15 replies to this topic

[carlnrtn]

Hi there. I'm renewing all the pivot and bearings from the upper arms. I have put the new bearings in, but do I leave them flush to the edge of the arm, or knock them in as far as they will go?? Thanks,

Carl

[bmcecosse]

Flush!

[carlnrtn]

Flush!

Is it that important? I waited ages for a reply, and really need to get this thing off my drive and in my garage due to a pi55ed off ex of my mums...so I just knocked them in...

Edited by carlnrtn, 03 July 2009 - 03:08 PM.

[DaveRob]

The bearings go at the ends so that the load is taken at the ends and then the top arm load is supported as much as possible...ie over a wider distance.... you risk loading the top arm pin incorrectly by having them to far in...... these bearings should be PULLED in using a puller.... if you 'knocked' them in.... ie with a hammer and old socket.... the chances are you will have distorted the cage.... they do need to be flush and they need to be installed correctly.

Rob

[carlnrtn]

The bearings go at the ends so that the load is taken at the ends and then the top arm load is supported as much as possible...ie over a wider distance.... you risk loading the top arm pin incorrectly by having them to far in...... these bearings should be PULLED in using a puller.... if you 'knocked' them in.... ie with a hammer and old socket.... the chances are you will have distorted the cage.... they do need to be flush and they need to be installed correctly.

Rob

Ah right. Yeah I did use an old socket to drift them in. I don't have the right tools to do it properly. Will it make that much of a difference? It's my brothers first car, and he doesn't know much about cars, so not important if it may affect the handling slightly. They aren't really far in, they will only go so far, like a mm in. As long as it's not dangerous and will pass the MOT is the main thing. Thanks for your help so far.

Carl

[gixer271]

I have just fitted some new bearings in the top arms & I used a piece of wood & a hammer. Knocked them in until they were flush. To check they were OK I moved the top arm up & down when fitted. They felt buttery smooooth. Nice. Didn't need any fandangled special tools. Just my trusty 2x1 & Mr Hammer.

Just check that the bearing feels OK by moving the arm up & down on the pin when fitted to the subframe. Should be OK unless you bent the roller holder in the inside of the bearing.

[DaveRob]

As long as it's not dangerous

This is the critical point..... not the bit about the MOT lol

If its just a millimeter sub flush then I would have thought it should be ok .....unless someone knows better....

Like I said.... the wider spread gives more load carrying capability....

Rob

[bmcecosse]

You hardly 'waited ages' for a reply - I replied exactly 1 hour after your post. But - I will in future try to offer a more speedy service !

[carlnrtn]

You hardly 'waited ages' for a reply - I replied exactly 1 hour after your post. But - I will in future try to offer a more speedy service !

Sorry, didn't mean it like that. I really need this car off my driveway and locked in the garage, so wanted to crack on with it. My mum's ex is the kind of person to do some damage when he's pi55ed off, and the car is currently half way in and half way out of the garage, so we can't close the garage door.

Edited by carlnrtn, 04 July 2009 - 08:37 AM.

[carlnrtn]

I have just fitted some new bearings in the top arms & I used a piece of wood & a hammer. Knocked them in until they were flush. To check they were OK I moved the top arm up & down when fitted. They felt buttery smooooth. Nice. Didn't need any fandangled special tools. Just my trusty 2x1 & Mr Hammer.

Just check that the bearing feels OK by moving the arm up & down on the pin when fitted to the subframe. Should be OK unless you bent the roller holder in the inside of the bearing.

Hey. Thank you. Yeah, I did check the arm before I released the cone spring, and it moved nicely. I didn't go mad with it, just did it gently, so should be fine.

Cheers,
Carl

[carlnrtn]

As long as it's not dangerous

This is the critical point..... not the bit about the MOT lol

If its just a millimeter sub flush then I would have thought it should be ok .....unless someone knows better....

Like I said.... the wider spread gives more load carrying capability....

Rob

Yeah, I did think about it before I did it, not just put them straight in. The distance they are in doesn't look to me as if they would make a HUGE difference on the loading. Thanks for your help,

Carl

[MRA]

You hardly 'waited ages' for a reply - I replied exactly 1 hour after your post. But - I will in future try to offer a more speedy service !

Its just not good enough I also waited 1 hour for your reply


Oh and by the way and impact on these bearings be it a steel hammer or a rubber mallet or a bit of trusty 4x2" then you will have some amount of distortion.

All you need is a lenght of M12 studding and some big washers and nuts etc this is your "fancy" tool, mine is a little more fancy as I have machined the ends to locate centrally within the bearings and to pull them in straight..........

Flush with the ends, 1mm tolerance I couldn't say if that is good or not, All I know is that when I pull them in flush I don't get any issues

Regards Martin

[bigbadad]

You hardly 'waited ages' for a reply - I replied exactly 1 hour after your post. But - I will in future try to offer a more speedy service !

Its just not good enough I also waited 1 hour for your reply


Oh and by the way and impact on these bearings be it a steel hammer or a rubber mallet or a bit of trusty 4x2" then you will have some amount of distortion.

All you need is a lenght of M12 studding and some big washers and nuts etc this is your "fancy" tool, mine is a little more fancy as I have machined the ends to locate centrally within the bearings and to pull them in straight..........

Flush with the ends, 1mm tolerance I couldn't say if that is good or not, All I know is that when I pull them in flush I don't get any issues

Regards Martin

Never mind getting them in - how do I get the old one's out? Do I just knock them out? Don't want to damage the insides of the arm.

Thanks Adam

[baz.norton]

You hardly 'waited ages' for a reply - I replied exactly 1 hour after your post. But - I will in future try to offer a more speedy service !

Its just not good enough I also waited 1 hour for your reply


Oh and by the way and impact on these bearings be it a steel hammer or a rubber mallet or a bit of trusty 4x2" then you will have some amount of distortion.

All you need is a lenght of M12 studding and some big washers and nuts etc this is your "fancy" tool, mine is a little more fancy as I have machined the ends to locate centrally within the bearings and to pull them in straight..........

Flush with the ends, 1mm tolerance I couldn't say if that is good or not, All I know is that when I pull them in flush I don't get any issues

Regards Martin

Never mind getting them in - how do I get the old one's out? Do I just knock them out? Don't want to damage the insides of the arm.

Thanks Adam

Yeah, I had to really bash mine out. If they haven't been done in ages, you'll probably take all the needles out and just leave the cage in place. *woman of ill repute* to get out, I just kept smashing away untill it was bent enough to pull out.

[bigbadad]

Never mind getting them in - how do I get the old one's out? Do I just knock them out? Don't want to damage the insides of the arm.

Thanks Adam
[/quote]

Yeah, I had to really bash mine out. If they haven't been done in ages, you'll probably take all the needles out and just leave the cage in place. *woman of ill repute* to get out, I just kept smashing away untill it was bent enough to pull out.
[/quote]

Yeah i don't really want to bash hell out of mine in case I damage the inside of the arm. There must be a 'correct' way to do get the bearings out?