205/309/306/ZX/XSARA REAR ARM BRGS

[Jon]

<b>Originally posted by Dave Burns</b>
<font color="blue">RE: Replacing the internal & external rear arm bearings on 205,306,309 Zx and Xsara</font id="blue">
You will need a 12mm x 1.5mm bolt with around three inches of thread on it to drive into the splined bracket and disengage the anti roll on one side, a slide hammer with an M8 coupling to withdraw the torsion bars, then you will have to fashion a puller to get behind the inner bearing, this consists of a lenght of screwed M10 rod, several nuts and a suitable heavy washer of between 3 and 5mm thick and of a size just below the diameter of the bearing, it needs an elongated hole in it and needs two opposed flats cutting on it to enable it to pass through the bearing and swing into position behind it.
Then with a suitable piece of plate with a 10.5mm hole in it over the end of the cross tube, the nut can be screwed on and the bearing pulled out.
Be sure to measure the depth at which the bearing is installed to before removing it for there is no shoulder to act as a stop.
The outer bearing being near the end of the tube is easily dealt with.
The rollers of the needle bearing ride directly on the trailing arm shaft, if the outer bearing has failed due to water ingress the shaft can be seriously damaged by rust as a result, this happened to my old 205 and rendered the shaft useless, fortunately I had a spare one from a Gti after fitting the disc brakes from it.
Make very good and clear marks on the torsion bars (use a tungsten carbide scriber or similar as they are spring steel and don't mark easily) and the arms, or you will have the car leaning to one side when you have finished.