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front right hand road spring


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Greetings, Oh Sage Ones.

Here's a weird one. Took the old gal in for an MOT, and the tester put her on a hoist, and sent her skywards. He proceeded to poke, pull and heave in the traditional manner, then called me over to have a look. When he spun the steering from lock to lock, the right hand road spring graunched on one of the track rod bolt heads (on the king pin). I'd never noticed it when driving, but subsequently, when taking an acute right hand turn - sure enough, I could hear (and possibly feel) the graunch! Does anyone have any ideas what could have caused this apparent change in alignment? And, more importantly, what I can do about it? Regards, Austin

Edited by Austin Branson
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Reporting back - no obvious problems, chaps. Both sides look fine, and everything seems OK. Help! Austin

Austin,

I think - not certain - the hole in #78 is eccentric. Can it be turned to prevent the conflict?

Or try a bigger washer to get through the test?

After that look for collapsing wishbone bushes etc

Is the rack set up centred - can it give more lock to the right than left?

peter

Edited by Peter Cobbold
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Austin,

I think - not certain - the hole in #78 is eccentric. Can it be turned to prevent the conflict?

Or try a bigger washer to get through the test?

After that look for collapsing wishbone bushes etc

Is the rack set up centred - can it give more lock to the right than left?

peter

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I'll take a look. Thanks Peter. Austin

Austin, By rack centred I mean the tie rods are equal length. If all the toe adjustment has been done ( lazily) on one it could leave one tie-rod too long and able to hit the spring.Peter

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I understand your logic. What I cannot understand is why it has suddenly appeared. Wierd. Austin.

Perhaps it was simply missed at previous tests? Peter

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Neil, you're frightening me to death! There's no apparent damage to the turrets. I really can't see how the top links will be wrong - I've had the car for more than 10 years, and this problem only appeared after the MOT folks put it on the hoist. What do I need to do? Strip the right hand suspension? I really don't know what I'm looking for. Austin

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Just a note to bear in mind as Peter points out a vehicles steering is checked on lock to lock

with the full weight of the vehicle on turn plates not with the wheels free. If the wheel or tyre

touches any component that would be a failure.

 

 

Harvey S.Maitland ( DVSA AE )

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Thanks for that, Harvey. The wheels were hanging free, no part of wheel or tyre touches anything, and it passed it's MOT (actually it's a Contrôle Technique, as I live in France). The tester said it wasn't a test item, but I should get it corrected. It's really puzzling me, as I don't believe it had ever done it before. Austin

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Austin

Panic not,can you post a pic of the offending side and the contact point?

Sorry Neil, had a hell of a day today, I'll try and get some photos tomorrow. Thanks for your interest. Austin

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Hello Neil, I've got a couple of video clips of the spring fouling the track-rod bolt head, but I can't attach them to the forum. Could you let me have an email address that I can email them to, please? Also, I've lost your phone number. Sorry - could you let me have it again, please? Regards, Austin

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Right. I am so stupid that I can't attach photo's or videos. Sorry. I've dismantled the right hand suspension. All my measurements and angles have given me nothing. All I can think is that the problem is the orientation of the spring. I have re-assembled the suspension, moving the position of the spring through 180 degrees. I noted that originally the spring was mounted such that the 'junction' of the coils on the top of the spring was adjacent to the chassis - the inside. I hope that's understandable. I have mounted it now so that the 'junction', is on the outside. It has worked. The collision of spring and bolt head appears to have finished, although, of course, under bump conditions it could reoccur.

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