Disco 2 Swivel ball joint help please

EeEk · Mar 29, 2021

Balljoint replacement alone won't and can't affect the self-centrering aspect of the steering.

If done correctly....

I siezed ball joint on the axle of a d2 /p38 makes them very dangerous to drive as the steering will not self centre.....until you have drove something with steering that doesnt self centre you can not imagine what it is like.

I suppose the question is was it like this before? You say the new ball joins cured the squeek so youd assume it was the ball joints that squeeked. Did it drive ok before and is it worse or better now

Sukiemaxie · Mar 30, 2021

Thanks again for your replies, it was definitely noisier before over potholes etc . But your right it Was much nicer to drive before they were changed

berg450 · Mar 30, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
regarding no squeaking

let me just have a question regarding on squeaking. I also have a kind of squeak when turn the steering wheel especially when changing direction slowly (like reverse-forward-reverse). Did you have similar issue?

Sukiemaxie · Mar 30, 2021

Hi there mine was more squeaky going over speed bumps slowly and thins like that , I thought it was the radius arm bushes but having the ball joints changed has made it better in that respect ( it just wont centre itself) ‘
I hope that helps

Sukiemaxie · Mar 30, 2021

Quick update I’ve just been to the the tyre shop and the tracking is out by 4 degrees apparently however the rear drag link (if thats the right name for it) is seized solid so i need to order a new one before we can proceed

Stanleysteamer · Mar 30, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Quick update I’ve just been to the the tyre shop and the tracking is out by 4 degrees apparently however the rear drag link (if thats the right name for it) is seized solid so i need to order a new one before we can proceed

4 Degrees is well out, so that is quite a lot of your problem!
Seized stuff can usually be deseized with effort, tools, liquids, heat etc, but you need the time and a workshop to do it in once you've got it off the car.
So I'm going to stick my neck out and say you've found the problem.
Best of luck!

Sukiemaxie · Mar 31, 2021

Thanks for you reply, I didn’t have much time to put the full story earlier.
It seems I have more pressing issues when I was at the tyre shop the fitter came to tell me about the draglink issue ( that is coming tomorrow for £30) but also told me you have quite a bad oil leak which he found out about when it was dripping everywhere whilst he was trying to undo the draglink . Anyway after getting it home and having a look round it appears to be coming from where the lid of the centrifugal filter housing meets the main body of it. ( I should probably start a new post about this) and after taking the lid off and cleaning it all it seems that someone has replaced the bolt closest to the block with a longer bolt however the thread has stripped and won’t tighten sufficiently. And it’s leaking especially when just ticking over .
Anyone got any advice on how I can sort this out now ? it will be very much appreciated.
Never rains does it .
cheers

meego · Mar 31, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Thanks for you reply, I didn’t have much time to put the full story earlier.
It seems I have more pressing issues when I was at the tyre shop the fitter came to tell me about the draglink issue ( that is coming tomorrow for £30) but also told me you have quite a bad oil leak which he found out about when it was dripping everywhere whilst he was trying to undo the draglink . Anyway after getting it home and having a look round it appears to be coming from where the lid of the centrifugal filter housing meets the main body of it. ( I should probably start a new post about this) and after taking the lid off and cleaning it all it seems that someone has replaced the bolt closest to the block with a longer bolt however the thread has stripped and won’t tighten sufficiently. And it’s leaking especially when just ticking over .
Anyone got any advice on how I can sort this out now ? it will be very much appreciated.
Never rains does it .
cheers

A common fix on the filter housing when someone over tightens and strips the threads is to drill the thread out and put a longer bolt in with a nut. If yours has had this done already, maybe the nut has loosened and fell off.

jamesmartin · Mar 31, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Thanks for you reply, I didn’t have much time to put the full story earlier.
It seems I have more pressing issues when I was at the tyre shop the fitter came to tell me about the draglink issue ( that is coming tomorrow for £30) but also told me you have quite a bad oil leak which he found out about when it was dripping everywhere whilst he was trying to undo the draglink . Anyway after getting it home and having a look round it appears to be coming from where the lid of the centrifugal filter housing meets the main body of it. ( I should probably start a new post about this) and after taking the lid off and cleaning it all it seems that someone has replaced the bolt closest to the block with a longer bolt however the thread has stripped and won’t tighten sufficiently. And it’s leaking especially when just ticking over .
Anyone got any advice on how I can sort this out now ? it will be very much appreciated.
Never rains does it .
cheers

6mm recoil/helicoil kit

meego · Mar 31, 2021

jamesmartin said:
6mm recoil/helicoil kit

That would be my choice as I hate bodge jobs. In fact it’s beyond me how folk strip these threads in the first place as they don’t need to be that tight.

Sukiemaxie · Mar 31, 2021

Couple of questions:
1; if it has a helicoil can that be done in place or must the housing be taken out?
2: if i try a nut on the already longer bolt is there access behind there or does anything need loosening off first to get to it ?

Cheers

meego · Mar 31, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Couple of questions:
1; if it has a helicoil can that be done in place or must the housing be taken out?
2: if i try a nut on the already longer bolt is there access behind there or does anything need loosening off first to get to it ?

Cheers

I’ve never done it, so not sure. Have a look and see though. If you can get your finger under the hole I would guess you can get a nut on it. I would use a Nyloc nut or spring washer on it.

Stanleysteamer · Mar 31, 2021

meego said:
That would be my choice as I hate bodge jobs. In fact it’s beyond me how folk strip these threads in the first place as they don’t need to be that tight.

More or less agree, but as so many of us buy these secondhand we can never know how ham-fisted a previous mechanic/owner has been. And steel in an ally thread is a recipe for disaster at the best of times. I too have had this problem and I am as careful as heck with threads in ally. At the mo one thread is fine and the other is dodgy, but there is sufficient there to hold it. If the dodgy one get worse I'll go for the long bolt, nut and lock-washer method. As I don't have a Helicoil kit and in the past I have had bad experience with them. Fitted by a garage, the Helicoil itself started winding out!

meego · Mar 31, 2021

Stanleysteamer said:
More or less agree, but as so many of us buy these secondhand we can never know how ham-fisted a previous mechanic/owner has been. And steel in an ally thread is a recipe for disaster at the best of times. I too have had this problem and I am as careful as heck with threads in ally. At the mo one thread is fine and the other is dodgy, but there is sufficient there to hold it. If the dodgy one get worse I'll go for the long bolt, nut and lock-washer method. As I don't have a Helicoil kit and in the past I have had bad experience with them. Fitted by a garage, the Helicoil itself started winding out!

I use a grease I have for steel to ally fixings. Can’t remember what it’s called but it’s not Copper Grease. Failing that Vaseline.

Sukiemaxie · Mar 31, 2021

Thanks again ,
Finally got the track rod and tracking done today and drives lovely now so you guys were right in saying that was the main culprit, only thing is now the steering wheel sits a little off central so I guess I’ll take it off and move it round a couple of splines.
She wasn’t leaking today so I must of just nipped the lid up enough , I know it’s not going to last though so I’ll try to get a nut on the longer bolt , but I might as well change the oil and filters at the same time so it doesn’t have to be undone for a while.

Anyway many thanks to all of you who helped with this it is very much appreciated.
Cheers
Tom

Stanleysteamer · Apr 1, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Thanks again ,
Finally got the track rod and tracking done today and drives lovely now so you guys were right in saying that was the main culprit, only thing is now the steering wheel sits a little off central so I guess I’ll take it off and move it round a couple of splines.
She wasn’t leaking today so I must of just nipped the lid up enough , I know it’s not going to last though so I’ll try to get a nut on the longer bolt , but I might as well change the oil and filters at the same time so it doesn’t have to be undone for a while.

Anyway many thanks to all of you who helped with this it is very much appreciated.
Cheers
Tom

Great!

Hellastony · Apr 1, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Thanks again ,
Finally got the track rod and tracking done today and drives lovely now so you guys were right in saying that was the main culprit, only thing is now the steering wheel sits a little off central so I guess I’ll take it off and move it round a couple of splines.
She wasn’t leaking today so I must of just nipped the lid up enough , I know it’s not going to last though so I’ll try to get a nut on the longer bolt , but I might as well change the oil and filters at the same time so it doesn’t have to be undone for a while.

Anyway many thanks to all of you who helped with this it is very much appreciated.
Cheers
Tom

To centralise the steering wheel follow this from item 9 from RAVE. You don't need to remove the wheel...Just adjust the length of the drag link

Sukiemaxie · Apr 1, 2021

Thanks for that, would doing this have any effect on the tracking now its been set up?

P38-DFX · Apr 1, 2021

You need to adjust the front bar that goes from the steering box to the NSF hub. The rear is the track rod which sets the tracking. The front just adjusts where both front wheels point.

Stanleysteamer · Apr 1, 2021

Sukiemaxie said:
Thanks for that, would doing this have any effect on the tracking now its been set up?

TBH the "front end shop" that did the tracking, if, or if not,they fitted the drag link, should have ensured the wheel was centralised before giving it back to you, that is part of the job.

Disco 2 Swivel ball joint help please

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