Club 80-90 Forums

Evening,

The van has started to make a creaking noise from the rear when going over bumps. It was fine before i changed the engine over to a gti, i also replaced the CV joints and gearbox rubber mount. I've tightened all the bolts tried rocking the engine, moving various parts to try and replicate the noise to no avail. Springs and shocks have done less than 200 miles.

Anything i could be missing?

Cheers

trailing arm bush?

Theres a cheerful thought

dear god i hope not, from what Ive read on here it sounds like a bundle of laughs
Will check them over tomorrow.

Could also be a broken/damaged spring but more commonly, the spring plate on which the rear spring sits being corroded - often part way through the centre spring locater bit (small stubby bit of metal almost hidden by very bottom coils of the spring. Have a real good look whith vehicle jacked up and roadwheel off, unbolting bottom shock bolt if need be to pull the arm down enough to get a good look. Problems here will cause creaking until eventually it gives way and the spring shifts or pops out.

It can be repaired in situ though. It could also be the spring plate becoming detached through corrosion or the top of the trailing arm almost rusted through under the spring plate. I'd look around there. Offside is usually the worst culprit - and don't be surpised if the stubby tube isn't almost cut right through.

I had new heavy duty spring plates made up (Metalmickey can do them too I think), the same guage as trailing arms themselves. You don't need to be absolutely precise on measurements for them providing you're close enough. Its just a circle of steel with a short length of tube welded to it. Then after removing old spring plate and cleaning the top with an angle grinder, you just drill two or even three holes in the new plate so you can puddle weld them on. If you don't have access to a MIG, you can even arc weld them on (I did) when the metal is as thick as that.

Its very easy to miss those spring plates as the spring covers it up rather well. Most T25s getting on in years have evidence of corrosion there. The 'creak' is sometimes the first warning you get. Look at the way the bottom of the spring sits relative to that stubby tube and check for corrosion anywhere around that spring plate.

CovKid wrote:Could also be a broken/damaged spring but more commonly, the spring plate on which the rear spring sits being corroded - often part way through the centre spring locater bit (small stubby bit of metal almost hidden by very bottom coils of the spring. Have a real good look whith vehicle jacked up and roadwheel off, unbolting bottom shock bolt if need be to pull the arm down enough to get a good look. Problems here will cause creaking until eventually it gives way and the spring shifts or pops out.

It can be repaired in situ though. It could also be the spring plate becoming detached through corrosion or the top of the trailing arm almost rusted through under the spring plate. I'd look around there. Offside is usually the worst culprit - and don't be surpised if the stubby tube isn't almost cut right through.

I had new heavy duty spring plates made up (Metalmickey can do them too I think), the same guage as trailing arms themselves. You don't need to be absolutely precise on measurements for them providing you're close enough. Its just a circle of steel with a short length of tube welded to it. Then after removing old spring plate and cleaning the top with an angle grinder, you just drill two or even three holes in the new plate so you can puddle weld them on. If you don't have access to a MIG, you can even arc weld them on (I did) when the metal is as thick as that.

Its very easy to miss those spring plates as the spring covers it up rather well. Most T25s getting on in years have evidence of corrosion there. The 'creak' is sometimes the first warning you get. Look at the way the bottom of the spring sits relative to that stubby tube and check for corrosion anywhere around that spring plate.

Had a good look over everything you mentioned and it's all solid, i cleaned up the area with the grinder had a stab at it with the screwdriver all is well there. The rear arms aren't making any noise and its still creaking over bumps. I cant think of anything else it could be.

Check the shockers new bushes my be 'fatter' and causing the noise, I know its a pain but slacken all the bolts that you have had off or loosened then tighten when the weight is on its wheels in there 'normal' position, if they were tightened while jacked up the bushes will be slightly preloaded torsionally[SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]