[pumpkin7]

i had my rear suspension coils changed a few weeks back, because i somehow managed to bend one of them going over a speedbump (at about 30mph.. not exactly fast)... still, had them done, but now both of them creak a lot when going over bumps. is it just because they are new or do they need oiling or what? i had them re checked at the garage and they said that they are definitely the right ones and definitely fitted properly, but they also said the noise should have gone within a week and it's still there!


my other problem is that i had the cambelt done 2 months ago, and also had to get the dephaser and waterpump changed at the same time. now, however, the car is quite jerky when accelerating, like flat spots between 1k and 2k revs. it's like it's struggling to get power. it doesn't do it all the time though. i've put in some premium petrol and some engine cleaner i bought from the garage to see if i could clean it out. i always run the engine quite empty, so the light comes on. i'm thinking it's either it's picked up gunk and it's getting 'clogged' or there is something wrong with one of the new parts...

any ideas people? it's a 1.6 53 plate megane.

[Lara C.]

Usually the springs will creak for a while since they move to a new location on the rubbers or at least with new rubbers they will take time to bed in a little. Nobody can say how long it will take, one of my fronts is still doing it 3 months on. I guess they could have put a thin smear of copper grease on it but it means taking them back off again to do. If the problem is only going over speed bumps and such then is it that bad of a problem?

The problem sounds electrical but if its been doing it before the dephaser was replaced then it might suggest something else was at fault?

[pumpkin7]

Originally Posted by Lara C.

Usually the springs will creak for a while since they move to a new location on the rubbers or at least with new rubbers they will take time to bed in a little. Nobody can say how long it will take, one of my fronts is still doing it 3 months on. I guess they could have put a thin smear of copper grease on it but it means taking them back off again to do. If the problem is only going over speed bumps and such then is it that bad of a problem?

The problem sounds electrical but if its been doing it before the dephaser was replaced then it might suggest something else was at fault?

yeah they've been greased up and wd40'd too but they both do it. it does it when going round some corners too.. it's kind of hit and miss as to whether it'll do it.

i never had any problems with the acceleration before the dephaser was changed... plus it was changed twice, as the first one fitted was faulty. it was only after i got it back the second time that it started doing it. could it be gunk from the bottom of the engine because i let it run so low? i never let it run to below the reserve before but i didn't have the cash to fill up the tank

[Lara C.]

Originally Posted by pumpkin7

yeah they've been greased up and wd40'd too but they both do it. it does it when going round some corners too.. it's kind of hit and miss as to whether it'll do it.

i never had any problems with the acceleration before the dephaser was changed... plus it was changed twice, as the first one fitted was faulty. it was only after i got it back the second time that it started doing it. could it be gunk from the bottom of the engine because i let it run so low? i never let it run to below the reserve before but i didn't have the cash to fill up the tank

I cant see WD40 doing anything tbh, it would either just evaporate or soak into the rubber. It would have to be something thick and long lasting (like copper grease ).

If its a problem thats only just started then its the garages fault, really. I dont know enough about them to comment only that they are used to control ignition timing. It may very well be your problem.

[SomeonecalledJohnny]

Originally Posted by pumpkin7

i had my rear suspension coils changed a few weeks back, because i somehow managed to bend one of them going over a speedbump (at about 30mph.. not exactly fast)... still, had them done, but now both of them creak a lot when going over bumps. is it just because they are new or do they need oiling or what? i had them re checked at the garage and they said that they are definitely the right ones and definitely fitted properly, but they also said the noise should have gone within a week and it's still there!


my other problem is that i had the cambelt done 2 months ago, and also had to get the dephaser and waterpump changed at the same time. now, however, the car is quite jerky when accelerating, like flat spots between 1k and 2k revs. it's like it's struggling to get power. it doesn't do it all the time though. i've put in some premium petrol and some engine cleaner i bought from the garage to see if i could clean it out. i always run the engine quite empty, so the light comes on. i'm thinking it's either it's picked up gunk and it's getting 'clogged' or there is something wrong with one of the new parts...

any ideas people? it's a 1.6 53 plate megane.

Being 53plate I assume it's the 1.6 16v 116hp model?

Did you get the tensioners changed at the same time?

What the heck is a dephaser.

Sounds like your belt could be slipping or incorrectly tensioned, or it could be completely unrelated and one of your pencil coils has gone or is starting to go back, common on renault engines 1.2-3.0l has the problem just started or straight after the belt was changed?

The Coil springs are just wearing in give them awhile.

The coils failed on my 406 at 5mph, must be a cheap french thing.

I go over speed bumps at 30+ too and never have a problem with tracking or suspension problems, but then I drive an old soviet tank.

[SomeonecalledJohnny]

You should only worry about running a diesel low, there is lot of sludge at the bottom of a diesel tank...

Petrol is a solvent, they tend to be alot cleaner, plus you don't have pricey high pressure injection lifter pumps to worry about.

If you run it to the light you still have about a gallon left, although being french as my peugeot was the light came on at 1/4 tank when I had around 3 gallons left, your not running it to the needle stop so you don't have to worry about sludge in your injector pipes etc.

[mr_cool]

In theory your fuel filter should filter out any crap.

Did it start immediatly after the garages work? They could have put the belt one tooth out, I think the consequences would be much more noticeable tho, If not it could easily be something else.

[pumpkin7]

dephaser? erm does variable timing cam mean anything? i don't know i thought they were the same thing. it's the valve that lets petrol into the engine.... meh

yeah it started happening the day i got it back from having the cambelt re-fitted (it had to be taken off because the variable thing was faulty). it's really annoying.



i now also have a question about my oil;

my car had an oil change in january, and the oil is still a healthy brown colour now, but it's come up on my dash saying 'change oil soon'.
the service clock is still at 7k, so i'm wondering if this is either that the computer wasn't reset when it had it's last service, or there is something wrong with one of the sensors?
i don't know how the computer works on the megane yet, and the car can't have done more than 5 or 6 k since it's january service.
has anyone had any experience with this?

[Minardi]

Probably a computer reset at a guess, but I don't know how the rest works on those.