The rear axle adds the complexity of brake pipes and bleeding marks everything afterwards, the front is mainly just bolts so it would be logical to suggest the rear would cost a little more, but that said who knows
Opinions on this trolley jack?
- Thread starter AnthonyH
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Opinions on this trolley jack?
I'm still hoping that once my hip is replaced I'll be up to doing this myself. I'd like to do it myself. Just have to wait and see how it all goes. Becky's MOT is due March next year and I'm hoping the op can be scheduled for September/October. They say the recovery from a hip op is much quicker than knees and I recovered from them quite quickly, So maybe?
You'll be up and about the same day. Knees are much more painful and take a lot more physio to get the range of movement back, hips not so much you have the range of movement and less pain so much easier to get going and get back to normal.
I am going to tackle the rear subframe on the punto soon, not looking forward to it. It is a whole subframe assembly with shocks, springs and brakes and brake balancer all attached so all comes off in one piece but being at the back of the car the bolts and screws are subject to much more salt and water from both the front and rear wheels kicking stuff up from the road
Still for 25 years old the subframe is solid Fiat really dropped the ball on these newer 500s and Pandas, you'll definitely see a lot of much newer fiats in scrap yards thanks to rust issues.
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Thanks! It is a lot more effort than an exhaust or brakes which can cost £300, so £600 for a front subframe probably isn't far off the mark.
My first "big" job was the rear brakes, it took me what felt like a lifetime. I do need new rear axle bushes on my other GP but its too much effort when I can go over bumps a bit slower...
Beckys rear axle can't be too bad if it passed the MOT, so no rush.
It'll be interesting to see how that goes!
I was lucky that the front subframe bolts came off easily, the car has had new control arms and the subframe had been dropped to get them on, so the bolts had been unbunged in the not too distant past.
I like using my air gun on stuff like this and letting it rattle them gently between "tighten" and "loosen" a few times before really trying to undo them.
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I presume this works in reverse, i haven't given the subframe bolts a final tighten yet becaue i may have to lower it a little to get the arms back on. So i'll bear this in mind.
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I'm talking about bolts (and nuts) which I suspect may be either very tight or corroded in place. Applying some shocking forces with the impact wrench by trying to tighten, loosen, tighten, loosen a number of times, ie. "shocking" the fixing, before trying to actually undo them often sometimes the corrosion - a good spray of Plus Gas is also recommended. It's no mistake that I've put "tighten" first as this action alone sometimes breaks a seized bolt free.
I’d have to agree with jock on this one, I only got an impact driver this year but it’s make things so much easier as the hammer action hundreds of times a minute breaks up surface rust without sheering the bold.
Something to put on your Christmas list @AnthonyH
Edit l, I did have an air powered impact driver but by the time I’d dragged the compressor out of the shed, near deafened myself filling the tank and being a weak compressor got about 30 seconds use out of it, I basically stopped bothering to get it out
Something to put on your Christmas list @AnthonyH
Edit l, I did have an air powered impact driver but by the time I’d dragged the compressor out of the shed, near deafened myself filling the tank and being a weak compressor got about 30 seconds use out of it, I basically stopped bothering to get it out
Ive put a video up of it not best work. But the wrench is great quality
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I got one of the control arms on tonight - with a struggle. But the other one just wouldn't go in at all. There's some knack to it that I don't know?
I also tried to reconnect the steering column pinch bolt in the cabin, but it didn't want to go in easily and I was a bit too worried to try and force it. There is a spline or flat bit on the column but as i haven't moved the steering it should have just slid back on? Or is there something i'm missing?
I also tried to reconnect the steering column pinch bolt in the cabin, but it didn't want to go in easily and I was a bit too worried to try and force it. There is a spline or flat bit on the column but as i haven't moved the steering it should have just slid back on? Or is there something i'm missing?
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The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I took the pinch bolt out of my Panda, it was a pain to get it back in! In the end I had nearly given up and it fell back on as easy as you like. It may only go back in one position. Don't force anything just gently persist and it will go back. Move the steering wheel slightly side to side a few degrees to realign the splines, but again dont overdo it. I now make certain the wheels are straight before starting then when you put the steering wheel straight you know its on right. Check where the wheels are pointing and adjust steeering wheel to match. You may need to move the joint up the column to align the bolt ithe the slot in the column. Try a small screww driver in teh hole to help align things.
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I will give that a try. Appears it wants an exact angle.
What's so bad about turning the steering wheel? I haven't because I've read it's bad, but would like to know.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
You can end up with the steering wheel misaligned apart from looking bad self cancelling indicators are mucked up and you cant see the dials when going along.. If this happens you have to get the wheels straight and then remove and refit the wheel in the straight ahead position, so worth checking it is straight before final tightening. The Panda book says replace the pinch bolt every time its removed. I havn't done this, but its important not to overtighten it. I use a small amount of low adhesion nut locker and torque it as specified. I shall get a few bolts in stock when next at our local bolt and fixing stockist.
The steering column and steering rack splines must line up exactly, so if not sure put a little tippex mark where the flat or blank is on the spline and check the column shaft matches exactly, as @The Panda Nut says do not force it , once in correct position it should slide onto splines easily.
Another reason apart from the indicator cancel position is the "Air Bag Squib" this is a coil spring arrangement just below the steering wheel which allows the left and right turning of the steering wheel in normal use to still transmit power fro the air bag in steering wheel an on some vehicles the horn operation. If this is wrong it will strain the "squib" causing early failure!
Another thing is not to pull the column up and down in relation to the steering shaft as this can affect things too.
They are grade 10.9, not the usual 8.8.
They are almost identical to the ones for the bottom suspension pinch bolt, which are also 'single use', so a small bagful can be useful. (Been there, done that.)
Regarding getting the bolt back through the hole on the rack joint. If you look at the splines on the pinion you'll see there's a "flat" machined into the side of it - you can clearly see this in the picture you posted of the built up new subframe about one page ago on this thread. The bottom of the column has to be "just right" for the bolt to go through the hole. So neither pushed too far onto the splines nor too little otherwise the bolt won't line up with this "flat" (or slot, or whatever it's proper name is?) The same applies if you are even one spline out either right or left. Most racks now a days have a "master spline" which is thicker than all the rest which means the joint on the bottom of the column will only slide on in the one position - I can't remember if ours are like this as it's been a long time since I've had to have one off, thank goodness.
Someone above suggested sticking a screwdriver through the hole to help line it all up and, as long as the splines are lined up correctly, this works well. Can I suggest a cross headed type rather than a flat blade. Don't get too "physical" with the bolt itself because if you cause damage to the threads then life gets much more difficult. If you get it lined up right then it should just slip in. It's a similar situation to many front suspension bottom ball joint pins which are retained by a similar locking bolt. The ball joint pin has a groove in it's side so unless the pin is not too far in or out of the hole in the hub the bolt won't go through.
Someone above suggested sticking a screwdriver through the hole to help line it all up and, as long as the splines are lined up correctly, this works well. Can I suggest a cross headed type rather than a flat blade. Don't get too "physical" with the bolt itself because if you cause damage to the threads then life gets much more difficult. If you get it lined up right then it should just slip in. It's a similar situation to many front suspension bottom ball joint pins which are retained by a similar locking bolt. The ball joint pin has a groove in it's side so unless the pin is not too far in or out of the hole in the hub the bolt won't go through.
Dont tighten bolts up with an impact gun, there's a good chance of shearing or stripping them
Absolutely. I have two air impact guns, one is a cheapie Machine mart jobbie which would be hard pushed to skin a rice pudding the other is a Chicago Pneumatic which I bought to tackle stuff like the notoriously tight crankshaft front pulley bolt on my daughter in law's Jazz. It's an absolute animal! It actually has 3 presets which limit torque but I wouldn't trust it. Absolute magic at undoing tight stuff though!
Edit. The CP needs lots of air though. My 3hp 14cfm compressor (probably about 10.5 cfm free air) on a 100 litre receiver just about keeps up with it!
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I got the other control arm on this morning, it needed grease to allow me to wrestle it into position and then i ran out of time and haven't tried to get the steering pinch bolt back on. The comments above are good and i'm sure it won't be too difficult....
I have an impact gun but hadn't thought to use it to loosen nuts and bolts with a juddering action, i'll keep that in mind, i tend not to use it much in case i break or de-thread bolts by accident.
I'm not so happy with my Halfords axle stand as I noticed a split in it this morning, i'm reluctant to get under the car now and have propped it with an additional trolley jack.
Any recommends for a new set of stands? Mid-range in price.
I have an impact gun but hadn't thought to use it to loosen nuts and bolts with a juddering action, i'll keep that in mind, i tend not to use it much in case i break or de-thread bolts by accident.
I'm not so happy with my Halfords axle stand as I noticed a split in it this morning, i'm reluctant to get under the car now and have propped it with an additional trolley jack.
Any recommends for a new set of stands? Mid-range in price.
Given that their only real purpose, what have you been doing with it???
