A six sided 13mm socket is pretty much essential. Also in the time beforehand, get some diesel or (if not) WD40 on the R clip that passes through the bottom of the strut and into the arm itself. The hole for the clip goes right through, so get some juice on both sides.
If the clip brakes off due to being rusted in, it can take as long to get it out as it will to do the rest of the job

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:18 pm

Perhaps another French scrapper trip beckons. A brief note about removing a complete rear axle. Loosen the bolts on the rear subframe in the boot and inner rear door on a scrap car to check feasibility then snip the pipes and disconnect the height corrector linkages to free before finally dropping the axle by completely undoing the bolts. Ensure adequate support as the axle unit is very heavy. All this assumes you have decent and safe access underneath the scrap car.

Things may be different in these days of hyper value for scrap metal but dismantlers used to be happier removing and selling this as one unit.

NOTE: If your car has ABS arms it can mean tricky and potentially expensive sensor issues and this may argue against the arm swap strategy I have described above.

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:25 pm

To be a bit clearer: the rear axle option above is not to use the axle itself for swap purposes but to remove donor rear ams from it for recon at your leisure. You need to be sure that the state of the arms on the scrap axle is good enough before considering it as an option.

toddao · Post by **toddao** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 1:33 pm

I just got myself set-up to do the bearing and now it's all gone quiet again. The clanking has stopped and the wheel doesn't have the negative angle as described. Can only be the bearing that was clanking as far as I can tell but calm has returned.
Also, is it advisable to do both rear arms at once?

demag · Post by **demag** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:31 am

I did both of mine on my old Leader but I'm sure when I jacked it up I could feel the play. I was surprised how easy the job was compared to the CX.

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:16 pm

Also, is it advisable to do both rear arms at once?

If you are well prepared to do the job, then both at once sounds sensible to me, so long as no serious problems crop up. After doing the first side, you should be able to do the second side a lot more quickly with what you've just learned by doing the job. It also means that the state of both rear arms is then a known quantity. If you have to prioritise, AFAIR the rear arm which sits lower on the road camber seems to wear more quickly.

Rear arm bearings and their cages can corrode and be in danger of breaking up, yet not give classic wheel-lean symptoms, though they may creak nonetheless. It's a different problem from wear over time and mileage, but equally harmful in the long run.