Technical Front suspension refresh

[koalar]

I can get that done tomorrow as I still do a little bit of part time work for a haulage company I've worked at for the last 27 years.

Lucky bonus

When tightening back up, how tight do they need to be as

The top nut the holds the top hat washer on. Is only there to stop the strut falling out when you jack the car up

Just nipped up is fine

I didn't do up the N/S to the extent it was when undoing. If I can release it the way you say I might do away with the self locking ( simmons if I'm not mistaken) and use two normal nuts, the top one locking the bottom one.
What are your thoughts on the rubber of the N/S mount.

To be expected from 20 year old rubber

No doubt the left engine mount will be in a similar condition

 

[Yolanda]

Lucky bonus


The top nut the holds the top hat washer on. Is only there to stop the strut falling out when you jack the car up

Just nipped up is fine

To be expected from 20 year old rubber

No doubt the left engine mount will be in a similar condition

Engine mount or top mount? If you ment the other top mount it looks fine. I think I'll get a new top mount and garter assembly and see how it goes.
Thanks all for your input.

 

[koalar]

Engine mount or top mount? If you ment the other top mount it looks fine. I think I'll get a new top mount and garter assembly and see how it goes.
Thanks all for your input.

Take a look at the driver side engine mount, it's had to see, a photo with flash is easiest.

It's fairly common for the insert 1 to delaminate out of the rubber and cracks to appear at 2

Mines in a state and has been for over a year. But isn't concerning me yet. Looks

Thought there was a photo of mine on here somewhere but I can't find it. Maybe I took a photo but didn't post it

Seeing as the rubber will be the same age as the top mount it's worth inspecting

 

[DaveMcT]

Engine mounts on my diesel had lost large areas of zinc plating but cleaned up and now painted with aluminium/zinc primer. The rubbers were ok.

I assume (at £37) that this is the petrol engine version

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This is the diesel. Maybe I should get one before they vanish off the market. But mine is ok so seems like overkill and not its cheap at £80.

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[The Panda Nut]

See Panda Torque specs in the resources section. I believe 48lb/ft so not vastly tight, The strut mount nut is a little more. I ground two flats on a socket and used a crows foot spanner and torque wrench. I could hold the allen key with difficulty!! I would now do the nut by hand /experience as I can do it pretty accurately.

If the rubber is cracking change it as it will affect tyre wear. They are around £20 each.

 

[koalar]

See Panda Torque specs in the resources section. I believe 48lb/ft so not vastly tight, The strut mount nut is a little more. I ground two flats on a socket and used a crows foot spanner and torque wrench. I could hold the allen key with difficulty!! I would now do the nut by hand /experience as I can do it pretty accurately.

If the rubber is cracking change it as it will affect tyre wear. They are around £20 each.

Can you check this seems a little tight

I'd expect less,

33 ft/lb is for the 500 but that's a 12mm nut and most pandas normally have a 10mm

I maybe wrong, Elearn could be wrong,

Here's the 500 which will problely confuse everyone

 

[koalar]

Looking at the torque settings

The suspension arm ball joint looks way out for an M8 pinch bolt

I must be reading the chart wrong

I can't figure out what I am doing wrong

As the alloy and steel wheels are as expected

Are they taken from Haynes?

 

[The Panda Nut]

Looking at the torque settings

The suspension arm ball joint looks way out for an M8 pinch bolt

I must be reading the chart wrong

I can't figure out what I am doing wrong

As the alloy and steel wheels are as expected

Are they taken from Haynes?

yes
I did our to these settings and it has been fine.

 

[koalar]

Elearn isn't 100% sometimes different between the data torque settings area and the procedures sections, but they are normaly they are in the same ball park.

Haynes seems way off.

For example if you if you tried to use twice the recommended on the pinch bolt it would snap clean off

I am not sure if it's been corrected in latter additions. I think it might have or M8 and M10 pinch bolts are now listed seperately

 

[DaveMcT]

The bottom ball joint pinch bolt is there to (erm) pinch the clamp into the ball joint pin and to stop the pin falling out. In my opinion, it's far better a little under tight as a snapped bolt could fall out and allow the pin to come loose as well.

Generic MAXIMUM specs for M5 to M30 from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metric-bolts-maximum-torque-d_2054.html

I would use grade 10.8 but tighten to 30 Nm. Its more than enough to clamp the bracket and well within the bolts limit.

 

[chris3234]

The bottom ball joint pinch bolt is there to (erm) pinch the clamp into the ball joint pin and to stop the pin falling out. In my opinion, it's far better a little under tight as a snapped bolt could fall out and allow the pin to come loose as well.

Generic MAXIMUM specs for M5 to M30 from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metric-bolts-maximum-torque-d_2054.html

View attachment 422175
I would use grade 10.8 but tighten to 30 Nm. Its more than enough to clamp the bracket and well within the bolts limit.

2774 nm

Guess that a 10 tone excavator digger arm needed to tighten

 

[Yolanda]

Thank you. Without a detailed diagram of of the front strut, I think I'm going to need.
Top mounts x2 (are the bearings integral)
Bump stop & gaitor x2 ( N/S has broken up )
Spring seats I'm not sure about as I can't see them on any diagram when googled or where they fit.
M10 bolts x4
If anyone has or can direct me to a detailed diagram I would be most grateful.

OK. To add to my post,the bump stop and gaitor I refered to according to Shop4parts, is called a front strut buffer on the 2 wheel drive car (which mine is) and Front shocker cover on the 4x4 So the parts are now ordered. This is where a exploded diagram with part names would be extremely helpful when ordering. If anyone has one, please post.

 

[koalar]

OK. To add to my post,the bump stop and gaitor I refered to according to Shop4parts, is called a front strut buffer on the 2 wheel drive car (which mine is) and Front shocker cover on the 4x4 So the parts are now ordered. This is where a exploded diagram with part names would be extremely helpful when ordering. If anyone has one, please post.

44301/00 - FRONT SUSPENSION

FIAT NUOVA PANDA (2003-2009)

eper.fiatforum.com

 

[DaveMcT]

i simply got Febi-Bilstein bump stops from eBay. The originals were not bad but for the price I just replaced them.
Personally I’d be happier if they had rubber bellows gaiters that clip to the top of the shock. They would do a better job of keeping the seal clean.

 

[Yolanda]

44301/00 - FRONT SUSPENSION

FIAT NUOVA PANDA (2003-2009)

eper.fiatforum.com

Very handy. Thank you.

 

[DaveMcT]

2774 nm

Guess that a 10 tone excavator digger arm needed to tighten

Which image are you looking at?

 

[chris3234]

Which image are you looking at?

12.9 bolt M30


Wouldn't like to think what it would take to put that level of torque into something

 

[DaveMcT]

It's amazing how the torque figures amplify as the bolts get bigger.

 

[Yolanda]

Did the job today as you can see the bump stop was in a sorry state. The the top mount didn't look all that bad after the spring pressure was released, however the ride height is the same on both sides now 61 cm so it must have been on its way out. The top mount came with the bearing but the old one looked and felt fine so I'll keep hold of that.
Thanks to all for the help on this matter.

 

[DaveMcT]

Despite new (correct for the car) front springs, my Multijet looks low at the front. I have one new top mount and it needs one new strut so I'll get another top mount and a pair of struts. Don't want it lop sided.