Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

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mickthefitter
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Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by mickthefitter » Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:49 am

I finally got my YouTube videos to upload. Both need to be seen in succession to tell the whole story, I think. The first is with track rod ends disconnected and me manipulating the suspension uprights, to try to determine if they are too tight or not.

Here - https://youtu.be/l_A135ejeRU

The second is after I've put things back together and taken the car for its first drive on the new 155/80 R13 Firestone tyres, (as opposed to 175/70 R13 Michelins with some worrying sidewall cracks) and I end up in a car park, checking out the level of self-centering on the steering.

Here - https://youtu.be/JvwwdlI8LzI

Thanks in advance for any opinions received.

Mick

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Morris McKinnon
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by Morris McKinnon » Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:13 am

I would say it's dry spots in the trunnions. Another thing maybe, is the carpet catching on the steering shaft knuckle down by the pedals?
You should do more vids, you're pretty good with the camera.

mickthefitter
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by mickthefitter » Mon Jul 02, 2018 5:52 pm

Thanks for the compliment, Gareth.
Hmm...I don't think the carpet is an issue. I think that would have been apparent when I was twirling the steering wheel with nothing connected up. I know when I had a Maestro, if I turned a corner with the clutch pressed down (I know that isn't the driving test way!) the steering column knuckle on that would interfere with my left shoe! So it encouraged the proper way of taking a corner, with clutch engaged - or learn to position my foot to the left of the clutch pedal!

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balmy
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by balmy » Mon Jul 02, 2018 6:57 pm

I thought they didn’t look too bad. Though it’s hard to tell from a video.
I still stand by the old tyre theory as I’ve has this experience a couple of times and so did Ben recently.

Have you had the alignment checked? Might add to the centring and stiffness problems.


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mickthefitter
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by mickthefitter » Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:35 pm

I was hoping somebody would say they didn't look that bad. Because the ball end of the track rod end is a tight fit and the track rod itself a fairly tight fit in the rack, something I wasn't necessarily expecting to the extent it was, I felt I could hardly expect the uprights to feel as though they were on ball bearings. I think the tracking was done by the garage that fitted the rack, but that doesn't mean it is right. I have some late 80s bought Gunson tracking gauges that fix to the wheels using bungee straps, and you measure for and aft of the wheel with a tape measure, and refer to a period chart in the kit for the toe in measurement. I haven't used it on this car yet but I can do.

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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by denysss » Sat Dec 01, 2018 6:14 am

Thank you for sharing, very good looking, I have already finished reading
Eagerness will get you austin body rubs far

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MarinaCoupe
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by MarinaCoupe » Sat Dec 01, 2018 12:41 pm

I don’t think that they are too bad, would suspect that a fresh lube of the trunnions until fresh grease comes out of the top cover, should give the car the best chance. The fact that the right upright was marginally stuffer than the left one suggests perhaps a little less lubrication.

The rod ends are usually a little stiff, so I thought that they looked OK.

Your check of the self centreing on the steering was pretty good as the caster angle of the car is the thing that turns it back. The maximum caster angle is when the wheel is turned fully. As you get back towards the centre point the wheels are coning back towards standard caster so there is less force to complete the self-centreing action.

Remember friction is generated my the metal to metal contact areas and the biggest by far is the threads of the upright and trunnion.

Years ago I chatted to a Post Office mechanic who used to work in their fleet of Marina vans. He said that they mixed a little gearbox oil in with LM grease used for the trunnions and then they packed it into the grease gun. This freed up the steering a bit more and the lubrication clung to the threads longer.

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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by mickthefitter » Sat Dec 01, 2018 3:24 pm

Oil in the grease sounds good. I think I read somewhere in a magazine, cars like A35s should have their king pins oiled not greased. Someone on another post of mine - might have been Josh, might have been benziboyz, said that if the grease pops out, it's damaging the seals! Unfortunately in the days when I was servicing high speed machinery that was the way we knew we'd packed the bearing housing, and it was also the way I treated the trunnions on my MK1 Marina, though my grease gun wasn't as good as the one I've got now.

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Kilroy
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Re: Marina HL - YouTube videos of suspension uprights

Post by Kilroy » Mon Dec 03, 2018 6:33 am

When greasing the trunnions the grease will choose the easiest path to escape.
Because there is only one grease nipple, either the threads or the pin will fail to receive grease depending on which has the most wear.
I think the only way to ensure both get lubed is by removing the trunnion, packing it with grease, then screwing it back on to the upright while the grease is forced out everywhere.
With the top swivel joint you have to ensure you can get full articulation of the pin after the tension has been set by tightening the retaining nut.
Neither of these operations can really be done without releasing the tension on the associated parts by disconnecting them at least partially.
In my opinion of course.. :)

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