Rear axle problem...

[Luigi Berlusconi]

I bought an R4 about two weeks ago, which is in very good condition, apart from the rear axle, apparently. Because I don't know anything about mechanics and I'm about to start exams I brought it to a Renault garage owned by two old blokes to look at it. They did, and found the rear axle had been damaged a while ago, and someone 'repaired' it badly. Now the rear axle isn't straight anymore, and the tires wear unevenly.

The guy from the garage says he can't get it right as he hasn't got fixed points enough to do the welding properly.

I'll get it back home and put it in the garage until my exams are finished and see what i'll do with it after that. The thing is the rest of the car is in very good condition, and it's only done around 40000 miles.

So is there anything I can do to repair it? I mean is it fixable all together, with maybe parts from another car?

thanks

 

[malcolm]

The rear axle itself unbolts as one unit complete with springs, so it's a weekend job to fit one from another car.

If the mechanic has mentioned welding it's more likely that the rear chassis has some rust where the axle bolts on. You'll need a jig to weld it up: http://www.renault4.co.uk/suspension-jig.htm

If you just want to correct the uneven wear the rear tracking can be adjusted (and needs to be adjusted if the rear axle has ever been removed) - loosen the 3 bolts on the outside mounting and move the wheel by hand. See the bottom of this page: http://www.renault4.co.uk/rosalie_repair_sensible.htm

 

[Luigi Berlusconi]

Cheers man, i'll give that a thought. I'll probably need help though