silverback Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Hello all, my Motorhome rear creaks and groans like my bad back *-) so i have jet washed underneath, tightened all bolts etc on the chassis and rear extension, and it still does it, so i read in the December issue of the MMM an article on how to remove the bushes and replace and grease, however what it didn't mention was which bushes, the one at the front and the 2 at the rear? all 3 or just the one at the rear what bolts to the chassis?, also where to jack the vehicle up the chassis or the axle, i think the chassis then the wheel will dangle and take the weight off the leaf springs, cos if i jack it with the axle the springs will go under tension, am i right in this assumption? also when i remove the bolts will the leaf spring twang flat or do they stay the same shape and in position? i have the E24 (i think) torx socket and M24 spanner as well. as you can probably gather i've no experience of working on suspension *-) thanks Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Jack on chassie when wheels leave ground there's no tension on springs. My rear bushes both top and bottom start to squeak occasionally and a good dousing with WD40 cures it for a long time You can loosen both bolts to allow it to seep in but not really necessary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Often a good dousing with water can temporarily ease the noise so before taking it all apart drive through a few puddles and if that cures it you are probably on the right track. If you are unfamiliar with working under a van take great care to have the chassis suported whilst you do so. You need the weight of the van off the springs so the springs are are slack but not jacked so much that the wheels dangle as that is putting weight back on. If you get that wrong you will struggle to get the bolts out and struggle even more to get them back in. With the chassis lifted and well supported I would use a small jack under the spring where the U bolts join it to the axle to adjust the axle and wheels to the right position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul2 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Be careful fingers have been lost doing this sort of job at no point put your finger through shaclkel and spring bush use a tapered punch to realign .Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Jonathan Assuming that your Ducato is a post-2006 X250 or X290 model ( (?) (?) (?) ), the following link has a drawing of the rear axle/suspension showing the component parts. https://fiat-pro.afora.ru/d06/2j/251c63051870-099/443/5+44305s02+1-0/ The writer of the letter in December 2017’s MMM was referring to Parts 11, 18, 19 and 20 at the top of the ’shackle’ (Parts 13) that connects the rear of the leaf-spring to the vehicle’s chassis. The Part 19 bushings (photo attached) have a removable ‘top-hat shaped’ nylon centre as shown in the photo in MMM. If the metal tube (Part 20 on drawing) that runs through the nylon top-hats is so badly corroded that it has damaged the interior of the top-hats, I’m doubtful that the top-hats can be obtained separately. I don’t what torque Nut 11 should be tightened to. If you are wary of carrying out this task, you might try witzend’s approach and douse the bushes with lubricant. I tend not to use traditional WD40 much nowadays (as it picks up dirt) preferring this stuff https://wd40.co.uk/specialist/anti-friction-dry-ptfe-lubricant/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 Jonathan, if you look at this thread on page 3 (this link is page 3 I think) then read my post (posting as szd48) it explains the procedure for alleviating what it almost certainly your noise. I can post the pictures here should you need them. http://forums.motorhomefacts.com/183-suspension-chassis/97506-x250-suspension-3.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 This is the upper bush assembly showing the corrosion to the axle that needs cleaning up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 It is well worth reading the whole of the 2012/2013 MHFacts thread Steve928 has provided a link to. The tightening-torque of the central bolt’s nut is said to be 145Nm (107 lb-ft). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted March 25, 2018 Author Share Posted March 25, 2018 thanks everyone for the comprehensive replies and links, feel confident i can do this now, I will do it sometime in after easter when the weather warms up a bit.cheers Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Hi all just an update on this, i decided to buy the bushes off ebay instead of cleaning them up, item number is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-BOXER-CITROEN-RELAY-FIAT-DUCATO-REAR-LEAF-SPRING-HANGER-BUSHES-5131F6/371914008994?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 then they where a bit of a pig to get out due to water tank at the side of them, after 3 hrs the job was done and the new bushes were fitted and greased and torqued up to 145 nm. on inspection the old bushes were indeed rubbing on the steel shank what goes through them because of rust and i am happy to report SUCCESS!! silence is achieved no more squeaking and groaning, so thanks to everyone for the info, also whilst i was under there i loosened the other bolts on the leaf springs and fired some grease in and retightened Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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