BXProject

[mnde]

I couldn't tell you Phil.

Is there another name for this joint as this is quite cryptic to me. Swivel joint?

It's funny this clicking. Last week I associated it with the click that seemed to be coming from the upper steering column, in the vicinity of the upper column shroud - and I could feel the click if I grabbed the lower column with my right hand, next to the u-joint, and rotated the steering wheel with my left. But this week it seems to have disappeared! And no sound over bumps.

Mark.

[jayw]

I'd be a bit careful there...

Can't for the life of me remember what car it was but i had that clicking once... turned out to be the ignition lock not quite fully retracting so that every time the steering was turned the lock slide would click as it ran over it's cutout in the column...

Only worked out what it was when one day i could start the car but the steering lock wouldn't release properly. Fortunately it never locked whilst driving (not that i'm trying to panic you)

[Philhod]

Yes it's sometimes called the lower steering swivel. But it's always been btm joint up here.

That sounds very plausible Jay

[mnde]

Hmm... well the clicking in the steering came back tonight - it's literally as I turn the wheel a little left and right around straight ahead when parked up, with the ignition on. Again, I can feel the click if I put a palm up against the upper column shroud, or touch the bonnet release lever for instance. I couldn't be bothered to take apart the shrouding tonight because I know from experience it's a right bugger to get all the bits back together again.

The ignition switch was replaced in Feb 09 with a brand new Valeo spine key one, when the old flat key one developed a tumbler fault.

I had a quick shufty at the tyres tonight - plenty of tread all round, but the nearside front looks like it has feathering on the outside edge; the offside looks fine to me. Rear offside starting to show cracking in the sidewall, rear nearside looks fine. I do have a couple of spare tyres to play around with, but I'm going to Merityre for this summer check on Saturday morning. I note that the voucher says "free alignment check" - which makes me realise that it's the initial assessment that's free, but I probably have to pay for any work needed. I wouldn't be surprised if they say I need at least 1 new tyre....

Mark.

[Philhod]

Well they are bound to aint they. It is a tyre place after all

If the track does want adjusting it won't cost much, certainly a lot less than it will cost if you don't have it done.

[docchevron132]

might be worth pulling the shroud and having a careful look to see if anything is fouling the steering colomn.

I had a similar experience when I put Phoenix back together without securing the wiring loom for the headlamp reminder buzzer properly.
It caught on the steering now and then, causing a click, and then made the buzzer not work and lots of blown fuses...

[mnde]

Right then.

I had the alignment done at the weekend. These are the "before" readings. Out of parameter ones are in red, similar to the printout I received. Readings taken with engine running.

Front

LF camber = 0 deg 50' ; RF camber = 1 deg 25'
LF toe = -0 deg 03' ; RF toe = 1 deg 16'

Total toe = 1 deg 12'
Steer ahead = -0 deg 39'

Rear

LR camber = -1 deg 22' ; RR camber = -1 deg 14'
LR toe = 0 deg 08' ; RR toe = 0 deg 03'

Total toe = 0 deg 10'
Thrust angle = 0 deg 03'

Parameters given:
Front camber = 0 deg 30' to -0 deg 30'
Front toe = -0 deg 15' to 0 deg 00'
Front total toe = -0 deg 30' to 0 deg 00
Steer ahead = -0 deg 03' to 0 deg 03'
Rear camber = -0 deg 40' to -1 deg 20'
Rear toe = 0 deg 00' to 0 deg 24'
Total rear toe = 0 deg 00' to 0 deg 48'

Adjustments made:

LF toe = -0 deg 07' ; RF toe = -0 deg 07'
Total toe = -0 deg 14'
Steer ahead = 0 deg 00'

All the other measurements were slightly different on the "after" printout, which is to be expected, but the RF camber was now 1 deg 35'. Should I be worried about this one as it's significantly out of the parameter range? This is the wheel I had the bearing replaced on.

So now the car tracks dead straight, the steering wheel is straight and there is no wandering over bumps. But the rumble remains and the drone, although slightly different, remains too. There is still a brrrrrr if I chuck the car into a left hand bend. Next thing I'm going to do tonight is try replacing the RF tyre with a spare, then the LF if necessary - to see if anything changes. The alignment will have been out of kilter for quite some time, so I'd expect some abnormal wear... Merityre said nothing about the condition of the tyres (which were checked as part of the Summer Check). The battery failed their test though and had to be replaced.

Mark.

EDIT: The RF hub was replaced with one taken off a scrap BX. The garage owner said that this was a cost saving (compared to just renewing the bearing) as both the bearing in the hub and the balljoint were nearly new.

[Bx Bandit]

The things that can affect camber would be:

Bent subframe and/or top strut mount/and or chassis leg (but unlikely)
Wrongly positioned subframe
Worn wishbone bushes
Knackered lower ball joint
An incorrectly fitted strut - if not seated properly in the hub carrier
Possibly even a bent anti roll bar could cause adverse camber

The Brrrrrrrrr sounds like it'd be a CV joint??????????

[Philhod]

Well seeing as the camber at the right front is the only thing at issue now and Bandit has quite rightly listed some possibilities....., lets look at possibilities.

Camber is the angle of the leg in the plane across the frame, so in effect, there are few things that can put it so far out.
The bottom joint, wishbone and anti roll bar setting, as per Bandit, and the location of the top of the leg, to the body. OK so a knackered wheel brg would too, but the wheel would have to be rattling to cause more than 1 degree.

[mnde]

One is not amused.

Having swapped the OSF wheel with a spare, and having torqued the nuts up, I jacked the wheel up again as an afterthought to check for wear.. and sure enough when I grabbed the wheel at 12 o' clock and 6 there was movement. When I released the handbrake and span the wheel as fast as I could, it sounded rough. I checked the NSF and there was NO movement. Makes me curse the fact I didn't take the thing back to the garage the very next day after collecting it

After a 20 minute drive confirmed the noise was *worse* with the different wheel, I had a thought and pinged off the wheeltrim ... the hub (and wheel) was pretty hot ...... but the other front wheel was the same so I don't know if that's just heat from the brakes

Wheel off again to put the original one back on. I noticed that there was play (clicking) from the driveshaft joints while applying rotational force with the handbrake on. Well, my GSA does that...

Either I've got yet another duff wheel bearing and/or the "nearly new" balljoint wasn't so nearly new after all. This may explain the adverse camber reading on this wheel. There's still a clonk over very rough roads from the OSF. Argh.

So we're not taking the BX on holiday to Wales tomorrow and therefore we're not coming to the National at Gaydon next weekend because I can't suffer the ignominy of turning up in a Honda Jazz...

I've been quite reticent about this - but I really need some assistance with this car in the near future if at all possible, as I've lost all faith in garage service, and I'm beginning to think of cutting my losses and changing it for something else...

To top it all I scraped the rear bumper corner on the gatepost while reversing into the drive quickly because a van was approaching


Mark.

[smiffy]

I thought you were going to turn up at the farm... The good doctor ran a bx clinic for the first time in ages on sunday!

[mnde]

Well, possibly another bad decision of mine... but I decided to get the alignment and the oil change out of the way on Saturday (with S Hedges's help) instead of coming to the farm, and I wasn't free on Sunday. I'd been increasingly confident that alignment & tyre wear were the/one source of the problems. At least I've got the tracking A1!

I do intend to visit the farm at some point whatever

Mark.

[docchevron132]

ok, easy to check.. Is the OS hub nut F tight? A nut insufficiently tight will allow the bearing to sepereate slightly and rumble / have play.

I cant remember now but did I give you a bearing? I know I have non left in the stock pile, or driveshafts of any use, although I may have a couple of outer joints that are serviceable.

If all else fails, I'll get a bearing, press it into a hub and post it over to you?

[Philhod]

Scraped on gatepost sorry shouldn't laugh. Your not having much luck are you.
You must have really pissed someone off somewhere.

[docchevron132]

What colour is the car Mark? I really cannot remember, although I'm sure I should..
I *might* have a bumper...

[Bx Bandit]

I thought you were going to turn up at the farm... The good doctor ran a bx clinic for the first time in ages on sunday!

Ooooh, was The Doc dressed in a White nurses uniform?

[smiffy]

Hmmm, you need help bandit!

[Philhod]

Ooooh, was The Doc dressed in a White nurses uniform?

Yeah an ee was wearing white rubber gloves with an array of butt plugs on the tray.

But those fuckin sheep knocked them all over.

[jayw]

Mark, i'm probably off for the next week or so could offer you a day as you're not too far from me. The balljoint is no problem, i even have a couple new ones in stock if you can't get hold of one. But, the problem is the lack of a press to do the bearing. If you can get hold of a "known good" hub (or perhaps one brought to Gaydon for me) then a swap over is no problem.

[Vanny]

Which side hub?