Car maintenance weekend - HELP! Please! - fixed for now

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:39 pm

Right then, I have a pretty busy car weekend coming up and I'm looking for any gems of wisdom you lot may have

The plan is as follows:
Get up earlyish Sat (First Problem)

Get over to Stephen's Dad's shop and pick up ball joints and joint tool

Buy ball joint splitter form halfrauds or equiv

Get back

Check casualty is open (Vital)

Simply (!) change all 8 ball joints

Test

Sleep

Get up early ish again (!)

Simply fit PRRT

Test

Sleep

Any top tips?

mac · Post by **mac** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:46 pm

Just one,

when your using the ball joint press make sure that your not catching the bottom of the ball joint when your comressing it. (sounds simple enough but it's very easy to do)

PM me if your needing any help - I've done the front 4 on Mandy's car.

Mac

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:51 pm

Cool cheers mac!

I have plasters and a selection of new and inventive swear words on standby too.

Rich

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:01 pm

What day and where you planning to get dirty ?

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:03 pm

Always up for getting dirty!

Both Sat and Sun by the looks of things

DDtB · Post by **DDtB** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:28 pm

RICHARDHUMBLE wrote:Always up for getting dirty!

sounds like someone's flirting with you there Sanjoy....

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 5:32 pm

Any port in a storm...

/Fly Navy

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:16 pm

I should add that if anyone wants to join me in a bit of car maintenance they are welcome to share my windswept carpark. As there are no facilities at all I wouldn't bother if I were you, but the offer is open all the same.

Oh there is a hosepipe and lots of pointy gravel.

I do have a block tester though if any of you K series owners wants to check their metro engine is still ok.

Rich

Scottd · Post by **Scottd** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:05 am

If I had my car back then I'd be there (supervising as per!

). Have fun!!

scott

P.S. take pic's pls! You always seem to be doing job's I have to do a month later!

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 1:29 pm

Waiting for th car to cool down a bit, pics will be by camera phone as my digi camera has done a runner.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:04 pm

Ball joints will not go back in. Got the old ones out easy, but the new ones turn out to be 2mm oversize. The part number is correct QH part number QSJ883S but there is no way they are going in. I am now left with a 3 wheeler until I can get this sorted!

Arse! Just stripped 2 bolts on the ball joint press too.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:08 pm

Going to put the old ones back in for now if I can.

mac · Post by **mac** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:19 pm

Rich - obvious one first - they go in from the bottom

Have you cleaned the opening well? also you can rotate them slightly so that the serations match slightly better.

I've used the QH one supplied by Stephen before and not had an issue.

How many bolts do you have left or can you get access to some threaded rod as Stephen's is machined.

Give it a good clean out and a scrap about with a screwdriver.

HTH

Mac

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:31 pm

Just put the old ones back in for now, but the rubber boots are nicked so will need replacnig ASAP. I'm going to try the boots from the qh ones for now. At least it all comes undone now. The QH joints are definatly 2.3mm oversize I measured 2, this is comparing the diameter across the splines. There is no way that they are going to fit that much oversize. The OE ones went straight back in no fuss and with medium effort. As I say the QH ones stripped the thread out of the nuts without going anywhere.

In the end I used the old nylocks form the BJs with the ylon cut out. At least I'll have 4 wheels for now....

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:32 pm

I have checked the part numbers and they are correct (Of course!) I have a feeling this may be a manufactuing problem or a labeling problem. Or maye it's my really old car...