Y-Reg 206 1.6 clunk troubleshooting

[Rbgwynne]

Hello all,

I've been trying to troubleshoot what feels like a suspension problem on my GF's 2001 206 1.6. This is the first French car I've had the "pleasure" of working on so bear with me. Symptoms:

• Knocking/clunking when cornering over rough surfaces
  Occasional knocking over rough surface in straight line
  Occassional knocking when changing gears

I've looked at the service history and the lower control arms were replaced a year ago so I've not examined those yet. Having said that, the garage that did the work also "Adjusted the nearside droplink"...

Both drop links were worn so I've replaced these and the situation has improved but not resolved.
I've had the front wheels up in the air and turned from lock to lock to see if there is play in the top mounts but this doesn't seem like a good test on the 206 because of the way the front suspension moves. The struts seem to change angle in the top mount through the full steering motion and the whole steering system seems to be under a lot of tension. When the wheels are off the ground it won't stay turned to full lock, it wants to return towards the middle. Is this normal?

I am planning to replace the anti-roll bar bushings this weekend but I'm not convinced this is going to end the knocking sounds either. I'm hoping for your collective wisdom before I replace the whole front end one weekend at a time.

Some other areas I would look at next include:
- Struts
- Strut Mounts
- Engine Mounts
- CV joints

What would really help me out is to know the best way to check if these are in need of replacement on a 206.

Cheers,

R

[Capncol]

A certain amount of self centre is normal, but it shouldn't put up a strong fight.
You need to Jack up the car and put a bar under each front wheel and lift the wheel up and down (Get some one to help) to check struts & strut tops
Also try levering A/Roll bar to check for play in bushes.

Engine gearbox mounts tend to clonk on accelerate/ decelerate.
CV joint tend to *click* when cornering.

[Rbgwynne]

Replacing anti-roll bar bushings made no difference. I'm now looking to replace the strut top mounts. I've done this job on my gen6 Celica and a previous BMW 535. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a decent how-to on the internet to find out how big this job will be on the 206.

Has anyone done a top mount replacement? Any tips/tricks?

Cheers,

Robin

[DRAPER]

mine does this over bumps and changing gears, been told my engine mount has gone and need to get it done when got some money lol

[Capncol]

Replacing anti-roll bar bushings made no difference. I'm now looking to replace the strut top mounts. I've done this job on my gen6 Celica and a previous BMW 535. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a decent how-to on the internet to find out how big this job will be on the 206.

Has anyone done a top mount replacement? Any tips/tricks?

Cheers,

Robin

They are all much the same, so if you've done them before on other cars, it should be no problem.