Jump to content

The Crying Pumpkin - Dire MOT fail on rust - any takers?


AMC Rebel

Recommended Posts

Have you tried swapping the wheels fronts onto the back?

No - this isn't a constant or speed related wobble, there is a serious "clonk" you can feel through the steering when you hit a particular character of imperfection in our wonderful british cart tracks. For added fun, if travelling a little quicker, the entire front of the car tries to shake itself to pieces until you slow right down - at which point it acts as if nothing happened and will travel hapilly and smoothly at speeds in excess of the one when the death wobble occurred. This makes me suspect swapping the wheels wouldn't help - but maybe I should shut up and try it !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Hooli

I seem to recall similar when the radius arm bushes had gone on mine. Can't recall now though if it was the front of the 'hockey stick' around the axle or the rear where it meets the chassis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seem to recall similar when the radius arm bushes had gone on mine. Can't recall now though if it was the front of the 'hockey stick' around the axle or the rear where it meets the chassis.

I took a look around underneath - pretty much all bushes appear shagged - I have a range of replacements on order.

 

 

I had the death wobble with my 90 a little while ago, after just about everything had been replaced, it was the preload on the swivels (as suggested on here)

 

 

Hopefully if it is the preload, the geezers that charged me eleventy million pounds for fitting new ones will be mending it soon. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back from prof. Land Rover.  The bloke who did the work wasn't there so I dunno what they have done yet, but they didn't charge me.  Steering is stiffer with less play in it, but I suspect the wobble may still be there.  My test strip of appalling motorway has been patched up so although I took it for a test I can't be sure yet.  It drives a lot more nicely.  Subject to what they have done (I suspect they tightened the steering box up) I will fit these various bushes that have now arrived.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stiffer steering suggests they've tightened the preload on the swivels...

 

I hope they didn't tighten the steering box too much as a lttle play there does no harm & overtightening it will ruin it in no time.

I had one where someone had removed all the slack from the 'box. Only symptom when driving was that it wouldn't self-centre. Quite alarming actually. The box failed shortly afterwards. I don't think that's what they have done to yours because it makes the car drive awfully!

 

Hope she's sorted now :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the box is tightened to the point that they bind, the steering is dead and doesn't return in use. If you then slacken it off, the steering will 'slip' while turning because of the wear that has been caused internally (ask me how I know about that one!).

It's pretty terrifying when a big heavy LR stops going in the direction it's pointed in!!!

 

I'm sure this is not the case with yours though, as your steering is returning to centre when you let go of the wheel. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TL:DR I have fitted front springs without the 2 inch lift and new shocks, but ran out of time to do the rear so have comedy 70s Escort Van stance.

 

Also it didn't rain despite me spending most of the weekend outside lying under a Range Rover.

 

Parts

 

post-20411-0-37599000-1490556285_thumb.jpg

 

Pre-ftting view

 

post-20411-0-40991200-1490556327_thumb.jpgpost-20411-0-80986900-1490556332_thumb.jpg

 

After jacking it up I found what I think may be the source of the steering knock - this TRE has a split boot and I think I could feel a little play in it -

 

post-20411-0-46559800-1490556417_thumb.jpg

 

Someone's done the Panhard rod with Polybushes already

 

post-20411-0-46115800-1490556488_thumb.jpg

 

Old shocker bushes past their best -

 

post-20411-0-26419800-1490556543_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The front springs had a 2 inch lift plate fitted - as far as I can see the springs are standard length apart from that - very similar length to the replacements.  They were colour coded (Blue and white or possibly silver) but nothing I can find on t'internet tells me what they are.

 

post-20411-0-78418200-1490557179_thumb.jpg

 

Old spring still compressed - new front ones are white/white - again confusing stuff in the instructions which says they are yellow/yellow and on t'internet which says lots of things.

 

post-20411-0-79879000-1490557411_thumb.jpg

 

Meet the new shocks, same as the old shocks - which means ( I think) whoever fitted the 2 inch lift didn't fit 2 inch longer travel shocks.

 

 

 

post-20411-0-27725900-1490557573_thumb.jpgpost-20411-0-68570300-1490557578_thumb.jpg

post-20411-0-38095800-1490557584_thumb.jpgpost-20411-0-01721000-1490557592_thumb.jpg

 

Job done 

 

 

post-20411-0-11953700-1490557637_thumb.jpgpost-20411-0-11682600-1490557642_thumb.jpg

 

 

New comedy stance

 

It doesn't drive any differently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

iirc rangies have different spring lengths longer left than right cos road camber- hence the paint marks

 

I have read a lot of conflicting stuff about OEM springs.  Paint marks are used on all sorts of chod - my old ALDI A3 had 'em and they are the same on each axle.

 

One thing I'm also unsure about is whether the coil sprung versions of mine that were made at the same time had the Boge strut at the rear - mine doesn't as it was on air originally.  The boge struts seem to be virtually unobtainable now as far as I can see.

 

 

They are on the Defender - mine sits a lot higher on the drivers side when parked, but it levels up with something heavy (me) in the driver's seat.   

 

How well did those old shock absorbers come off?    I find it easier to cut them off than undo the bolts.

 

As above, I suspect mine should have different spring rates on each side - but reliable info. is hard to come by.  I would like the softest possible springs but I think no-one sells anything that isn't heavy(ish) duty now.  I notice the ones I've got are variable rate but the ones that came off aren't.

 

The old shocks were a sod to get off, but I couldn't get easy access at the top to cut them off - I think if doing it again I might release the tops first, as it'd be easier to cut the bottoms off.

 

Ideally, I'd have preferred to change the shock mounts to the coil spring ones rather than keep the air ones but I also wanted to get on with the job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whilst grovelling around underneath, I found the bracket for one of the tank straps has fallen off - because rusty LR.

 

post-20411-0-98774000-1490621117_thumb.jpg

 

Not sure what I am going to do about this yet.  I reckon my shit(e) welding can cope, but not sure about doing so close to fuel tank, even if it is diesel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

The death wobble came back.

 

Round about then I remembered the three track rod ends I'd bought a while back, so I decided to have at it.

 

It only took ...ages, but I removed the track rod.  I foolishly thought I could take the track rod ends out an replace them - no chance!  No amount of heat, force etc would do it - and then I remembered new track rods aren't ruinously expensive.

 

Ordered on Friday night.  Saturday saw me queuing up in a shed in remote Derbyshire with fellow addicts.  My girfriend said it was like Alcoholics Anonymous - when I told her one bloke had brought his wife along she said she must be his sponsor, although judging by the size of her and her enquiries about costs, she was worried about the pie budget.

 

After several hours (a few minutes) of queuing behind people who seemed to be ordering half a Land Rover and having detailed discussions about each washer, my turn came.  I had ordered two parts, already paid and had a very pleasant confirmation left on my voicemail that they were ready, so imagine my surprise when retrieving these two items took longer than the entire gearbox and axle assemblies (in individual bags) of the bloke before.   No matter, I eventually emerged blinking into the daylight and triumphant. 

 

I fitted the parts - now need to use my test pothole (I found another one after some git repaired the one on the M1) If I take the corner at 50 and it doesn't shake the steering in a very worrying manner, I've won.

 

post-20411-0-57931500-1499115953_thumb.jpg

post-20411-0-86919700-1499115958_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The death wobble came back.

 

Round about then I remembered the three track rod ends I'd bought a while back, so I decided to have at it.

 

It only took ...ages, but I removed the track rod.  I foolishly thought I could take the track rod ends out an replace them - no chance!  No amount of heat, force etc would do it - and then I remembered new track rods aren't ruinously expensive.

 

Ordered on Friday night.  Saturday saw me queuing up in a shed in remote Derbyshire with fellow addicts.  My girfriend said it was like Alcoholics Anonymous - when I told her one bloke had brought his wife along she said she must be his sponsor, although judging by the size of her and her enquiries about costs, she was worried about the pie budget.

 

After several hours (a few minutes) of queuing behind people who seemed to be ordering half a Land Rover and having detailed discussions about each washer, my turn came.  I had ordered two parts, already paid and had a very pleasant confirmation left on my voicemail that they were ready, so imagine my surprise when retrieving these two items took longer than the entire gearbox and axle assemblies (in individual bags) of the bloke before.   No matter, I eventually emerged blinking into the daylight and triumphant. 

 

I fitted the parts - now need to use my test pothole (I found another one after some git repaired the one on the M1) If I take the corner at 50 and it doesn't shake the steering in a very worrying manner, I've won.

 

attachicon.gifIMG_2083.JPG

attachicon.gifIMG_2082.JPG

 

 

when I had the old death rattle it took me a while to fix it, I found it to be a combination of many things that all conspired with each other.

 

The easiest cheapest fixes are balljoints and steering damper. And yes I kind of gave up wrestling to get the old arms apart. the last one that I bought though I took apart and coated everything with copper grease before reassembling. might work, might not. re steering dampers I found that it may well be new but doesnt mean that it works. I spent a little more and bought a branded damper 8 years ago and 90k + miles later it is still doing its stuff.

 

Next up to to lift the front wheels and check for play in wheel bearings and swivel pins. the former is easy to fix the latter need preload setting correctly else it will death rattle

 

Next up was play in the steering box, DON'T tighten the box up like I did and ruin a shim inside which meant a complete rebuild. Ironically the steering box wasn't the problem anyway, well it wasn't before I visited anyway!

 

Bushes on the front axle are next, I blue poly'd mine as I got sick of replacing rubber every 18 months

 

Lastly and I think this was my main wayward handling problem, front shocks, they passed the bounce test. I removed them to replace the bushes and found that they compressed a little too easily and failed to creap back out to full length. A new set of terrafirmas (standard length) all round utterly transformed the wayward handling but not the death rattle.  that turned out to be the new "blue" steering damper that I fitted. 

 

I use it to hammer nails into concrete now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, test pothole used, death wobble very much still evident.

 

I've only done the ends of the track rod - there's a third joint to do yet - and it needs the tracking doing, but evidently though at least one of the TREs was very loose and even had a slight "click" of play in it, that's not the cause.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To cheer myself up, and to distract myself from my inability to remove the hockey stick bolts, I decided to do the Range Rover decals.

 

The set I got off eBay resolutely refused to peel off from the backing cleanly which made things a challenge.  In the end I had to use a spare set of decals that came with the massive history file, but apply the spacing from the eBay kit.

 

It's not prefect, but I am fairly pleased

 

post-20411-0-21414000-1499519945_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking smart!  The sills look like they're 'about ready'; there's a few options nowadays instead of replacing like for like, for example chopping the lot out and using box section welded to the outriggers that attach to the floor.  You could probably have them patched and tarted up for now though, just to buy another year's MoT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...