front height corrector - removal tips please!

[tim]

Ah well, it had to happen. The Red One has been revived from the grave after all, and has done 2000 nearly trouble-free miles since. I saw a new puddle overlaying the wife's regulator-based puddlette on Friday. Oops, it's me...... I topped up the fluid and she needed a pint (as to be honest did I) so obviously something had popped....got the tractor ramps back from Andy and with the motor running I could see a trickle running down the front of the chassis member just where the invisible octopus lurks. With a torch I could see a steady drip from the flexi pipe on the height corrector.
I'm now at the stage where I can see it but can't get to it. I have a horrible feeling the driveshaft needs to come out in order to get at the thing. Nor at the moment can I clearly see exactly what has gone. I can't see a way to get at the source of the trouble without removing said driveshaft. Am I right? If so never mind, but advice and confirmation of this would be welcome.

[ken newbold]

Firstly, it's not the HC at fault, it's the octopus.

I've done quite a few now and never taken the driveshaft out, however if you have BIG hands it would probably pay you to take it out.

I found the best position for working on this is by sitting under the wheel arch, so ramps won't exactly help. Axle stands or blocks out of the way.

Another handy tool to have is one of those long bendy screwdriver thingies that has a small socket on the end for using on jubilee clips.
There is a bodge repair possible using a piece of 3.5mm brake pipe bent to a sharp curve of 180 deg, one end pushes down into the octopus body and the other end connects onto the HC port via a piece of rubber tube.
Be warned though, if the rubber octopus pipes are badly rotten, you'll be there all day fixing one and then the next and so on.
It's actually much quicker to change the whole thing and get it done with.

[tim]

Well, I say it's the height corrector because I can actually see the pipe leaking! It appears to be a push fit onto the alloy section of the body and has been very badly routed, almost a 90 degree bend after it comes off the unit, No wonder the poor thing failed. You can see a bead of green blood hanging from it. But I haven't yet worked out where this pipe leads to, as it's smothered in crap and clamped up with some friends. Anyway, although I can touch it I can't get fingers in to grip it and pull it off, then cut it back and reroute it so it won't recur. It would be a 90 second job if I could reach in and do that. Aargh. Why do you think it isn't the h.c.? Now that I have got the wheel off I have two good sight lines. I would now go and run her up just to double-confirm but the pencil torch I need to look at it has just died completely.....
I had already got the spare octopus laid out on the table but I really don 't think that's what it is.

[tim]

PS I should add that I really want to do the octopus, fully intend to do so, and bulkhead mounted as well so I never have to guess again... an' all that.... just not this week! too much to do. does this flexi pipe run to the octopod then? sorry, I've got all the diagrams and so on but just haven't had a second to sit down and study them.

[MULLEY]

Its worth trying to cut the pipe back, however you might find that it re-splits, so by the time you've cut back enough of the pipe to re-attach, there's no slack left in it as it winds its way upto the lhm tank, it'll then effectively split again quite quickly. Replacement is the way to go unfortunately i think, see my recent experience for further info, i just decided to get both sets done so that i won't have the hassle again for another 18 years

[citronut]

this is the very short tentical of the main octapussy.

if you are going to try and bodge it it is easier with the track rod end disconected from the hub, and the steering wound hard right,

but at the end of the day it is quicker to fit a new pussy,

otherwise you could need to keep returning under there to fix another leak at a diferent point,

you can always drop by one sunny day and attempt to fit the octapussy with little suppervision,


regards malcolm

[ken newbold]

That's one of the reasons it splits where it does, because of the tight bend.
By the time you've cut it back, even a little bit, it will be even tighter and prone to splitting.

[citronut]

it perishis right were it bend's,


regards malcolm

[tim]

OK, that makes sense. Bought a new pencil torch this a.m., and took a look when I got in this pm.Yes, that's what it was all right, and I now understand what you meant Ken, having looked at the diagrams I printed off. As y'all say, the short run from the pod. I did manage to pull the pipe off the stub and cut it back a cm but then I hit a problem, I simply couldn't get the pipe to fit over the stub, too old and no 'give' left in the rubber. There was enough length (just) but only being able to get two fingers in was the main problem.
What I DID manage was to fit a new length of pipe over the stub, and I am going to go to Halfords before work to pick up one of their nylon connectors, fit it into the old pipe (which I can now reach) so I'm basically extending the pipe a bit. I can't see a problem with this except that a) it's a bodge but only needs to last a couple of weeks and b) you might not like my choice of bridging piece. As a bulkhead-mounted pod would need 'extensions' anyway, if not the nylon pieces, what would do:should buy a flaring tool and make proper short steel pipe bridges? Comments and criticism welcomed!

[citronut]

if you can get a nylon coupling small enough bore that will be fine,

i have in the past used a short length of 3.5 copper hydraulic pipe,

but as sure as eggs is eggs you will be back in there in the near future,


regards malcolm

[ken newbold]

Pencil torch I use a 500w Halogen lamp Maybe I'm just addicted to the smell of LHM evaporating off the thing

[mat_fenwick]

I use a 500w Halogen lamp

They're buggers when you catch your elbow on them though! For under the car work I use a 38w 2D flourescent lamp with a headtorch.

[citronut]

Pencil torch I use a 500w Halogen lamp Maybe I'm just addicted to the smell of LHM evaporating off the thing

at least that will warm/soften all the pipes up so they come off and on easier


regards malcolm

[tim]

OK - job done. The Halfords double connector I got was a failure, it's white plastic and is flimsier than the nylon T-pieces I used to replace the Y junctions; it broke under the strain of wrestling a tight pipe onto it. Quick raid of the cupboard produced an old length of old Triumph hydraulic metal pipe, which was a good tight fit. Cut short length, push onto both pipes as far as possible, bridge achieved. The real reason the pipe failed was only partly due to ageing, like I said it was badly fitted and bent at a sharp 90% angle as soon as it came off the stub - talk about setting up a failure point. There were other and better routes the fitter could and should have used. I now have a week or two to set aside a day to fit the new octopus, and I'm confident the temporary repair will last for a month or two; the pod may well fail again, but it's not likely to do so in the small area of this repair at least.

[citronut]

good to here you have made some sort of fix,

it is usualy a tight curve from the main body of the pussy to the spout on the H/C, as they only allow a very shortstub of pipe, and its in such a confined space which if it were to long it would foul the driveshaft or sub frame,


have fun with your full octapussy instalation


regards malcolm