Technical Newbie with a couple of questions!

[ally4x4]

Hi All!

I've been a Panda fan for a while now, I bought my first 4x4 over ten years ago but I'm ashamed to say I never made it on to your excellent forum! Now I need your combined experience and wisdom to help me fix up my Sisley please

A couple of years ago I bought a tired Sisley from eBay and it's been sat in my garage looking lonely every since (all my attention went on my Fiat Coupe). Anyway, now I have some time I plan to get the Sisley fixed up and MOT'd, but in the meantime I've forgotten everything I ever learned about these great little cars :bang:

The first issue (predictably) was dripping gearbox oil from the front left inner driveshaft boot. I've bought a new boot and bearing but I'm struggling to find any info on how to remove the old bearing and fit the new one without damaging it (there's nothing online or in the Porter guide) - does anyone have any suggestions? And just to double check, I'm OK sticking in 20w/50 grade engine oil in the gearbox when it's done?

I've also removed the driveshaft mounting place from the gearbox (the one held in by 4 allen bolts). I suspect the o-ring is leaking a bit (from the deposits on the 'box), can I smear some hylomar on this before it goes back on, or do I need to find a new o-ring from somewhere (I couldn't even find it on ePer).

The next issue is oil in the air filter, presumably a breather hose somewhere may be blocked, or does the panda have a PCV hiding somewhere?

Final question (for now!) - should there be some sort of seal between the carb and the airbox? My airbox just sits on top of the carb, so the plastic rests directly on the metal of the carb, which doesn't strike me as being a very good seal.

I hope to come and say hello at a few shows when it's up and running, so any advice very much appreciated!

Ally

 

[aquamarine]

Hi Ally

Welcome! Great to hear about the 4x4 - please do post some pics when you can.

I'll deal with the easy (and quick) bits you've asked. Somebody proper will no doubt be along soon.

There should be a rubber seal between carb and airbox. Will have a look to see if I have a spare. Oil/mayo in the breather isn't unusual - whilst it can if serious be an indicator of head gasket failure, my experience is most engines show some evidence of it. There is a flame trap in the breather hose which is worth cleaning/replacing if blocked.

Driveshaft bearing needs to be drifted off if I remember rightly.

Bye for now!

David

 

[4WDPandamonium]

Hi Ally,


I have done my drive shaft bearing recently so I can tell you first hand what a pain in the a**e it is! To remove you need to drift (bray with a hammer) the old one off the shaft, you have to remove the circlip from the tripod joint also.


I will now tell you how I refitted the bearing.........I'm sure there are better ways. Shaft in the freezer (sorry mum) and bearing in the oven (again sorry mum), low heat for as long as your dare, I think I gave it about 15mins. Then put the bearing back on the shaft making sure you have it the right way round as it isn't coming off again then I drilled a large hole in a piece of wood and put this over the shaft and bearing and drifted (bray with hammer, but with a bit more sympathy than when you removed it) to get it back on. I couldn't get the bearing exactly back to the position with which is came but it was close, a few mm. Tripod joint back on and you will have to bend the circlip, gently does it back to the diameter which it was before you removed it. Oh and don't forget to put the boot on as well doh!


20w/50 classic motor oil is what I put back in my box based on the recommendation of other folks on here.


Hope this helps and someone else will come along and complete the answers and maybe suggest a better way to drift without braying.


Lets see some pics and get your self on the members car count list if you haven't already!


Michael

 

[ally4x4]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies!

David - if you have a seal that would be amazing, if not I'll start trawling for something suitably sized. I'll whip the breathers off too and give them a good clean inc. the flame trap.

The driveshaft bearing does sound like a bit of a faff! The kit I bought seems to have the rubber boot already attached to the bearing, so I'm guessing the oven temp really does need to be kept low (or I could try and remove the rubber bit then refit it I guess.

Excuse my ignorance, what is a bray / drift? If I 'drift' without 'braying' does it involve lots of tyre smoke and no horses?!

 

[kolza]

Hi mate ansd welcome,

Air boxc seal- most of renanult 1.9d(c)ti oil filter housing seal fit nicely on to panda carb.

Haynes manual (blue '91) p. 205 bottom shows dimmensions of sutable drift to insall driveshaft inboad bearing witout damaging it. Worked well for me few time allready.

 

[ally4x4]

Great - thanks for the tips. I'll pop past Hafords and treat it like a library then, thank god for camera phones!

 

[Didge3]

I'm OK sticking in 20w/50 grade engine oil in the gearbox when it's done?

This is a dangerous question to ask around here.... :idea:

 

[Dragon Man]

drive shaft bearing can be fun. i removed the drive shaft from the car completely when i did mine as i replaced both CV boots.

i took a low tech approach to getting the old bearing off. hammer and chisel time. stick the drive axle in the vice, then just hammer one size of the bearing, then the other. you can sort of "walk" it off the shaft that way.

i then used some oil and did the same thing with the new bearing (using a metal bar).. making sure i never hit the outside of the bearing. for me it went on fine. it did mark the bearing but never damaged it. well its not leaking now

as for the oil.. well.. its a good question. ive been told not to use engine oil as the gears can break down the molecular structure of the oil. there are oil equivalents, see >here<

 

[VmanC]

Great - thanks for the tips. I'll pop past Hafords and treat it like a library then, thank god for camera phones!

New Haynes manuals are sealed in cellophane.

Earlier gaiters come with the bearing already fitted but they are plastic, make sure you don't have this type and that your bearing is metal before putting it in the oven. The early plastic ones push on easily anyway.

Hylomar on the flange is fine by the way.

 

[ally4x4]

Not a completely unsuccessful weekend, but what a faff!

It took me an hour with a huge hammer, chisel and even a dremel to get the old bearing off the shaft - I had sweat running off me!

Then on to the new one...I took the rubber boot off the metal bearing and popped it in the oven. Left the driveshaft in the freezer for a few hours, then coated the shaft in oil and put the bearing on, hitting it one tap at a time all around it a load of times. Well, it's on but it's nowhere near as far down the shaft as the old one was so the boot is now quite squished up when it's back on the car. Oh and then the metal cable-tie thing came off as I was putting the strut back in - why is the boot held on to a completely smooth surface and not a recess of some sort - stupid design! Managed to re-use it and get it on tight again though. I may well use some cheap 20/50 engine oil just to check it's not going to fall straight out before putting some expensive Millers stuff in!

Bought a grease gun and did the rear prop UJ and have just ordered some larger Hex sockets so I can get the drain plugs out (no idea how I've managed this in the past on old Pandas if I don't have the tool in my box!?). Then final job was to pick up some new fuel pipe to replace some bits that had split and I even managed to get a rubber washer ring to fit the top of the carb, for free (my local motor factors are great!).

... so, next weekend should be changing all the fluids and then it may even move out of the garage under its own steam for the first time in 2 years, starting to wonder why I didn't start this sooner!