Frostycab

Frostycab

Active Member
Right guys, half way through changing the ball joints on the rangie and have been reading Rave on aligning the hub to prevent the oil seal failing. The diagrams aren't very clear and don't show a great deal of the tool used.

My original plan was to refit the axle with a new seal and measure the gap around the plate with feeler gauges to centralise it then try and measure to the edges of the swivel hub. but short of popping the cv joint off and measuring to the centre of the shaft I'm stuck for an idea from there...

Has anyone else done this? Anyone have any tips or tricks to aligning these? Or even better pics of the tool or something they're knocked up so I can make something up as well.
 
The tool is about £900.00 so don't think you will be buying one to do the job. Think Irish rover may have one, he may lend it you for a few beer tokens.
 
Thanks Wammers, I'll drop him a PM and see what I can sort out. Good old landrover, £900 of tool to save £5 of seal! :rolleyes:

Alway forget to say nice plane by the way. Not sure I'd have the guts to fly something I built by hand... I can barely bring myself to trust lying on a bed I built from IKEA!
 
Frostycab said:
Thanks Wammers, I'll drop him a PM and see what I can sort out. Good old landrover, £900 of tool to save £5 of seal! :rolleyes:

Alway forget to say nice plane by the way. Not sure I'd have the guts to fly something I built by hand... I can barely bring myself to trust lying on a bed I built from IKEA!
Click to expand...


If you don't move the adjuster it should not be a million miles out.
 
True, I'll just always have the niggle in the back of my head the seals going to fail!

But to be honest the hub came off easier then expected with the proper tools so no great loss if it goes again!
 
The tool slides into the axle case locates on the seal housing and is retained by a dog. You then have a slip ring that slides on the tool and into the hub. Ball joints are adjusted up or down on adjusters until slip ring can be engaged. It's pretty simple but lots of money to buy. How they get the price of the tooling items god only knows.
 
Need to have mine done before October. Think I'll be finding a garage to do it for me! I'm a little annoyed as these are in a replacement axle - there was nothing wrong with the ones in my original. Ah well.
 
Ball joints done! What a ball ache!

Took an Enerpac, a 25ton pancake jack and a frame used for our bearing puller at work but they flew out once I got everything set up!

Got some odd looks from the neighbors though!

I even needed the enerpac to push out the ABS sensor as it was totally welded in there!

Got the hub back on and took some rough measurements and the axle would appear to be sitting low but as I've not touched the adjuster I'm not going to condem it just like that.

Going to see how long it lasts as the hub will need to come off later for more work (wheel bearing is scrap but had a spare hub to get me going again) But it looks like I'm going to have to find some solution to this.

I spoke to Irishrover via Pm Wammers and he's sold on that tool, need to go hunt down the lad he sold it too now! but thanks for the heads up.
 
The alignment tool function is basically a shaft which is clamped to the axle tube by the "Toggle" which is very slightly smaller (.005") than a machined bore in the axle. Mounted on the shaft is a "Bung" which has a diameter slightly smaller than the bore of the swivel housing ( about .005""), where the hub is located. The procedure is that the shaft is clamped and the "Bung" is slid along the shaft to see if it enters freely into the swivel bore..if not. the ball joint collet must be adjusted to either raise or lower the swivel until the bung freely enters the bore. The left to right position is fixed but the vertical position is adjustable. Just make sure that the swivel bore is free of corrosion and rust by using an abraisive flap wheel before trying the alignment.
After adjustment, liberally coat the bore and faces of the swivel with copper grease...this will make future removal of the hub easier...something that those of you that have removed a rusted and siezed hub will recognise and appreciate.
 
Last edited:
Irishrover said:
The alignment tool function is basically a shaft which is clamped to the axle tube by the "Toggle" which is very slightly smaller (.005") than a machined bore in the axle. Mounted on the shaft is a "Bung" which has a diameter slightly smaller than the bore of the swivel housing ( about .005""), where the hub is located. The procedure is that the shaft is clamped and the "Bung" is slid along the shaft to see if it enters freely into the swivel bore..if not. the ball joint collet must be adjusted to either raise or lower the swivel until the bung freely enters the bore. The left to right position is fixed but the vertical position is adjustable. Just make sure that the swivel bore is free of corrosion and rust by using an abraisive flap wheel before trying the alignment.
After adjustment, liberally coat the bore and faces of the swivel with copper grease...this will make future removal of the hub easier...something that those of you that have removed a rusted and siezed hub will recognise and appreciate.
Click to expand...


You don't have the dimensions do you John?
 
Now you describe it like that Irishrover I can picture in my head how it works. I've dropped ZZR1200 a pm as well, cheers

My plan now is to use a length of tube same diameter as the driveshaft, machine one end down small enough to insert into the output part of the diff then make a collar to fit the external bore of the axle case.

Now if I make this long enough to fit a bung on the end that should do the trick I think.

Thankfully I sould have all these goodies at work just ripe for the picking hehe!

Wish I had measured the ruddy shaft now while I had the passengers side out! Anyone got some lying around they could take a quick measure of?
 
wammers said:
You don't have the dimensions do you John?
Click to expand...

I don't at the moment 'cos we are over in the UK. We are planning to travel back to Ireland next week to get the move sorted out.
I have the new spare axle in the garage and will measure the axle tube and swivel hub bores. I have a digital vernier, inside micrometers etc. and it will be easy to do. Bear with me and I will post them as soon as I get back so WATCH THIS SPACE !!!
 
Irishrover said:
I don't at the moment 'cos we are over in the UK. We are planning to travel back to Ireland next week to get the move sorted out.
I have the new spare axle in the garage and will measure the axle tube and swivel hub bores. I have a digital vernier, inside micrometers etc. and it will be easy to do. Bear with me and I will post them as soon as I get back so WATCH THIS SPACE !!!
Click to expand...

Thanks mate will be able to knock one up then. Cheers.
 
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