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Results of a 4 year roadworthy
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Author:  deleted [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:54 am ]
Post subject:  Results of a 4 year roadworthy
It is now OVER 4 years since the last time i took my car to a roadworthy guy with the hopes of getting it on the road.

To celebrate this gold placarded event, i have taken it again! Unfortunantly they were unwilling to credit my original roadworthy, and it has returned with even more things to fix this time.

Like:


L/H inner doorhandle missing
L/H seatbelt missing

*Fuel pumpleaking
*Remove freeplay in steering colum
*L/H inner rod end in rack (switch racks)
*R/H upper ball joint, *Both lower balljoints

Thats basically it, besides a few minor 'minute fixes'

what a pain in the arse, i have to put my other rack in...What is involved with this (undo the subframe etc..) Howlong do you reckon this should take me, can i do it alone ??

And as for balljoints.. i ahte em, the only tool i have large enough to tighten them is a pipewrench as its 2 inch diameter!! What do you guys use, so i can go out and buy one.


Also, im kinda thinking whilei have the balljoints off, it might be a good idea to change the 25 year + old shocks, i hear gmx are good, but maybe kyb etc etc

As for the steering colum movement, you can lift the steering wheel towards you, and the copper colour horn earth can be seen moving up and down. Is this movement not natural? Obviously it is bolted to the spline, so the play cannot be there.

$$$

help me please guys :)
Author:  deleted [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:16 am ]
Post subject: 
actually the question is can i fix the rack insitu or is it easier to remove and swap?
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
Play in the steering column can often be because the rack itself is loose - check that the rack is properly positioned and tight against the floor - then recentre the steering column by undoing the bottom locating pin - pushing the column and then tightening everything up again. See if you still have the movement at both the rack ends and in the column.

The column actually has some bushes top and bottom. In the clubby these are nylon and available these will take up some of the movement if the worn ones are replaced by new ones.

I am just a little confused - if you mean tie rod ends then these are easily and cheaply replaced. If it is rack ends - well the only way is to remove and replace the rack - its fiddly and tedious but can be done. Read the manual on how to do it.

New and reco'ed racks are comparatively cheap - have a real good look at your spare before you simply swap it in as you wont want to do that job a second time if your replacement rack is a bit iffy
Author:  deleted [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:36 pm ]
Post subject: 
Image

Hubs off and old rack defeated!!

That was a struggle. I ended up taking out ALL subframe bolts because with the fronts only loosened it wouldnt lower enough. I didnt need to d/c brakelines/exhaust/ all other peripherals.

Im going to take my other rack to a mini place tomorow hopefully and get it checked out, it certiainly doesnt have play like the other one (heaps).

As for the ball joints, i feel like im wasting my time a bit with them, i couldn find ANY play except in one, but they want me to replace em all anyway..

Not such a big deal, i got qouted at 22$ per balljoint!! awesome, the last one i bought was 60$!!!



Now, what else should i do whilst the subframe is down?
hopefully for the last time EVER
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good work mate - good work
Not many jobs are harder than that.

While you have it that far apart, you could perhaps replace the bushes in the control arms and the front castor locating arm. Not much else needs doing.

When you do the ball joints - top and bottom are different. The bottom have a spring in them. Mostly with worn ball joints in a mini you can pull it apart, clean it and have a look at the actual ball. If its worn replace the whole joint. If its not, play with the shims and get it right, grease it up and put it back together. The shims are the secret of getting mini ball joints right .

However, in your case, the examiner will be please to see shiny new ball joints.
Author:  drmini in aust [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'd be very careful with balljoints. They can make an awful mess of the car, and maybe you- if they undo.
They are supposed to be torqued up to 74 lb/ft, and I always use a new lockwasher. I have a 1-1/2" deep socket. :wink:
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good advice Doc - I simply placed those bits in the assumed knowledge basket - probably not wise on my part
Author:  deleted [ Sun Oct 15, 2006 7:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well tommorow was the day i was hoping on taking the car in for re roadworthy. And all is done!! (-door handles which are being made up tommorow)
Except the play in the colum..

I kind of forgot about it, well i never really thought it was an issue, and as i replaced the rack i thought itd be gone.

Well the kind of movement it has is shaking the wheel on a vertical axis. I guess those bushes are worn.

It looks like theres a sort of nylon bush up the top, around the area the indicator stalk bolts up to, and the inner colum is aloud to shake around in here (only slightly!!!). I put some plumbers tape around it to try tighten it up..

well its still moving.

Well surely i dont need those nylon bushes and could just take the slack out some other way. How do you remove the outer tube from the inner column so i can replace them or what ever??

almost done! :D
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Okay - be very that the movement is due to the column and not vibration somewhere else being transmtted through the steering column.

Now, in answer to your question, the shaft needs to be taken off the rack. Undo the bolts that hold the top of the rack to the dash. Take off the plastic covers over the indicator stuff and undo the screws that hold that to the column . Dont worry about the steering wheel it can stay on the column. Then lean down and the steering column fits onto the rack and is located by a splined male and female shaft. It is held in place by a 7/16 head sized bolt that passes throught a cut-out in the rack protrusion. Remove that bolt. The shaft should then slip off the splines and be free - brute force is not needed and will only do damage to the splines which are soft steel not hardened steel. It may need some effort but not brute force.

With the shaft out - you will see the clamp that holds the splines on the rack splines. Undo the lock blt on that and then you can withdraw the shaft entire from the column cover. Slip the top and bottom nylon spacers out and replace them. Either with replacement spacers or with some else that will do the job.

On reassembly - the steering column entire should just slide down over the rack splines. If not find out why and adjust - perhaps - the angle of the rack by undoing the four nuts that hold the rack to the car floor. Do not - do not do not - hammer the shaft onto the rack splines. The outcome of banging the shaft is to find a bag full of steering nothingness as the splines strip under a heaving steering load. Centre the steering wheel and the column before you slide it down, of course

Good luck
Author:  deleted [ Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
ah, not a problem then
pretty silly that i didnt fix this BEFORE i put it back on the other day

thanks alot mike all your thoughtful assistance is much appreciated
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Ummm... just an after thought - tell me that the column is not out of a later model clubby or something with a steering lockk. Slightly different procedures needed.
Author:  deleted [ Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
well i dont have a colum with steering lock, but its ok all fixed. Just had to pull the horn contact off instead to remove the inner shaft from the outer. Added the new bushes and then ...

Actually there was still a bit of play, but i just took it for re roadworthy, and *tick* *tick* *tick*

Thanks to everyone who helped

soon my car will be *legally* on the road for the first time in over 26 years!
Author:  Mike_Byron [ Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Good onya - makes you feel good doesn't !!!!!

Congrats
Author:  deleted [ Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
And here it is!
Image
what a pretty boy

Also, i thought id cram this into this thread..
These are my plugs after returning from rw.
I was wondering if they were a little lean perhaps?
I did some heavy accelerating up one hill, and the temp gauge seemed to be climbing alongside the revs! :P
Image

thanks mike :)
Author:  deleted [ Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
my car is officially on the road today plates and all!

well thats the good news.

the bad news is terrible.

The replacement rack i used... while getting its wheels aligned i was informed that it has play in the driver side..

they're quite baffled how they didnt pick it up before i was given the go ahead to install it.

The word is, it shouldnt be a safety issue, so im not going to replace it straight away.

man o man. :)


edit, also looks like ill go with shannons 3rd party, the others have all turned me down "too many mods" "too old"

Also the funny thing about my car.. the rego sticker says tare : 1800!

[ed] even funnier than the tare... my rego sticker says the car is a chrysler!!
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