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P38A Ball joints
- Thread starter pete12345
- Start date
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- Posts
- 12,596
- Location
- Sud ouest France !
With the hub carrier off the axle, the lower ball joint should have as much resistance as possible in it. The top will go straight up or straight down a bit with resistance also. Normally if they are floppy then they are buggered 
ooer matron....
ooer matron....
tarphenry
Well-Known Member
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- bury lancs
Its a shame you are not closer, I have just finished mine
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- 2,427
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- Isle Sheppy
Thanks very much thinking mine are ok coz not floppy
Gadgetdave
Member
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- 16
- Location
- Solihull
Hi sorry to resurrect this thread. I’m trying to work out my height adjustment on my P38. I noticed you mentioned the upper joint has vertical play? Is this correct? I could never understand why height adjustment settings were only on the lower joint.With the hub carrier off the axle, the lower ball joint should have as much resistance as possible in it. The top will go straight up or straight down a bit with resistance also. Normally if they are floppy then they are buggered
- Posts
- 12,596
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- Sud ouest France !
If you look under neath the bottom ball joint hole in the axle there is a coller that raises and lowers the hub to get the seal height aligned correctly. This is for any differences in tolerance and should be left well alone and is normally just set for first installation unless you swap the hub for another. The top ball joint allows for this hence the vertical movement.
Gadgetdave
Member
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- 16
- Location
- Solihull
So just to be clear the top ball joint always allows vertical movement? This has had me scratching my head for a year now I couldn’t work out how two castings could be fixed at two points but there was only adjustment on one.
I don’t have the option to leave alone as the hub was previously misaligned and it’s gone through four oil seals in five years.
I’ve carried out some measurements and found the steering hub is 6mm to low. Hence the question. Thank you for the reply.
I don’t have the option to leave alone as the hub was previously misaligned and it’s gone through four oil seals in five years.
I’ve carried out some measurements and found the steering hub is 6mm to low. Hence the question. Thank you for the reply.
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- 2,427
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- Isle Sheppy
You can buy a tool from LR to set up that nut or make your own
- Posts
- 12,596
- Location
- Sud ouest France !
If you look at where the dish on the drive shaft end sits on relation to the axle casing end there is a machined face that sits in-line with the drive shaft seal protector disc. You can see when the the hub is installed roughly where the lower ball joint cup should be adjusted. Only a guide but may help to reduce seal consumption. Are the seals worn at the top or the bottoms of the seals mouth?
Gadgetdave
Member
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- 16
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- Solihull
The drive shaft disc is sitting low almost touching the bottom. I removed the drive shaft and there's wear and deformation on the bottom of the seal.
I've seen the LRT 54-006 tool but the cheapest one I saw was £600. I'm working on an alternative to this tool hence the questions.
I've seen the LRT 54-006 tool but the cheapest one I saw was £600. I'm working on an alternative to this tool hence the questions.
brianp38dse
Well-Known Member
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- 20,004
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- heathrow
There is a youtube vid where the guy uses a alloy tube and part of a bearing race.
- Posts
- 12,596
- Location
- Sud ouest France !
We replaced our lads hub with another as his bearing had gone and we gad a complete unit, I li éd the disk up top and bottom with the axle mouth recess and it's holding its own after 12mths with no sweating. I may have been lucky...
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- Isle Sheppy
I made the bearing race tool but cannot say it’s perfect because the cars still off the rd
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- 19,279
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- Buckinghamshire, UK. ('95 DT)
Entropy_uk tried that.
Gadgetdave
Member
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- 16
- Location
- Solihull
Hi Thank you. the seal is now an oval stretched at the bottom. I’m halfway through will share my alternative idea if it works.
Gadgetdave
Member
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- 16
- Location
- Solihull
Hi I’ve watched this my concern was that the bearing race didn’t sit exactly square to the tube as even a slight misalignment would be a large deflection at the hub position.
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- 2,427
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- Isle Sheppy
I think the late P38 maestro wammers made his own tool for the correct alignment
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