Creaky mother ******! What is it?

[highwayman306]

Right peeps,
1. getting a weird swaying/light-floaty feeling when turning fast(ish) bends.
2.There are creaks coming from the back end and the handbrake cables have been changed recently...creaks were there before-hand as i thought it was just the shite handbrake cables...apparently not! Although the handbrake is 1000000000000% better now, the creak remains....? Car doesn't move at all so the brakes are not failing, wtf could it be?

Shot beam? Shot beam mounts? Shot shocks? Bearings? Can anyone gimme an insight please?

Many thanks in advance

[Seb_Ryan]

Beam mounts id say

[highwayman306]

Ive just been reading some scary threads (financial-wise) about creaky beams and i really don't want it to be the beam.

Are the mounts a pig to change?

[Paul_13]

What's the age of the car?
Any history of a beam change?

[highwayman306]

None at all afaik, iv had it five years and old people used to own it before me

Why, what you saying Paul?

[Toms306]

Probably a knackered beam...most are knackered these days.

But as for your creak, it may be the spare wheel or exhaust moving if you're lucky.

[highwayman306]

Both have been checked and checked again

[Redordead89]

Lay underneath the rear middle of the car and push it up and down to listen for the creak!
My 2000 Hdi estate has the same annoying creak, a potential buyer was underneath and blamed the worn out rear shocks but I kinda know it's the now unsealed dried out needle bearings in the trailing arms.
My car was owned by Peugeot for a year then an 80 year old on a blue disabled badge for the first 12 years and only had 56k when I tracked it down, it now has 116k and the same creak as you,
20k a year since 2012 and a shed load of heavy loads have killed the rear shocks and most likelybeam
When you're under the car and have located the creaking sound if it's near the end of the beam up near the tank then it's likely the bearings! A reconditioned axle is £250-£300 and is the way to go if you want to own the car for years to come!
The little handbrake actuator lever on each rear calliper quite often loses its seal at this mileage /age and begins seizing up so worth unhooking the cables and checking for the creak again to rule out sticky calliper restricting even rise or fall of the rear beam! Maybe :-)
I'm a newbie on the forum and this is my first post but I've owned over a dozen 306's in the past ten years so kinda know them quite well!
If its the shocks then they're only about £15-£20 trade rates and access is easy if up on a ramp so not end of the world

[Iceman299]

Epic first post right there ^ lol

Welcome mate! 

[Piggy]

as Redhead898 said basically...

I would bet that its the bearings in the beam

[bashbarnard]

Lay underneath the rear middle of the car and push it up and down to listen for the creak!

My 2000 Hdi estate has the same annoying creak, a potential buyer was underneath and blamed the worn out rear shocks but I kinda know it's the now unsealed dried out needle bearings in the trailing arms.

My car was owned by Peugeot for a year then an 80 year old on a blue disabled badge for the first 12 years and only had 56k when I tracked it down, it now has 116k and the same creak as you,

20k a year since 2012 and a shed load of heavy loads have killed the rear shocks and most likelybeam

When you're under the car and have located the creaking sound if it's near the end of the beam up near the tank then it's likely the bearings! A reconditioned axle is £250-£300 and is the way to go if you want to own the car for years to come!

The little handbrake actuator lever on each rear calliper quite often loses its seal at this mileage /age and begins seizing up so worth unhooking the cables and checking for the creak again to rule out sticky calliper restricting even rise or fall of the rear beam! Maybe :-)

I'm a newbie on the forum and this is my first post but I've owned over a dozen 306's in the past ten years so kinda know them quite well!

If its the shocks then they're only about £15-£20 trade rates and access is easy if up on a ramp so not end of the world

Rear beam. But about time we had a good newb post. I was terrible as a newbie. Lol

[highwayman306]

can the bearings be changed with the car jacked and axle in situ?

[Alan_M]

can the bearings be changed with the car jacked and axle in situ?

Yes, but they may be worn so badly that you need a new tube. The beam on my HDi made the same creaky noises, and I knew it was buggered. Swapped for a rebuilt VTS one and on stripping the knackered one down, the damage was terminal (99% sure it was because the previous owner had lowered it and didn't replace the seals, preferring to continue using the now disturbed 14yo ones instead!).

[highwayman306]

hmmm, so this would then lead to rebuilding the beam? Rats!

I don't know whether to go to the scrappy and rebuild to swap... or buy a refurbed one from http://www.imaxle.co.uk

FML

[Alan_M]

If you're lucky, the beam tube will be fine as will the arm shafts. If you're unlucky (Like I was), both the tube and the arms will be shot.

They're easy to rebuild, it's pulling them to pieces that's hard.

[highwayman306]

probably better having the whole axle off the car then and replacing then, I guess? il see what i can do.

Might need a hand with this, I know someone did a guide though... do you have any other advice?

I might call on Stef for part sourcing and maybe some more advice

[Ben_w]

Call Stef, pay him the £240 or so I think It is and fit your new rear beam. Jobs a good un.

Unless you are dead set on rebuilding a knackered one? You need to be sure you don't get a doner that's shot. By the time you are done replacing bearings, tube, stub axles etc, you'll nearly be at £240 anyway...

I'm about to dismantle and then rebuild (assuming the tube is good...) a beam I picked up cheap. I'm only doing it because I'd like to learn how to and how to lower a torsion bar beam. Otherwise I'd be on the blower to Stef.

[Redordead89]

Could be wrong here but they tend to be terminal on 206 and saxo because of the shaft ont the trailing arm gets chewed up but because the design is reversed on the 306 beam/ trailing arms the same damage doesn't occur half as bad and most of the damage is worn by the bearings?!?!???
Just cos I'm a newbie doesn't mean you can't tell me I'm talking mince! :-)

[Alan_M]

Have a read of these. You'll get an idea of what's required!

http://306oc.co.uk/forum/printthread.php?tid=8782

http://www.306gti6.com/forum/showthread.php?id=80349

If you're going to buy a spare and rebuild it in the background, then I thoroughly recommend soaking every nut/bolt/splines with a proper penetrating spray regularly (Not WD40, something like PLusGas/Rocol). I did this with my f*cked beam as it an arm had come out leaving the torsion bar attached to the beam still. A week soaking with PlusGas and a big slide hammer, it came out easy. Could've sped it up by sticking it in my hydro press, but couldn't be arsed to dig through 205 shit in the garage.

[highwayman306]

Cheers alan i have had a read...

I might as well get in touch with Stef, £240 isn't that bad for a whole back end... better get saving

[Niall]

I Think Stef charges £280 rather than £240 but still, i would recommend that over doing it your self any day. My new one from him is 100% spot on and you get a 2 year warranty with it so if it does fail, its not your problem to fix

[Stef205]

As niall say my beams are £280 on exchange this is a discounted price for forum members. If you need one from me give me a few weeks advance.

[highwayman306]

yeah Stef I'll let you know some time before lol, Im trying my damnedest to justify keeping the car I have always said i would be the last owner of it


Il let you know all the same Stef