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Rear suspension advice

Andy McGhee

Andy McGhee

Enthusiast
Messages
1,615
Location
Cheltenham

  1. I'd appreciate some expert advice on this one, please.
    About 18 months ago I started hearing a squeak from the offside rear of the F6 when it was under load (lots of logs/camping stuff). At first I thought it was the shock absorber on that side, but a new pair made no difference. I then had a look at the outer mounting (apologies for the shocking photo, but I can't get a clearer one):

    I don't know if you can see from the photo, but about an inch and a bit into the hole there's a ridge - it doesn't look/feel jagged like a broken edge. However, if you put a bar in the first inch of the hole, you can feel movement in the bush. It was definitely the source of the squeak - now gone thanks to some rubber grease. My worry, though, is that there might be a problem with the trailing arm.
    My plan for a while has been to replace/have replaced the complete rear suspension unit - the van's done 235,000 miles - and I've found one in SW France; the problem, though, is that I need to take the F6 to get it! I'm sure it's been like this for quite a while (and possibly several MOTs); the inner and outer mountings seem really solid, and the van drives really well.
  2. Has anyone had the same problem? Just to clarify, here's another photo with what I'm worried about arrowed:
P1060389_LI.jpg
 
Andy McGhee said:

  1. I'd appreciate some expert advice on this one, please.
    About 18 months ago I started hearing a squeak from the offside rear of the F6 when it was under load (lots of logs/camping stuff). At first I thought it was the shock absorber on that side, but a new pair made no difference. I then had a look at the outer mounting (apologies for the shocking photo, but I can't get a clearer one):

    I don't know if you can see from the photo, but about an inch and a bit into the hole there's a ridge - it doesn't look/feel jagged like a broken edge. However, if you put a bar in the first inch of the hole, you can feel movement in the bush. It was definitely the source of the squeak - now gone thanks to some rubber grease. My worry, though, is that there might be a problem with the trailing arm.
    My plan for a while has been to replace/have replaced the complete rear suspension unit - the van's done 235,000 miles - and I've found one in SW France; the problem, though, is that I need to take the F6 to get it! I'm sure it's been like this for quite a while (and possibly several MOTs); the inner and outer mountings seem really solid, and the van drives really well.
  2. Has anyone had the same problem? Just to clarify, here's another photo with what I'm worried about arrowed:
View attachment 21215
Click to expand...
Sounds like the rear axle has sheared.
 
Yes it's indeed as mentioned above by ggcton and harbourseal, the trailer arm is broken just outside the outer suspension bush.
It often starts as small holes as shown in the picture below and it is hard to spot in an early stage.
But small holes will grow bigger over time and then it snaps.
y4mz949V0hWEPscQ2ZQkqR3gc8IX6B1YbBt2KTAlWIdOECt10s5ZOyOLlJhw_n2joJ0P9Kq_zwV5f7LBxf-VESw1Mt_Vu768ZjQOVXwF2HhaxBxo8BdhAExAsTHJntJdHlc6tA2eLRP24_cxeMICyDjmW7qkWJzZ8Gz1obTI2tYsFD4_Nu3OSsUsMkLKbvuaB4L_ZQrirW5P1HpLpkvHusEbA
 
looks good, careful with the torsion bar mounts..... :-)
 
The F6 is up and running again - I had the new axle fitted by a local garage. Now I need to keep an eye on the tracking....
The original axle lasted for almost 235,000 miles, but I have a feeling that the new one will outlast the rest of the van. Anyway, I hope it'll keep it going for a while.P1060630.JPG P1060631.JPG
Thanks again to everyone who gave advice, and to Leboncoin!
 
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