Opening Inspection Hatches

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TAKdriver

TAKdriver

Active Member
Posts
621
Location
Beside a field in Midlothian
1997 2.5 DSE Auto
I've done the searches but haven'tfound anything on this .
I have already opened an access hatch and replaced the tank pump.
I've now replaced the rear airbags and one has a slow but annoying leak. It is not triggering faults.
I get ****ed off going through the motions of getting it up on jack/stands, wheels off, wheel arch cover off etc etc.. to try to deal with the leak.

Question :has anybody tried opening access hatches above the rear airbags ? ( before anybody calls me a dope for asking I am just an amateur who enjoys playing with a loved P38 !....and I don't mind being called a dope....or worse.)
 
Datatek said:
Look at my "how to Guide" No need to remove the wheel arch covers.
Click to expand...

I studied your much loved guide and used your wonderful cable ! : could not have coped without them. I simply could not manage things in the space available and the v.small increase with the covers off was needed. Even at that I still found it difficult which is why I was asking re the hatches !
What I had in mind was to slide a sheet of metal/wood over the top of the bag to ensure to contact with the pipes and to open a decent sized hatch.
Old bags had plainly been in there for years and pins were rusted in. I ended up having to cut the bags out and drill the top pin from underneath. Whole thing was a pain so , again, ....would hatches work ?
Thanks
 
If the pins aren't corroded it's easy to remove the air bags with the arches and wheels on. I've done it and I'm no expert mechanic :)
 
TAKdriver said:
I studied your much loved guide and used your wonderful cable ! : could not have coped without them. I simply could not manage things in the space available and the v.small increase with the covers off was needed. Even at that I still found it difficult which is why I was asking re the hatches !
What I had in mind was to slide a sheet of metal/wood over the top of the bag to ensure to contact with the pipes and to open a decent sized hatch.
Old bags had plainly been in there for years and pins were rusted in. I ended up having to cut the bags out and drill the top pin from underneath. Whole thing was a pain so , again, ....would hatches work ?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Personally would not cut hatches, no need to. Everything is reasonably easy if you have the correct tools. You are not going to be wanting to get at top of bags every five minutes are you?
 
I found it very awkward pushing the 6mm plastic pipes into the top of the air bags on the rear. I remember one side was worse than the other.

To make it easier I fitted short sections of tube, a couple of inches long, to the rear bags first before I fitted them. I then used straight connectors tucked under the wheel arch cover to connect them up.
 
dave4x4 said:
I found it very awkward pushing the 6mm plastic pipes into the top of the air bags on the rear. I remember one side was worse than the other.

To make it easier I fitted short sections of tube, a couple of inches long, to the rear bags first before I fitted them. I then used straight connectors tucked under the wheel arch cover to connect them up.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I did : I suspect that one of my seatings is not fully home. It's because of the sheer inconvenience of jack,wheel etc that I wondered about a decent access hatch.
 
Forget the hatch.
One trick to get the pipe in is to use a pencil sharpener to put a slight chamfer on the end. Also use a bit of dishwashing liquid a lubricant. Should be two O rings remember.
 
This is what you need. 110855171515 Ebay. Having the right tools is half the battle. Little lube on the pipe push it in then pressure system and push it in again. It will always go in a little further with pressure on the O rings.
 
Last edited:
I did all mine following Datatek's guide. Certainly the rear bags were one on the easiest major jobs I've ever done on a car. I used locking forceps to release and replace the pipes. Don't know where they appeared from, been in my tool kit for years! They meant I could get the pipe off and leave the forceps on ready to fit the pipe on the new bag.
 
wammers said:
This is what you need. 110855171515 Ebay. Having the right tools is half the battle. Little lube on the pipe push it in then pressure system and push it in again. It will always go in a little further with pressure on the O rings.
Click to expand...

Thanks as always folks for your advice : some of this stuff will be straightforward enough for you experts but there's also ones like me who just muddle their way along.
Your help is appreciated.
 
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