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MG MGB Technical - MGB Stuspension & Steering

Could anyone help please

Just about to renew my track rod ends which iam told is an easy job. Any tips would be gratefull. I will get them proffessionaly track after.
I have got to replace the steering gaters clips as both are slightly perished. Before I tighten up the clips do I have to put oil or grease in.
I am also changing the front shock absorbers any tips on this please.
My car slightly lower on the drivers side by about 2cm. Should the shock sort this or should I be looking as either yhe ftont coil spring or the rear leaf springs

Thanks Carl
carl suthenwood

Rack- the new ones (from Argentina (the moss ones) use grease. Thats what I use. The original ones use oil.

Getting the bolt on the wheel end of the shocker arm can be dificult if copper anti seize compount wasn't used last time it was done up. You can buy tiny little pots of it any auto shop. First time I used a BFH and a brick wih padding on the other side to absobe the mighty blows. I'd have done better to remove shocker and bottom spring pan to a bench vice and press off with a socket.
The next time I did it ( I used copper antiseize when I put it back together the first time) the bolt came out very easily. You will need a socket wrench and a medium to short extension to get the 4 shocker bolts off easily.
I'd suggest you put "poly" (ethylene) bushes in. You want the softest grade ones, they are firm enough. Every one (except the race ers) regrets the 2nd and even 3 level of hardness.

Put a trolley jack under the end of the bottom arm (use non slip pading to protect rubber seals, or place the jack carefully clear of them. Take the stress out, then undo the 4 shocker bolts. Let down the jack carefully, Undo the bottom pan bolts. Clean up, replace bushes, grease etc.
Make sure you grease the inside sleeve and sides of the poly bushes, the bits that move and slide. This is not recommended by the manufacturer, but the bushes will squeak if you don't, and it's done no harm to mine in the last year or two. Use the white seating compound for the outside, non moving side of the bush.
Peter

The poly bushes I got (blue Superflex I think they are) came with their own white grease in little bags. There was plenty of it so I applied liberally, especially places I though might cause squeaks.

To refill the rack with oil I filled a oil can with the right stuff and slid the nozzle in under the end of the rubber gaiter and just squirted the right amount in each end.

Simon
Simon Jansen

Carl,

The shock absorbers do not influence on the height of the car, so if you want to correct this you need to replace one or more springs.

I did the job you are planning last spring, and filled the rack with EP90 oil in the way Simon describes above. Do it slowly, and give the oil time to run inside the rack. After replacing the rubber gaiters and before filling the rack with oil I took the car for a short run, and the steering was very stiff. So even if I have a new Argentinian rack, it definitely needs oil.

I also used polyurethane bushes, and white grease was supplied with the Autobush kit. At the same time I replaced the inner wishbone bushes with blue Autobush polyurethane, and that made a big difference.

Tore
Tore

Thanks for the advice guys. I am still a little bit unsure of how to lubricate the rack as mind does not hava a grease nipple at the junction where the column joins the rack.
carl suthenwood

Carl,

There is no grease nipple on my rack either. You fill an oil can with EP90, take off the small clip at the end of one of the gaiters and slowly pump the oil directly into the gaiter until it comes out again.

Tore
Tore

As Tore says dampers have no effect on static ride height - unless they are seized.

When *changing* track-rod ends the nearest you can get is to count the turns as you take the old ones off, then put the new ones on the same amount of turns. But it is only *very* approximate when changing track-rod ends as they could be different lengths, and it can only be considered as reasonably approximate when refitting the same ones i.e. after a gaiter change. You will need to have the tracking done in either case, straight away in the case of replacement. Easy in theory, the nuts and track-rod ends can be a real bear to start moving on the track-rods if it is the first time in your ownership it has been done, mine needed heating up with an oxy-acetylene torch before they would move.

Is it the gaiters that are perished i.e. punctured or just the clips that are a bit rusty? If the latter then that can be ignored.

It's probably easier to undo one of the large clips on a gaiter and poke the end of your oil can in the top of that. You will need to work the rack back and fore from time to time as you inject oil, you won't get it all in one side.

With two cars and having changed three of the four dampers, the first time on each I have had to hacksaw through both sides of the top bolt. So get a new top pin kit with the dampers, and make sure it is a castellated nut (which needs to be half-height) with a split-pin and not a Nyloc nut. For some time Nyloc nuts were being supplied even though the pin had a hole for a split-pin through a castellated nut, but Nylocs are too long and when tightened up the end of the nut was flush with the end of the pin. There should be at least three threads clear of the nut, and I wouldn't want one of those on my front suspension anyway.

To change the dampers in theory you can just jack under the spring-pan so the bump-rubber is clear of its stop, then remove the damper and replace. But it is much safer, especially if the nut on the top pin can't be undone normally, to support the car on axle stands under the cross-member before jacking under the spring pan so the bump rubber is just clear of its stop, then you can remove the damper safely. Watch for the swivel arm pivotting outwards when it is disconnected. You only need to lower the jack if dealing with the spring or bottom pivot, not for changing the dampers.


Paul Hunt

Carl these racks take 1/3 pt of EP90, as you dont know how much oil is left in your rack,its a good idea to drain it out, jack up one side, pull the boot off the opposite, and let it drain out overnight,then refill with 1/3pt of EP90. A.T
andy tilney

Thanks Guys
Went and brought a 2 ton clarke trolly jack 2 day
Got to take it back . It really strugled to lift the front end but the biggest problem was the jack is only 22 inches long and when placed under the front crossmember the lifting handle either failed on the number plate or the bummper restricting the movement of the lifting handle making it really hard to lift the car. I dont like the idear of lifting one side at a time / placing the axel stand and then doing the other side incase the first axel stand moves . Need to buy a longer jack . Any idears on what type of jack .
carl suthenwood

Having reached that age where dragging a heavy jack around is no longer an option, I purchased one of the aluminum "racing" jacks. It is long enough to reach the cross member, light and relativly inexpensive. A sound investment. RAY
RAY

Carl did the handle come with an extention ?

James
James

This thread was discussed between 28/05/2009 and 03/06/2009

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