HotRod Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Bit of a long one this.. There's a lot of play in my Defender's swivels (grab the wheel top/bottom and there's plenty of movement, having tightened up the wheel bearing (which was a bit dry too). Oild leaks from the ball seal when you jack it up (ie not in its usual worn-in position) MOT coming up in a month and whilst people expect a bit of play in LandRovers I suspect this may be too much (what have you got away with?). Looks like an overhaul is necessary Could taking out any swivel shims at the top help the situation as a quick fix?, or is it likely to be worn bearings in the top/bottom anyway? If the ball is serviceble can new swivel pins/bearings alone fix the wear ? or could there be wear in the ball itself? - looks like everything is bolted/pressed in place so there should be nothing in the ball or the housing to wear? The swivel ball itself is pitted in some areas and it seems sensible to do the lot at once... and I'll need new bearings too.. Question then is whether the CV joint should be replaced - judging by the mud.water/oil coming out of the swivel I;d say probably makes sense for £28 Any advice on who's cheapest /best for a total kit? - i see Craddock do a "swivel kit" inc ball "from £69" then I'd need bearings + CV, getting pricey. Who does best deals? I've got a Haynes manual, but has anyone kindly done a photo guide for this? Are there any big problems or hard parts of the job, or special tools needed? - want to be fully prepared! Appreciate your advice, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blz6662 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Bit of a long one this..There's a lot of play in my Defender's swivels (grab the wheel top/bottom and there's plenty of movement, having tightened up the wheel bearing (which was a bit dry too). Oild leaks from the ball seal when you jack it up (ie not in its usual worn-in position) MOT coming up in a month and whilst people expect a bit of play in LandRovers I suspect this may be too much (what have you got away with?). Looks like an overhaul is necessary Could taking out any swivel shims at the top help the situation as a quick fix?, or is it likely to be worn bearings in the top/bottom anyway? If the ball is serviceble can new swivel pins/bearings alone fix the wear ? or could there be wear in the ball itself? - looks like everything is bolted/pressed in place so there should be nothing in the ball or the housing to wear? The swivel ball itself is pitted in some areas and it seems sensible to do the lot at once... and I'll need new bearings too.. Question then is whether the CV joint should be replaced - judging by the mud.water/oil coming out of the swivel I;d say probably makes sense for £28 Any advice on who's cheapest /best for a total kit? - i see Craddock do a "swivel kit" inc ball "from £69" then I'd need bearings + CV, getting pricey. Who does best deals? I've got a Haynes manual, but has anyone kindly done a photo guide for this? Are there any big problems or hard parts of the job, or special tools needed? - want to be fully prepared! Appreciate your advice, thanks Hi mate If the swivels are pitted and you are going in - go for the lot, change the cv's too it's so easy when you are in there. Search the sites and get the full swivel overhaul kit and buy new axle to swivel bolts (12 point ones and an extra long 14 mm combination series britool spanner from 'Prime Tools'). The new swivels are teflon coated (matt black) so dont try to find the shiny face. Try paddocks and mm 4x4 and mail order 4x4 o' yeah l.r. series are great on price /del if you have part no.s Just done mine - looking good I'll send some pics tomorrow, check the lounge I'm sure there's some info there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Do you know if you have an early Railko type top swivel or not? If the ball isn't pitted, then this thread will help. Bear in mind that there is a cheat for replacing the ball seal without having to remove the ball. Defender front hub rebuild without replacing the ball, but replacing the seal etc- http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=7546 This thread is the replacement of the swivel ball, both swivel bearings, etc, etc. I wouldn't replace the CV joint unless it's ruined (another £50 you may not need to spend) Disco - but the method/parts are pretty-much the same. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=5601 I'd be wary of cheap kits - gaskets are made of too thin paper, seals are the cheapest you can get, as are the parts. If you pay £100 for all the parts, then they are more likely to last a lot longer (that is in my experience). Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blz6662 Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Do you know if you have an early Railko type top swivel or not? If the ball isn't pitted, then this thread will help. Bear in mind that there is a cheat for replacing the ball seal without having to remove the ball.Defender front hub rebuild without replacing the ball, but replacing the seal etc- http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=7546 This thread is the replacement of the swivel ball, both swivel bearings, etc, etc. I wouldn't replace the CV joint unless it's ruined (another £50 you may not need to spend) Disco - but the method/parts are pretty-much the same. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=5601 I'd be wary of cheap kits - gaskets are made of too thin paper, seals are the cheapest you can get, as are the parts. If you pay £100 for all the parts, then they are more likely to last a lot longer (that is in my experience). Les. I agree dont go too cheap - you dont want to do it twice cheers Bade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soutie Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 If my memory serves me correctly the bolts that hold the swivel housing on are 14mm. I did not have a halfords rachet spanner so used a normal one which took a long time and was an pain in the a**. My wife has now kindly given me a 14mm halfords ratchet spanner for christmas. This will be a good buy if you are taking the old swivel ball off. Second special tool to have is a 52mm box spanner. They are not expensive and are better than using a chisel. Also remember to have some bolt loctite for doing up the bolts when reattaching the swivel ball. I am not the most mechanically gifted and if I managed to fix/replace my swivle housings then it is easily done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soutie Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 I forgot to mention a spring balance is needed to measure the preload on the bearings. I used my fishing spring scale to do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRod Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 All helpful so far thanks guys Les - mine was built in late 97 so (without the filler/drain) I'm assuming its the later type bearings and needs grease On another thread it mentions "To drain the oil you would have to remove the top swivel pin (which has to be done every so often to remove a shim or two) or loosen the swivel seal." This sounds like you'd expect to take out a top shim or two over time - is this likely to take out any slack and help me with the swivels short-term for MOT? cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 It might work, but if you have a lot of play, then it might not - at best for a very short period. If there's a lot of play in the swivels then it's likely they need replacing. If you are removing the top swivel pin, then apart from an axle stand under the axle - also put a jack under the swivel lower pin to support it - when you undo the top bolts the hub assembly will drop, oil/grease will come out, and you might damage the swivel seal at the same time. You will have twin taper roller bearings on your swivel pins. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRod Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 Les Thanks again for the guidance. Not worth messing about with mine -going to go for ball/swivel replacement + wheel bearings Couple of other points please: How best to tell if the CV joint needs replacing? - good advice not to just buy new ones if they are OK, but once they are off what to look out for? Is any play acceptable? (are you saying these are £50 each or pair?) Do you have advice/how to on replacing CV joints? - looks like its just a circlip onto the half shaft? Do you have advice/photos on wheel bearing replacement? - is it OK for the DIY mechanic to carefully drift out / tap in the bearing cases with a socket? (as I don't have a press!) cheers Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Attryde Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 From the tech archive wheel bearing replacement. HTH Pete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 If your CV joint is worn - it'll click when you drive it on full lock. With the driveshaft out of the vehicle - grip the shaft either side of the joint and twist in opposite directions - there should be no play at all. After-market CV joints are about £40 + VAT each. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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