BXProject

[mnde]

Thanks Jayw - I got it right then.

I'm not going back to that garage in a hurry. As well as drastically overfilling the gearbox, they also trapped the overheat sensor wire between the gearbox casing and the engine, causing a short in the snowy weather so the "red light of death" was on permanently I had to cut it and rejoin it with some black tape...

So I've established it's got plenty of oil in the gearbox then.

But it had a darn sight more before David unleashed it all a while back -- what's the bad things that could happen if you brim the gearbox then...?

Mark.

[Philhod]

Apart from putting pressure on all the oil seals not a lot really, in a manual box

[Vanny]

I ALWAYS fill from the 'breather', always have and always will. I might be a moron, but them dancers will never catch me!

The bolt hole indicated above is for ascertaining the level of oil, there is no way on gods green earth that you can fill and check the level through that hole.

Just fill from the breather, and check from the bolt hole, its not a sin to slightly (a few ml) over fill the cog box!

[jayw]

Like i said above, I was only referring to the ones who fill it to the brim from the breather... don't get yer Y-fronts in a tangle

[Philhod]

there is no way on gods green earth that you can fill and check the level through that hole.

I had a girlfriend once who could always do more than one thing through each hole.

Fortunately, not at the same time

[mat_the_cat]

@ Phil!

Must say I've had no problems using the lower hole - maybe my spout is smaller than Vanny's? It's difficult when the container is below half full (but easier than a LR transfer box, the handbrake drum gets right in the way!) though so next time I may use the breather hole.

[Vanny]

I don't have any Y-fronts, not even SPEEDO's. Also missed your remark about brimming through the breather.

Surely that takes like several litres of oil? You'd think someone would notice that the Haynes says 700ml (or what ever) from dry and you've just added a second litre, cretins.

But really, how do you fill and watch through the level hole? I can only imagine it could be injected?

[mat_the_cat]

What I've always done is squirt it in till the required amount has been injected, then take out the spout and allow the excess to come out till it becomes a drip. Slightly wasteful I guess.

I did read about a woman who literally filled her engine though...

[Vanny]

Holy cow, a woman that actually checked the oil level AND topped it up! Okay so a small technical blunder on over filling, but still thats a good effort.

[jayw]

I did read about a woman who literally filled her engine though...

Years ago i bought an Escort 1600i Ghia from a little old man down the road from me, had the quietest purring CVH i'd ever heard and the rev counter said it was idling at 500rpm (still purring almost silently)... couple of days later i checked the oil and it was FULL to the brim , never coughed, never smoked!

Emptied some out and the purring went away

Never found out how long he'd been keeping it topped up...

[smiffy]

hehehe, we had a fitter at work, who was doing an oil change on a volvo B9TL, like these....



With the oil nozzle in the engine filler, her then took a phone call...and forgot all about it.
He then finished up, and when the bus was started and taken outside, the engine then ran away out of control, and then smashed its valves.
It turned out that he'd put 125 litres in the engine, and when the engine was running, the oil was splashed up the breather, and back into the air intake....and so the engine was in effect running on its own lube oil, totally out of control. The bus was just 6 weeks old.

It cost the company £15000 for a new engine, plus 2 volvo mechanics 1 week each in labour costs. The guy who did the cock up, had to look for annother job...

[mnde]

Right, so to recap I've got a rumble that sounds like wind/tyre noise that I can feel through the steering while driving generally; a drone that increases in volume at 45-50 mph then dies back; a brrrrrrrr when I turn sharply left at speed,
and on top of this I'm sure the exhaust is still rubbing a heat shield somewhere which is adding to the noise sources! Also strange wandering and perceptible steering wheel movements when I traverse rough patches of tarmac at low speeds, and now a click from the steering column if I vigorously shake the wheel either side of straight ahead when parked, like there's play. Sometimes now it will do this click over bumps e.g. cats eyes.

I checked the clamp bolt on the UV joint under the steering shroud - tight.
I tried rotating the column to and fro by grabbing it below the UV joint but it doesn't make a noise.
If I hold the column or the UV joint while turning the steering wheel with the other hand there is a click and I can feel a little play. The steering does still feel a bit strange around straight ahead.
The column bush is tie-wrapped in place.
The steering wheel has no play side-to-side or up-down.
There is no clicking from CV joints on full lock.

Next port of call if I can manage it is trying to access the ram bolts - but I only have the BX jack and chocks for rear wheels so I can only do one side at a time. How the hell do I get to the pinion to rack bolts?

It's really not confidence inducing to drive right now....

EDIT: I acknowledge the fact that the droning is probably diff bearings as front w/bearings don't seem to be the problem.

Mark.

[RichardW]

I had trouble like this which turned out to be a track rod end (this was on a X*****a mind.... ) - there was slight play in it that was amplifying a slight imbalance in the tyre. Trouble was when put on high and jacked up the play went away - you could only feel it by rocking the wheel on the ground at normal height.

[mnde]

Hi Richard,

The garage checked the TREs and other joints/bushes for play and said everything was nice and tight - they even checked again with the suspension in "low". They told me the rack gaiters were also in good shape.

At "straight ahead" the steering wheel is not centred, it's turned slightly to the right - and I noticed this morning - in the middle lane of the A3 in slow moving traffic - when I took my hands off the wheel, it was inclined to turn slightly more to the right and the car started drifting gently right.

Mark.

[Way2go]

I noticed this morning - in the middle lane of the A3 in slow moving traffic - when I took my hands off the wheel, it was inclined to turn slightly more to the right and the car started drifting gently right.

Mark.

On a normal road this might indicate a problem as the camber should influence it to the left but can you be sure of the surface of the A3 at that point?

[docchevron132]

Sounds like tracking to me. Which could explain one of the noises at least. The tracking toes out a tad on the TD, and with the window down you can hear the tyre howl, especially on corners.
Something else I keep meaning to do...

[mnde]

OK I'll get the wheel alignment checked properly.

I invited Stu round tonight and he said he thought the tracking needed doing and didn't notice much else to worry about... Also we had an oil change phail as the Halfrauds multi tool I bought didn't fit the sump plug properly . Ah well, at least it's a feasible job now I've invested in axle stands.

Mark.

[Philhod]

Just did the btm joint on Derek's Picasso for MOT. You have to buy the complete drop forged arm with joint attached and the 2 inner bushes as well £106 with a new pinchbolt.

Ouch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The job only takes 1/2 an hour though.

[mnde]

Merityre branches are offering their Card Club Plus members a free Summer Check which includes 4 wheel alignment on a Hunter alignment machine with a 'before' and 'after' diagnostic printout. Bonus!

I was looking into booking an appointment at a Hunter machine-equipped tyre place in Guildford and got the impression it would be £50+ (minus 5% discount using online voucher at www.alignmycar.co.uk )

The Merityre website tells me that all their branches are Hunter-equipped so I'll be heading down there asap!

Mark.

[Philhod]

Yes. go with that. 4 wheel laser alignment costs £25 up here.

I know you said all joints had been ok'd. Did they check the btm steering joint at the bottom of each leg stanchion?
Clicking noises over bumps usually = loose.