Xsara Vts Beam Rebuild

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Just managed to pull a Xsara VTS beam to pieces and everything looks good. One of the shaft seals has started to give up and let moisture in where one of the outer bearings is starting to give up. Only a very slight polishing of the shaft surface though so should be OK to re-use.

 

Problem is locating the correct bearing kit. I have narrowed it down to 3 choices for OE number 5131 45 & 5132 49. There is an SKF kit VKDA 27001, SNR 559.00 or SNR 559.08. The 559.08 being for re-inforced shocks.

 

Anyone help?

[jackherer 543]

Is that the beam you got from me?

[jord294 87]

Or you could just ask for a kit 5132.62

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Is that the beam you got from me?

 

Yep. 205 beam had been rebuilt previously, came apart easy. Xsara beam on the other hand......8T on the press for the TBs to come out, and the 'BANG'!

 

Or you could just ask for a kit 5132.62

 

I was under the impression that Peugeot kit had the inferior bearings, hence the SNR/SKF kits.

[jackherer 543]

Excellent, that's a good result. The Xsara beam had everything in its favour as it came from a late low mileage well cared for car but they're always a gamble without history of a rebuild. All I could say about the 205 beam was that it moved freely and had no camber so that's a particularly good outcome.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Pug kit's are fine, cheap as well

[Anthony 1,000]

I was under the impression that Peugeot kit had the inferior bearings, hence the SNR/SKF kits.

They tend to have the inferior inner bearings, but these aren't a real issue - it's the inferior outers (which the 306 kits don't have from what I've seen) that are the big problem and don't last.

 

The VTS beam on the back of my 306 I rebuilt 80k miles odd ago with a OE 306 kit and it's still seemingly going fine. I really ought to pull it apart and give it a refresh though, as it's bound to be getting to the point of needing doing given the mileage that it's now covered.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

OK, trip to Citroen it is then (they tend to have stuff on the shelf, Peugeot Wokingham always special order).

 

What shocks have you on the back of your VTS beam....OE? I need some for mine, obviously not OE as they're £100 each so I'm left with Sachs, KYB or Monroe for quarter that price. Can't find the Bilstein blacks anywhere.

[welshpug 1,622]

Try kam for bilstein, sure the o.e dampers are that much?

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Try kam for bilstein, sure the o.e dampers are that much?

 

Well, £87.66 for VTS but they're NFP.

[Anthony 1,000]

I've got Skip Brown Bilsteins all round on mine.

 

They're arguably a bit overkill for a daily driver, but the whole setup that I've got on there now (Skip Brown dampers, VTS springs and TB's, GTi-6 ARB's, solid beam mounts) handles very well indeed and still rides acceptably enough for its role as mile muncher. The new Estate that's completely standard Meridian spec suspension feels distinctly soft, ponderous and wallowy by comparison.

 

As Mei said, I know that Kam Racing (Batfink on here) can supply Bilstein stuff quickly and well priced.

 

I would pay the extra for OE or Bilstein's all day long over cheap pattern rubbish, as cheap dampers really do spoil a car IMO.

[welshpug 1,622]

Ahh, 5206 N0, same as the ZX too, looks like anything else is using the superseded TE part number, I know that you can get a ZX/Xsara spec B4 damper.

 

I do recall the 5 door beams and the estates used pretty similar dampers to the sport spec 3 door cars.

 

http://www.kamracing.co.uk/car-tuning/citroen/citroen-xsara/suspension/damper-kits/citroen-xsara-bilstein-b4-oe-spec-damper-kit.html

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Yep, had a bit of trouble getting on Kam Racing but once there I saw them, then spotted the B6/8s and remembered how nice my 205 was with the Bilstein Sprints. Is there a Drivers discount for Kam Racing?

 

I promised myself not to get into 'sweetening up' this 306, just to fix it up for another 100k or so. Seemed to have failed at the first hurdle, and I'm already chasing someone at work for the intercooler/pipes off a C5. I've not even finished the cambelt change yet......bloody weather is holding that off.

[welshpug 1,622]

pretty sure kev will sort you something, drop him a PM.

 

 

I thought the same with my BMW, but its chipped already might get it decatted.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

I would've expected the Xsara and 306 kits to be the same, but they're not! And the price is different too.

 

Just got to figure out if I get Xsara because of the beam & front ARB or 306 as it's a 306?

Edited January 27, 2014 by Alan_M

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Right chaps, anybody offer any advice......Xsara B12 kit or 306 B12 kit?

 

The Xsara kit appears to be for a higher axle load of 950kg, the 306 at 820kg. Would the Xsara higher load be for the thicker bars?

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Got the Xsara B4s in the end, £170 all in!

 

Can someone tell me what this black, plastic spacer type thing is in the bearing kit 5132 62?

[Anthony 1,000]

AFAIK it's supposed to go between the inner and outer bearings (or at least that's where it is shown on the 306 diagram on Servicebox) but since I've never seen that fitted on any 306/Xsara beam I've stripped it can be safely left out should you wish.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

They tend to have the inferior inner bearings, but these aren't a real issue - it's the inferior outers (which the 306 kits don't have from what I've seen) that are the big problem and don't last.

 

The VTS beam on the back of my 306 I rebuilt 80k miles odd ago with a OE 306 kit and it's still seemingly going fine. I really ought to pull it apart and give it a refresh though, as it's bound to be getting to the point of needing doing given the mileage that it's now covered.

 

Thought I'd give people a heads up on this......after a schoolboy error I had to order another bearing kit yet this time I ordered from Neat Autos on eBay (quicker delivery!). The bearings that turned up are all the Nadella type with lots of needles.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Alan_M