My favourite Rover 620ti fails its MoT test today :~
Discussion
On this :~
Splits in nearside upper Suspension Wishbone Swivel/Ball Joint cover seal.
The rest of the car was fine and the emissions very good indeed. A new car would produce those Emission levels :~
My 'bodge' repair of the rear silencer shaped up really well :~
A year ago I spotted two new upper suspension wishbones on a Honda Coupe in a local breaker yard. Removed them and got them on a 'come in handy one day' basis. That day will be tomorrow when I replace both front upper wishbones as play in the offside one on the car was an advisory.
When splits occur in those cover seals lubricant is lost and road filth and wet enter the covers and accelerates wear in the swivels. It is an MoT fail now whereas previously it was an advisory on test.
I'll take a few images when I swap those wishbones tomorrow and post them here. It's not a difficult job for the DIYer.
Splits in nearside upper Suspension Wishbone Swivel/Ball Joint cover seal.
The rest of the car was fine and the emissions very good indeed. A new car would produce those Emission levels :~
My 'bodge' repair of the rear silencer shaped up really well :~
A year ago I spotted two new upper suspension wishbones on a Honda Coupe in a local breaker yard. Removed them and got them on a 'come in handy one day' basis. That day will be tomorrow when I replace both front upper wishbones as play in the offside one on the car was an advisory.
When splits occur in those cover seals lubricant is lost and road filth and wet enter the covers and accelerates wear in the swivels. It is an MoT fail now whereas previously it was an advisory on test.
I'll take a few images when I swap those wishbones tomorrow and post them here. It's not a difficult job for the DIYer.
Tackled the Upper Wishbone replacement today. First, remove the old assemblies. The taper splitter came into play here:~
This was the problem which caused the MoT failure ~ two large splits in the cover seal.
Previously I had freshly painted the Honda Replacements. Although both were fairly new and in good condition, a preemptive additional coat of paint will help prevent corrosion.
Soon had both replacements fitted and a split pin to secure their Castellated Nuts :~
Closer view of actual Ball Joint Swivel :~
This picture shows the original Rover WishBone Ball Joint ( Right ) and the more substantial Honda Coupe item on the left. Their actual dimensions were otherwise identical :~
Phoned my MoT Guy and arranged a retest a couple of hours later. Now have a nice new twelve month certificate. Retest took less than five minutes. He could not detect any play in the Ball-joints at all. Result.
There was an X5 on the ramps being tested and as he was issuing the MoT Certificate, as usual I asked about failures and what to look for on BMWs. Apparently they are very prone to suspension bush failures.
This was the problem which caused the MoT failure ~ two large splits in the cover seal.
Previously I had freshly painted the Honda Replacements. Although both were fairly new and in good condition, a preemptive additional coat of paint will help prevent corrosion.
Soon had both replacements fitted and a split pin to secure their Castellated Nuts :~
Closer view of actual Ball Joint Swivel :~
This picture shows the original Rover WishBone Ball Joint ( Right ) and the more substantial Honda Coupe item on the left. Their actual dimensions were otherwise identical :~
Phoned my MoT Guy and arranged a retest a couple of hours later. Now have a nice new twelve month certificate. Retest took less than five minutes. He could not detect any play in the Ball-joints at all. Result.
There was an X5 on the ramps being tested and as he was issuing the MoT Certificate, as usual I asked about failures and what to look for on BMWs. Apparently they are very prone to suspension bush failures.
cheddar said:
Why did I find all that so interesting?
Possibly because that job in pro-workshop would cost a nice few quid. I post these DIYer things occasionally as they may help those faced with the same scenario to save a few quid with a bit of TLC and DIY.Plus, I like to pick up a spanner or two now and again. Therapeutic and it appeals to my creative bent...
MGJohn said:
Possibly because that job in pro-workshop would cost a nice few quid. I post these DIYer things occasionally as they may help those faced with the same scenario to save a few quid with a bit of TLC and DIY.
Plus, I like to pick up a spanner or two now and again. Therapeutic and it appeals to my creative bent...
Reasonably easy task to do on a driveway too I guess? Looks like it'd be an hour or two each side, including tea and swearing. Plus, I like to pick up a spanner or two now and again. Therapeutic and it appeals to my creative bent...
MGJohn said:
cheddar said:
Why did I find all that so interesting?
Possibly because that job in pro-workshop would cost a nice few quid. I post these DIYer things occasionally as they may help those faced with the same scenario to save a few quid with a bit of TLC and DIY.Plus, I like to pick up a spanner or two now and again. Therapeutic and it appeals to my creative bent...
Well done John.
Do things come in threes? ... Hope not ...
My younger son James has been working a 10-12 hour day 6-7 days a week and needs this Rover 25 for his to-from work journey. The noise has got much worse with time so much so that when he starts up at 5.45 in the morning, the nasty noise awoke me. Talk about Banshees in the night ...
Must do something soon so as he finished with about an hour of daylight left today, I got stuck in after asking did he need the car tonight.
First thing I did was remove the Power Steering Pump Drive Belt. Started engine, still nasty noise. Stopped engine and removed the Polyvee Belt which drives the Alternator and AirCon Compressor.... Started it again ...NICE SMOOTH RUNNING ENGINE! Reasonably quiet when blipping the Throttle too.
Click on image :~
Spinning the Alternator by hand soon revealed the guilty party... noisy even when spinning by finger power alone! What a relief! Not an engine problem. So one of those two was the guilty component after all. Glad it was the Alternator, much easier to change than the AirCon compressor.
The car is showing 87,000 miles.
A high mileage Rover 45 I removed most of the useful parts from recently donated an identical Alternator for this car. Fitted that and now son No.2 has a nice near silent running Rover 25.... again.
RESULT! That's TWO "Results" on consecutive days, my 620ti passing the MoT retest yesterday being the other ...
Son No.2 said:
Dad! My car's making an unusual noise!
That was a few days ago and a quick look and listen did not reveal the source of the noise but did provide a few likely suspects. Anyway, apart from noise, running well but noise getting worse each day.My younger son James has been working a 10-12 hour day 6-7 days a week and needs this Rover 25 for his to-from work journey. The noise has got much worse with time so much so that when he starts up at 5.45 in the morning, the nasty noise awoke me. Talk about Banshees in the night ...
Must do something soon so as he finished with about an hour of daylight left today, I got stuck in after asking did he need the car tonight.
First thing I did was remove the Power Steering Pump Drive Belt. Started engine, still nasty noise. Stopped engine and removed the Polyvee Belt which drives the Alternator and AirCon Compressor.... Started it again ...NICE SMOOTH RUNNING ENGINE! Reasonably quiet when blipping the Throttle too.
Click on image :~
Spinning the Alternator by hand soon revealed the guilty party... noisy even when spinning by finger power alone! What a relief! Not an engine problem. So one of those two was the guilty component after all. Glad it was the Alternator, much easier to change than the AirCon compressor.
The car is showing 87,000 miles.
A high mileage Rover 45 I removed most of the useful parts from recently donated an identical Alternator for this car. Fitted that and now son No.2 has a nice near silent running Rover 25.... again.
RESULT! That's TWO "Results" on consecutive days, my 620ti passing the MoT retest yesterday being the other ...
Son No. 2 said:
.
Thanks Dad! ...
.
That's what Dads are for... Thanks Dad! ...
.
CAR MECHANIC magazine out yesterday. Got my copy. By coincidence, one of the articles covers replacement of worn or perished ball joint rubber seal covers.
I bought some of these new covers a year or so ago and fitting them is tricky. Mainly because of the spiral retaining springs which require careful removal and fitting. The illustrated article is a good 'how to' guide.
Only worth replacing the split or worn covers IF the actual swivel/ball-joint is not worn of course.
Always a good read Car Mechanics magazine. Unlike many other forms of 'media', they view Rover and MG product fairly and without prejudice and at the same time, tell it like it is on so called 'superior' products. For me, four quid well spent and soon saved with the advice therein.
I bought some of these new covers a year or so ago and fitting them is tricky. Mainly because of the spiral retaining springs which require careful removal and fitting. The illustrated article is a good 'how to' guide.
Only worth replacing the split or worn covers IF the actual swivel/ball-joint is not worn of course.
Always a good read Car Mechanics magazine. Unlike many other forms of 'media', they view Rover and MG product fairly and without prejudice and at the same time, tell it like it is on so called 'superior' products. For me, four quid well spent and soon saved with the advice therein.
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