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Odd front axle problem


101sean

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On my lightweight the front right wheel sits further outside the wing than the left by about 15mm. I'd put this down to having one odd rim but today I pulled all the wheels off to clean the brakes (to find the inevitable blown hub seal icon_rolleyes.gif ) and checked the part numbers on the rims; they are all the same!

The vehicle was rebuilt on a new chassis about 18 years ago after it was written off and the body and chassis all line up. The axle looks to sit on the springs OK but measuring from the edge of the brake drum to the chassis, RH side is 15mm further out icon_confused.gif

Probably find out why when I get round to fitting new springs (5 leaf ones have gone flat) but it has me mystified for now!

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I had the same problem, at first i thought i had bent the springs themselves one way from doing too many J-turns..... :ph34r:

turns out when i actually looked the bushes had all slid across inside their spring eyes.


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id also had a similar problem before where the bushes came loose inside the spring eyes and every time you cornered, it clunked. took me ages to figure that one out as every time i looked underneath at the bushes they seemed to all be in line. it was the orange rust powder that gave the game away eventually haha.
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have you checked to see if all bushes are alright? check for an orange rust powder which is a giveaway of loose parts. check that the u bolts are tight and the axle pads are located in the correct place. have you measured the bulkhead outriggers to ensure its not those throwing the body out, or anything like that? does the bumper line up with the wheels or the body?

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check some measurements on the axle itself, between the end flange and spring saddle on each side should be equidistant.

also check the spring hangers are on correctly, as in the image below the shackle with the boss on should be on the inside face of the chassis. check this is correct and they are not both one way or the other.

also would be worth trying to see if the front dumb irons have been replaced. does the bumper fit correctly? does it look like you have 2 left front dumb irons or 2 right front dumb irons? (the spring eyes are offset)

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Ditto distance from saddle to centre lower swivel. I don't think the LtWt has a different track to the std series, so I can't see how this could be wrong, but it's worth checking.

Daft stuff - I know, teaching youto suck eggs, but wheel spacers? Disk brake conversions? Dodgy brake drums? Different bearings? Dumb Iron took a whack? 15mm is just beyond tolerance, so there has to be a cause. I assume that the hub sticks out the same amount on both sides, and there aren't freewheelers or anything?

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I have had three series Land Rovers and one Defender with bent axle casings, and also another defender with a bent stub axle. I would be checking the casings very carefully and also stub axles.

All of mine have been front axles which have bent, one of them was even a lightweight with the reinforced axle casing but that hadn't prevented it bending.

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Just had a look and standing back you can see the front right wheel isn't sticking out, it's leaning out which points to a bent axle or stub axle :(

Will pull the wheels off in a while and have a proper measure up.

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Came back from pub and despite 3 pints of 1664 there is still a definite lean to the wheel. Pulled the wheels off and and had a measure up. The RH hub definitely has more of a tilt on it but the drum runs parallel to the backplate so the stub axle can't be bent. The outside U bolt on the opposite side doesn't sit tight to the axle and it won't tighten much so it looks like I have a bent axle.

The springs are in really bad shape, the 5 leaf fronts never last and the rears aren't much better, they were all fitted new with the chassis change. Now have to decide whether to fit new civvy springs all round or go for parabollics.

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Just to round this off, it seems it's quite common according to some on the Lightweight forum and most just ignore it! Not so noticeable on the original 6.50 tyres, 7.50s like I have make it look worse. I've found the cure is always to park with a bit of left lock on, then you don't notice it! :D

Been out and about with the hood off last few days rather than driving my van, springs are looking even saggier now so I could be sacrificing my credit card to Rock Mountain soon for a set of springs and shocks :rolleyes:

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Came back from pub and despite 3 pints of 1664 there is still a definite lean to the wheel. Pulled the wheels off and and had a measure up. The RH hub definitely has more of a tilt on it but the drum runs parallel to the backplate so the stub axle can't be bent. The outside U bolt on the opposite side doesn't sit tight to the axle and it won't tighten much so it looks like I have a bent axle.

The springs are in really bad shape, the 5 leaf fronts never last and the rears aren't much better, they were all fitted new with the chassis change. Now have to decide whether to fit new civvy springs all round or go for parabollics.

Sorry to sound like an old fart, and I may have got the wrong end of the stick, but

Jacking up a motor and working with the wheels off after 3 pints of strong beer does sound like a recipe for an A&E visit!!

Three pints of 1664 would over the driving limit in the UK whick is a good measure when contemplating working on anything mechanical?

Sorry to preach but when I was younger I dropped the front of a Series 1 off a jack and it taught me a healthy concern when doing so in the future.

Preaching over.

Marc

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