| C6owners :: Forums :: C6 Support :: The Garage |
<< Previous thread | Next thread >>
|
Wheel bearings, now the 6th to fail in 110 000 km |
    Please Register to enjoy additional Member Benefits |
| Author | Post | ||
Tjensen
 
|
|
||
   Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
What is wrong with me or the car ? Not a town-car, daily life in a dry garage, only distance driving, mostly between east and west Norway over the mountains. Reliable, fantastic to drive and ultra-economic in fuel consumption. Not a problem car at all. But the wheel bearings..... One front failed in 2013, then one at the back in 2014, then both at the back in 2015 (this changed for free), so one at the front in spring 2016, and now one at the back again. | ||
|
|
|||
gmerry
|
|
||
 Member No: #21
Location: Scotland |
For the replacement bearings, I might suggest that the mechanic is not applying the proper pre-loading to the bearings (via hub nut tightening): however, that would not explain the several initial failures. As you belong to a tiny sample of Norwegian owners, unlikely to get any statistical view on whether there is a Norwegian factor in this. So we are left with speculation: possibly there is something on the Norwegian roads in the way of very sharp winter grit which is destroying the bearing seals. Or maybe the car is parked up wet and sits for several days without use and this allows for corrosion in some critical part which again destroys the bearing seals. With regard to whether multiple C6 wheel bearing failures are common, I've had to replace 1 front wheel bearing after 65k miles, including a lot of town driving and occasional motorways. Regards G |
||
|
|
|
||
321dave
|
|
||
 Member No: #614
Location: Dublin |
Hi TJensen, Are the bearings being replaced on the old hubs, by the same garage each time? Might be an issue with installation. Maybe try some brand new hubs on front and back, supprisingly not to expensive. I put new suspension components on the front of my C6 when I purchased it in 2014, it was all worn out at the front by 108,000 miles. But the front hub bearings were still good, but I replaced them anyhow along with everything else. As I had a brand new X7 C5 before changing I knew it was back to nice and tight again. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Tjensen
|
|
||
|
Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
Two Citroen garages involved, I trust both of them. At the rear the spare part is a complete hub, saving in work balances the more expensive part. So still a mystery.... (But the car is often parked wet and stands for weeks before used again.., so that is one hypothesis strenghtened) (In the old time my Renault 4 was chewing rear bearings almost as fast, but I always changed them myself and only outer half of the bearing, so that was not difficult to understand) |
||
|
|
|
||
|
cruiserphil
|
|
||
  Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge |
Tjensen, I seem to remember that you park up your car for extended periods which may accelerate the problem? Best regards, Phil C. |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Tjensen
|
|
||
|
Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
Yes, car is parked in a big airy garage, but wil typically be there for weeks, sometimes months, before a new 500miles trip. I thought this is a nice way to treat the car, but it might be many "wet undercarriage, then standstill" situations. Citroen Norway paid 2 bearings, interesting if they pay this one as well. Is there some point I can lubricate/protect/spray ??? | ||
|
|
|
||
|
gmerry
|
|
||
|
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland |
If parked up initially wet (with salt?) for many months, possibly the only way to prolong the bearing life is to raise the car on blocks and occasionally rotate the wheels. This will save any brinelling. Also if any small amount of water enters via the seals, it will be mixed up in the grease and do no harm. If left stationary, that same amount of water, even a few drops, will slowly trickle down to a low point and corrode perhaps a single roller surface, hence destroying the entire bearing as corrosion debris later spreads around the bearing in use. Regards G |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Tjensen
|
|
||
|
Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
Thanks: Doctor's order: Drive more !!is noted with a smile | ||
|
|
|
||
|
cruiserphil
|
|
||
|
Member No: #38
Location: Celbridge |
Tjensen, I agree with G. If you do have to park it for extended periods then it's best to take the load off the bearings. G explains it all! Best regards, Phil C. |
||
|
|
|
||
arconell3
|
|
||
  Member No: #922
Location: Kalkar |
Hi Tj, One of the causes for a premature bearing failure is a load for which that bearing is not designed. For wheel bearings that could indicate a wheel alignment being completely off. As for the rear axle of the C6, camber being off spec is a well known problem. Rear wheel camber is not adjustable, being dictated by a fixed rod mounted on 2 rubber bushes. These bushes wear (too) quickly resulting in an ever increasing negative camber*. As for the front end, toe (adjustable) and caster (not adjustable-but dependent on the wear of yet another set of bushes on the lower suspension arms) can become a problem too as do the front pivot support ball joints specifically for the pre-2008 models. A proper alignment needs to be done (this is imperative) after body height has been checked and with the car in driving height, not in park height. Mostly, garages judge the necessity for alignment based on tire wear patterns, which indeed is sometimes an indication that an alignment is due. However, by the time tires do show a funny wear pattern, the damage has already been done and not just to the tires. *In Holland, Centre C6 has developed an adjustable camber rod for the C6, solving this problem. regards, Robert |
||
|
|
|
||
|
gmerry
|
|
||
|
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland |
Hi Robert, do you have a link to any material describing or discussing the rear camber adjustable link. As an alternative to an adjustable link, would it not be easier/cheaper just to replace the rear standard factory link? thanks G |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Tjensen
|
|
||
|
Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
Thanke to Arconell for a constructive sugegstion. I have no problem with uneven wear or to fast wear of tyres- And both front and rear have a problem, rear ones the worst (5 of 7). The garage last week discovered that BOTH rear ones had to be changed, ordering parts for later this month. Driving 90% with no or only a small load on rear axle (no passengers, no exess luggage)Will mention the alignment issue for the garage. | ||
|
|
|
||
|
arconell3
|
|
||
|
Member No: #922
Location: Kalkar |
gmerry wrote ... Hi Robert, do you have a link to any material describing or discussing the rear camber adjustable link. As an alternative to an adjustable link, would it not be easier/cheaper just to replace the rear standard factory link? thanks G Below a picture of the link rods, original and modified adjustable. Of course you can replace the rods with original ones, but the actual camber depends not only on the link rod but also on the state of the bushes of the lower support arm as well as on the upper support arm. If you want to get in touch: centre-c6.nl/contact/ Tel: +31 297 369369. They speak English. @Tj: are they sure the rear bearings are faulty? If the indication is a noisy rear end, it can be caused by rear tire cupping, producing a noise somewhat similar to that of a worn wheel bearing. To check for a faulty bearing, take off the wheel, remove the brake pads and turn the brake disc while listening with a stethoscope on the housing. Of course if play is already noticeable, then there is no need for that procedure. Regards, Robert  |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Tjensen
|
|
||
|
Member No: #954
Location: Bergen |
They had to change BOTH the rear bearings (total bearing usage now 7 in 110 000km)and found rust in the bearings. Probably Gmerry is close in his suggestion for a reason. Paid nothing now, but they must apply Citroen for a "goodwill" solution. They also found some uneven tyre wear at the rear. | ||
|
|
|
||
|
gmerry
|
|
||
|
Member No: #21
Location: Scotland |
Hi Robert, in an ideal world, you would be using a different grease formulation in your bearings, one that does not demulsify. However because these are sealed bearings, I'm guessing that is just not possible. Regards G |
||
|
|
|
||
Go to page >>
|
|
 User Colour Key:Head Administrator, Administrator, C6 owner, Technical Expert, C6 Premier Discount Club |
|
Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Site Disclaimer | Contact Details | Warranty | Sitemap | C6 Insurance | Quick Facts | Re Call Info | Downloads | Error Codes
| Site and Graphics created by: C6Dave Forum Icons by Axialis Emotes by Seb | 
|
