Renault Laguna, Y reg. But why, Reg?

[garbaldy]

And end one of the best threads of the year so far? Come on, man!

What going from one frenchy to another how would that be ending the thread surely it would just be beginning.

[scaryoldcortina]

Those rear shocks can be a right bastard to remove iirc. Doesn't the inner sleeve of the bush go inside the trailing arm by about 10mm or so and seizes solid in there ?

 

Yup. And the top bolt siezes into its bush as well. I'm expecting to destroy both old shocks with gas and grinder this afternoon, and also probably need new bolts.

[Richard]

Is that the same sort of arrangement as the Renault Savanna and Ford Courier van?

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, pretty much.

[scaryoldcortina]

What going from one frenchy to another how would that be ending the thread surely it would just be beginning.

 

[dave21478]

"...then we sold it"   FFS you would think a cartoonist would blah blah blah moan etc......

[Burnside]

Just catched up on your thread and its gave me some more things to worry about our Laguna DCI. Yay....

 

Must update the tread on ours but I'm fearfull it may lead to the Merdi Wagon striking back in protest.

[scaryoldcortina]

ONE STEP FORWARDS!!!

 

 

Some heat on the captive nut and the top bolt started to turn. Sadly it turned the centre of the bush with it.

 

 

Grinder.

 

 

Grips

 

 

Fire.

 

 

And it's out. Fire is very useful at times.

 

 

The bottom bolt came straight out, but the bush was stuck (as predicted). I cut the shock off because heat and shock absorbers don't tend to play nicely.

 

 

More fire, More gripping. Didn't take long and it was out.

 

Fitting time - this is supposed to be the easy bit.

 

TWO STEPS BACK

 

 

While I was tightening it up, the bottom bolt snapped.

 

 

It goes into this threaded bit on the back axle, and it didn't want to come back out. SHIT. I spent two hours trying a variety of bolt removal/job rescue methods which all failed. Now I need some new (and sharp) drill bits and plenty of time.

[Angrydicky]

Any room to weld a slim bolt on there, so you can get it out with a socket?

[scaryoldcortina]

Already tried that, it's got a better hold on the thread than the weld did on the bolt.

[320touring]

I'd suggest you put it on ebay then I can list it in the "jist fuckin scrap it , mate" thread:)

 

welding a wee 13mm bolt on there would be most effective

 

bonne chance!

[Angrydicky]

I'd say try it again, crank the welder up really high so you get the best penetration on what is a very small area to be welding. You really don't want to be drilling that out if you can avoid it, looks a right bitch. Last resort.

[scaryoldcortina]

There wasn't much bolt sticking out before I tried several times to weld a cut down socket over it, each time it failed it removed more bolt and now it is flush with the bit it's stuck inside of. Heat doesn't help either because the axle is heatsinking it so I can't get it hot enough to help.

 

Drilling is the last resort unless you count obtaining another axle.

[HillmanImp]

I would suggest getting quite drunk and trying to forget about it.

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, I'm doing that now.

[scaryoldcortina]

ARSEARSEARSEARSE. I'm getting drunk at any rate, but forgetting about it doesn't seem to be an option.

 

I think I probably cross threaded the bolt. It was a pain to line up because of the bottom bush and its stupid design - there is a rubber covered steel bush that goes into a hole in the axle for about 10mm and the bolt goes through that. The rubber bit means it doesn't go in easily or straight and this makes the bolt a proper pain to get started in the thread. It didn't seem to be hard to turn, and I was using a ratchet rather than the impact gun, but it's in there hard and won't screw out.

 

Thankfully, the other side is open. If I can drill it out I can put a longer bolt through and put a nut on the end of it so I don't have to worry about saving the thread in the axle. If I can't drill through, I'll have to make a new mount instead.

[Sigmund Fraud]

FFS, man ! I wouldn't even expect this from a BL product that has been sitting in a Welsh field for 20 years !

[agw9262]

ARSEARSEARSEARSE. I'm getting drunk at any rate, but forgetting about it doesn't seem to be an option.

Doesn't it always work that way? Whenever something doesn't go to plan, or worse, when you think you've f***ed up it doesn't bugger off - pretty rude of it really. But tomorrow you know you'll crack it one way or another. Let's face it, you'd be bored if it wasn't such a pain in the arse...but it'll get fixed

 

 

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[garethj]

Is it possible to cut a section off the axle, remove the shock with its bolt, get it on the bench and cut the shock away from the bolt, then weld the bit back onto the axle?

 

All of the above might be horseshit as I can't exactly see what's going on there.

[scaryoldcortina]

Well, I thought up a solution that didn't involve drilling. It involved cutting instead!

 

 

Used a 1mm slitting disk to cut up through the stuck bolt. I then turned the pieces with a screwdriver and cut through it again leaving four pieces of bolt and only one cut in the mount. Interestingly, all the threads look fine, no evidence of crossthreading.

 

 

Yay!

 

 

The threads in the mount still work despite the slit, new bolt went in and tightened up without any trouble.

 

 

Welded it back up, and put some weld on the protruding end of the bolt as well just so it can't come back out. I realize this has permanantly attached the shock to the car but that can be sorted out later if the car survives long enough to need more shocks.

 

 

TA_DAH!! That's only one side done though. Best do the other one...

[fatharris]

Good effort there, how much are you into this motor now?

 

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[SiC]

Even though you probably want to hate this car, as a self admitted lover of solving problems, I bet you secretly quite like it.

 

Reliable cars are boring! I reckon unreliability gives character and personality - especially ones that try to fail every way they can.

[michael1703]

Good work

 

Being the owner of a garage also, I realise you have to do these things on a Sunday evening.

 

You're sitting at home remembering what you've got booked in for the week and a half finished car on the ramp can really fuck your Monday up which can ruin the rest of the week.

[scaryoldcortina]

Good effort there, how much are you into this motor now?

 

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I think about £250 to £300. Tbh, I stopped counting after having to buy an engine!

 

Even though you probably want to hate this car, as a self admitted lover of solving problems, I bet you secretly quite like it.

 

Reliable cars are boring! I reckon unreliability gives character and personality - especially ones that try to fail every way they can.

 

It's a love-hate thing. I just went out to empty the bin and it's put the hazard lights on by itself. I've had a quick fiddle with the switch and I think that's broken too!

 

Good work

 

Being the owner of a garage also, I realise you have to do these things on a Sunday evening.

 

You're sitting at home remembering what you've got booked in for the week and a half finished car on the ramp can really fuck your Monday up which can ruin the rest of the week.

 

Yup, I need the ramp at 9:00 in teh morning for a customer's car. I'm also doing holiday cover for a MoT garage from tuesday so it HAD to get done today.

 

Anyway, I'm sure you want to know what happened on the other side of the car.....

 

 

Here we go again! This time the top mount is surrounded by the plastic fuel filler pipe. Not ideal for use of fire...

 

 

Luckily it undid, and wasn't siezed in the bush like the other one was. Bottom mount undid but needed grinder/hammer/stillsons to get the bush out of the axle. New shock fitted with no drama at all.

 

 

Preventative cable ties added to exhaust because the mount IS going to snap. Better to add them now than at the side of the road when it gives way.

 

Went for a drive, it's much better. You can actually do corners!

[scaryoldcortina]

I have a confession to make.

 

 

last sunday I bought a low miles 2003 Focus estate (with a couple of minor issues) with the intention of using it instead of the laguna. I was going to raffle it as soon as I'd driven the focus for a week to make sure it was going to be OK. I taxed it on Friday which is why I had something to drive when the whole snapped bolt thing happened.

 

Well, someone made me an offer I can't refuse for the Focus this evening, so now I'm 100% commited to driving a renault.

[fatharris]

HERESY!

 

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[scaryoldcortina]

That's what my son said. He likes the laguna, and thinks the focus is a car for old people.

 

My daughter is pissed off, she was hoping to nab it and fob me off with her fabia instead. Money talks though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm getting a bit obsessed with these lagunas and keep seeing them everywhere including (get this!!!!) one done up for a wedding today with ribbons on the bonnet and doorhandles!!!!!! I keep looking at a cheapish Mk2 V6 one for sale on autotrader, looked at it about 20 times so far.

[scaryoldcortina]

Sounds a more unlikely bridal car than an old Honda legend with a cracked screen! Must get down to "Chapel Cars" in the morning and see if he wants to put it on the books next to the Fleur-de-Lys and the "ex heartbeat" Police moggie thou.

 

I also just wondered what a stretched one would look like and googled "Renault Laguna Limousine" only to discover that it's a trim specification between Dynamique and Monaco.

 

 

or maybe it's just german for saloon car

[michael1703]

I'm getting a bit obsessed with these lagunas and keep seeing them everywhere

I never noticed them until this thread, I've seen a few and there's a mint one in my village I hadn't noticed before