Joe's Woes (Suspension help for noob please!)

KruJoe · Post by **KruJoe** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:19 pm

I've previewed this [pun intended] in the Autoshite News 24 thread, so sorry if some of you have seen it already.
It's the ex-Richard BX14, and it still hasn't had a wash since living here, so apologies for that!
Other things to worry about:

An occasional rear end creak, and a tiny hint of negative camber is leading me to suspect the trailing arm bearings:

This is with the car set high.

The mudflaps don't help the illusion, but...

I'm sure they're leaning a bit, esp the near side:

I can only just get my fingertips between the tyre and the chassis rail there. Off side:

Did I read there should be about an inch there? Enough to get most of my hand in?

...and dampness in the the nsf hub area show a leak there too.
Viewed from the front:

Now there's fluid on the tyre so it must be more than a slight 'weep'.

From the splatter pattern, it looks to be coming from the free end of this pipe.

Viewed over the wheel:

The car goes up and down fine, and still drives lovely, but needs attention at both ends so I'm displeased to say the least

I've read the "Replacing Rear Arm Bearings" thread, but I don't fancy tackling it myself. I've done plenty of fettling in my time, but that seems like a tough one. How much should I be paying someone to do it?
I've found the kits at £30-ish per side on eBay, are they available cheaper?

Does anyone have a diagnosis / treatment / prognosis on the front end LHM leak?
Thankyouplease.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:56 pm

Typical BX issue. The rear arm bearings do need doing, and sadly it isn't cheap: I got a pair done last summer by my local specialist and it cost £320 all in.

But given the car was so cheap in the first place it wasn't too painful.

The front issue could be leaking strut return pipe. A common failure and not pricey to remedy.However I'm not sure as the leak is usually evident in a slightly different area. Someone'll be along with a better idea I'm sure.

Nice, rare BX there. Well worth getting fixed up I'd say.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:20 pm

£30 for a bearing kit sounds about right, and yes yours do need doing. The strut return pipe should be around £7-10.

Post by **Defender110** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:04 pm

Yes your front leak is just the strutt return pipe, that 'free end' you refare to actually looks like a split pipe, very common and easy to fix.

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:11 pm

Defender110 wrote:Yes your front leak is just the strutt return pipe, that 'free end' you refare to actually looks like a split pipe, very common and easy to fix.

I knew it really... I should have courage in my convictions. !!!

But a kit for £30 (all in I presume)? Where from?

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:39 pm

RxBX · Post by **RxBX** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 11:40 pm

Philip Chidlow wrote:..................
But a kit for £30 (all in I presume)? Where from?

Phil,
I think it's THIS E-Bay listing but it's a little more than £30 (£39.34 or £74.68 for a pair, if bought @ the same time) but they do come complete with a new spindle/spindle nut too so quite a reasonable price IMHO compared to THIS which realised £90.96 (With P/P)

So if you need a spare/pair hit the BIN as there's only 2 available with the AEP listing !

KruJoe · Post by **KruJoe** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:12 am

Thank you gentlemen, very helpful. (Any ladies on here BTW?)
Yes, that £32.84+P+P listing was the one I found on my first quick search.

The AEP deal looks like the one, if I order two they'll P+P free (over £50). But first I'll give my local motor factors a chance; I'm going into town in the morning. I ought to have a bottle of LHM I think!

Looking at my pictures again, could the pipe have broken and separated completely? Is that what I'm looking at? I'm in my PJs now, so I'm not going out with a torch to whip off the wheel and poke my freshly shampoo'd head in the wheel-arch!
If that's the case, this 'return pipe' must only carry a bit of fluid at low pressure, is that right?
If so, could I just slip in a bit of steel/copper pipe, or sleeve it with rubber pipe? (Secured with little jubilee clips.)
Would I encounter issues of pressure? What about the material... does LHM dissolve anything?
I'm a fan of a semi-permanent bodge, if it does the job and saves a bob. Can you tell?

Gratuitous picture for your troubles

Thanks very much again, folks.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 8:10 am

i think £160 quid a side is a bit steeeeeeeep Phill,

i do these at the very most 1.5 hours a side at £30 pound an hour + parts,

unless every thing is completly seized up,

in all the rear arm's i have done i have only had one car that evry thing was stuck solid,

regards malcolm

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 9:44 am

KruJoe wrote: I'm in my PJs now, so I'm not going out with a torch to whip off the wheel and poke my freshly shampoo'd head in the wheel-arch!

Stick with BX ownership and you won't need shampoo much longer!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 10:59 am

Malcolm, it is steep. I think Dennis paid £60 a side for the kits, (now I will give them to him!), and his hourly rate is higher too. But not that high

I think I'll have to go back over the bills and see what was included.

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:03 pm

Just heard this morning that Malcolm Lockwood is still selling the SKF kits for £30!

Philip Chidlow · Post by **Philip Chidlow** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:10 pm

That's incredibly good value isn't it? SKF are OE are they not?

Philip Chidlow wrote:I think I'll have to go back over the bills and see what was included.

Ah, price included fitting two new spheres.

Post by **Defender110** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:03 pm

KruJoe wrote:
Looking at my pictures again, could the pipe have broken and separated completely? Is that what I'm looking at? I'm in my PJs now, so I'm not going out with a torch to whip off the wheel and poke my freshly shampoo'd head in the wheel-arch!
If that's the case, this 'return pipe' must only carry a bit of fluid at low pressure, is that right?
If so, could I just slip in a bit of steel/copper pipe, or sleeve it with rubber pipe? (Secured with little jubilee clips.)
Would I encounter issues of pressure? What about the material... does LHM dissolve anything?
I'm a fan of a semi-permanent bodge, if it does the job and saves a bob. Can you tell?

Yes thats how they go, it is just a clean break almost looks cut, i'm of similar ilk and have repaired one of mine using small bore nylon tube and very small fuel pipe clips but I have now done it 3 times as it just splits further along the pipe so I have now ordered a new genuine return to do the job properly. GSF copies are poor quality and several members on here have had less than 12 moths sevice out of them.

Post by **Tim Leech** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 1:19 pm

GSF still do the bearing kits too.