Not too long ago, I posted here on some problems I had with knocks coming from the n/s rear. Turned out to be a slightly bent shocker. Replaced them with a new pair (Bilstein B6's) and all was good after that.

However, some noises came back last week. This time it was some squeaks each time i ran on some bumps or when cornering. Had the car looked at the garage and they were also scratching their heads. They suggested that it could be the shockers. I told them, 'Thats impossible! I've just replaced them with brand new ones!!'

Anyway, for the sake of troubleshooting they fitted a used set that they had lying around...and now the sounds gone

This begs the question..are my new bilsteins bent again? If so, what could be causing this? I'm thinking maybe the trailing arm is bent as well and causing some stress on the shocks. How likely is it for the arm to be bent? I've also noticed that the corner in question has been running on too much camber. The trailing arm bearings fine as there isn't any play...

If the trailing arm was bent enough to bend a damper it would be glaringly obvious and I doubt the damper would fit when offered up to the mountings.
Too much camber on a rear wheel usually point to worn trailing arm bearings, jack it up and give the wheel a good tug in and out, see if you can feel some play or hear the knocking.

There's lots back there to cause squeaks and knocks, subframe mountings, ARB bushes, ARB attachment bolts, dampers.

Spray each part individually with some WD40 then go for a drive, see if you can eliminate which part is causing the noise then address it.

Welcome back to Malaysian roads Kelv. They are lovely aren't they?

The trailing arm bearings were the first thing i checked on Jimbo and even bought replacement parts. However, Theres no play in them. I got a second opinion and they seem to think its ok as well.

Think i'll just change it anyway for peace of mind.

Haha thanks Nik.. yes they are lovely. So much so that it hurts

My trailing arm bearings especially the near side is showing excess camber/toe,I am getting this feeling of the rear steering itself,really unsettling at high speed!
but like you,i have had them checked and i was told they were fine and have no play!

Could the bolt itself (the big ones that goes through the bearing) be bent? Hence the camber but no play

Do you mean the stub Axel? If there was a jolt big enough to bend that, there would be signs of damage elsewhere surely?

No, not the stub axle..the bolt that holds the trailing arm to the axle beam i mean. Is it possible for this to be bent without the trailing arm bearings to be damaged?

In a word no. But it is possible to bend the stub axle without seeing other damage, my old 205 had that when I got it.

If the stub axle is bent, I would have thought that the problem would continue to be there immediately after changing the shocks.

I've ran the car for about a week now with the shockers on loan from the garage. The noises are back and it worse now. It's just like before I replaced the Bilsteins. Loads of knocks, rattles, and squeaks.

Something back there is killing every damper I've installed!

With you saying that you have too much camber and that your trailing arm bearings are okay then the stub axle, to my mind, is the only thing that can give you a noticeable camber change. But I'm struggling to think of a mechanism that links the problem together.

I think what you need to do is strip the ARB, shock and spring from the offending side. Then try and move the trailing arm to look for play in the bearings.

One other possibility is that the bottom shock mounting bolt is bent. That certainly would damage a shock and cause squeaks.

Some good suggestions there szkom. I'll look into those areas you mentioned and report back.

Kelvin, I've just replaced a trailing arm bearing. Had some noises for a while and negative camber but couldn't feel any play. Odd, but still turned out to be a collapsed bearing.

Worth doing anyway if they're still original.

I've just checked with the garage and they said something about the ARB. I can only assume that its something to do with the brackets not holding the 22mm bar properly..but i'm not convinced its that.

Anyway, they've put the bar back properly and the sounds gone. They will be testing it for the next few days to see if the noise comes back. My guess is that it will.

Matt, i'm actually quite glad that its possible for the trailing arm bearings to be buggered even if theres no play. Will ask them to replace it anyway if thats the case.

So your camber is back to normal?

Yup.

I had a noise coming from the brake valve mount, grinding the fuel tank. It needed to be in the exact right place with the bigger ARB. It wasn't that..?

Kelv there are only a fe part in the rear suspension it could be, starting from the body down

Sub frame mounts
Main pivot bearings
Bias valve mounts
Anti roll bar mounts
Top and bottom shock mounts
Spring rubber cups
Wheel bearings (the stub axles are meaty pressed in things)
If you have notable negative camber - I mean really noticable then the pivot has colapsed, or the frame is bent (unlikely). Its entirely possble the ARB mounts are creaking, or the spring rubbers are damaged. Maybe you'd like to bring it round my way and I can stick my head under it.

Kelv needs to update his location, as he is back home in Malaysia now Rich.

oh, in that case it will be a long drive. Kelv get the camera out, rear view along the side of the car for camber assessment. If it looks like this you have an issue -

I very much doubt you will be able to bend the rear subframe without having massive issues when refitting it.

Any chance the subframe isn't flush with the mounts on the car? (but that might give negative camber on one side and positive the other).

Per, it isn't the compensator valve bracket as the position remained unchanged since it was fitted. No problems with it since then..unless it moved!

SediciRich, never knew you were from Glasgow! Did you just recently moved there or something?
Yes my camber is just like the pic you've shown. There's about 1 degrees difference between the camber figures on the rear N/S and O/S.

Nobby, you're right. It's unlikely the subframe is bent as I replaced the bushes with some solid ones after having this problem and I'm sure a bent frame would have made it difficult for the bolts to line up.

Going through sediciRich's checklist of stuffs, it looks likely to be the arm bearings. Just never thought it would be possible without showing any signs of play. However, MattB has proven otherwise. One thing I've noticed though... The sound will always disappear for a brief period when something is removed and refitted at the back.. this can be the shockers or ARB...which leads to frequent misdiagnosis! No change to camber though.

I will do the easiest and obvious thing of changing this arm bearing first and see how it goes from there.

Thanks for the contribution guys

I know it's obvious but is your garage making sure that the trailing arm is hanging free when they've got it jacked up? In most cases if your bearings are knackered you'll still get some in/out play on the arm even if you jack the car up from below the shock absorber.

Your one though might be a case of needing to jack the car up from either the sill or just forward of the trailing arms next to the flexible brake pipes to make sure the arm has no load on it which may disguise any play.

Baz

What about mine then; no extra camber BUT 6mm toe-in! I don't want that. It quickly wears the tires out.

Is this failed bearings too..? There seem to be no play, no accidents and the camber is spot on.