Ktec top mount saga continues...

[stormduck]

Well, after getting loud donging noises when maneuvering, and people on here saying the top mounts would cause it, the garage I use also confirmed this. Ktec said to use engine oil to lubricate the top mounts last week, which i did, from within the engine bay, but it made no difference. I was also unaware these had to be lubricated regularly. So i've removed the damper assembly from the car to inspect. Turns out, the springs are not moving within the cups, at least, there is no evidence of this - no paint missing from the Mark Fish springs, or scoring/scratching in the top cup or powder coated bottom cup. However, the top hat like sleeve that the top mount sits in, needed hammering off the damper rod. Somehow, grit has got inbetween the sleeve and the damper rod, and it appears it's this that has been turning and has been scoring both surfaces. Well, that's what it seems to me??



Both dampers are like this, but the bearing on the passenger side seems more reluctant to move freely than the drivers side. Now, my intention to solve this would be to lightly rub down the scoring on the damper rod, and somehow inside the top hat sleeve, and put mulitpurpose grease in there when re-fitting. But how long this would last i don't know!?

In order to solve the sticky top mount bearings I guess i would have to clean them meticulously, but not sure how or what to use? petrol/parafin, wd40?? Then regrease/soak in engine oil while moving the ball around, or try and get multipurpose in there? I'm gona email this to ktec and see what response i get, but an unbiased opinion from you intelligent people would be greatly appreciated!!



Cheers, dave.

 

[hoolio]

I would clean with petrol as you want to clean out all the old grease/grit not add to it. Not sure about the rest as my top mounts are different. The top hat sits on the shoulder of the damper rod then what? Does the lower part(?) of the STM in pic two sit on the part you have left screwed onto the threaded part of the rod?

 

[stormduck]

I wasn't sure if petrol would be okay, or perhaps brake cleaner, but i guess it shouldn't really matter. The top cup sits on the shoulder, then the top hat - this isn't threaded, but slides down on top of the top cup, and locates on the non-threaded section of damper rod, then the inner part of the bearing (the hollow you can see in the 2nd pic) slides over the top hat. Thinking about it again, the spring must be moving to make the clong noise, and it wouldn't matter about the top hat/damper situation, it shouldn't make a difference. But i've spent so long staring at these parts trying to work it all out that my brain has seized up

 

[liam1610]

Just wanted to state do be careful with cleaning these with petrol and brake cleaner, im not sure if the rose joints are ptfe lined or what affects fuel has on ptfe lined joints.

 

[stormduck]

well i took my mechanics advice and didn't clean them. Like you say, i done a bit of google research that said the same thing about ptfe lined bearings. I just soaked them in engine oil all afternoon and worked the ball in all directions. One is still noticeably stiffer than the other on the side of the car that was causing the most noise. Ktec have offered to inspect them as it seems strange one side is stiffer than the other, so if they're the same in the morning i'll be popping them both in the post. Annoying as i wanted the car for the weekend, but promising as i'm getting somewhere

The scratching on the damper rods has mostly been removed with some light sandpaper, and within the top hat. And the hubs are in the garage getting new bearings pressed in, while the replacement driveshaft is in there too as i spent an unsuccesful hour trying to get the rubber boot, which some prat has decided to fit a metal band within it, into a metal ring that bolts to the gearbox. It may be half the price but by god they didn't need to do that.

 

[liam1610]

Was going to suggest to put some high temp grease between the shaft and the sleeve that you pictured above as metal to metal contact on something like that is bound to seize.

Im not entirely sure what you mean about the driveshaft? i know on the nearside driveshaft the inner cv boot is clamped between the metal bracket and the gearbox to stop it leaking as uses gearbox oil to lubricate, same system is used on the old fiat's.

Did you out of curiosity manage to get the correct driveshaft only i thought the T had a different length shaft to all the other models. I may be wrong though, but i don't think its the same as the full fat or the cup packed driveshaft.

 

[hoolio]

I thought one of the great things about PTFE (teflon) was that it was resistant to almost all chemicals and solvents but I'm no chemist. Best to just let Ktec sort them.

 

[stormduck]

liam - aye i could try that, got some red cv joint grease in the garage. Yeah that's exactly the bit i'm talking about. The original part has a plastic/rubber band in the inside of the boot which allows it to hold it's shape and means you have to squeeze and shape it to get it to fit inside the metal bracket. But this patent part has a steel band set inside the rubber, which makes fitting it into the metal bracket by hand impossible! I was using screwdrivers to try and leaver it in, like you would with tyre leavers on a bike rim, covered the rubber in grease etc, ridiculous! The diameter is just too big to get in there. See if the mechanic can come up with an idea, or else i'll see if he can remove the boot, and fit the original one on the new shaft.

I gave a motor spares shop my reg and they came back with 2 possibilities, one with a wider abs ring, which i now know should have been the one, coz the Trophy ring is wider than the one i've now got. But i've already had the narrower version fitted on the drivers side without any abs problems so the sensor can pick it up. I've had the new and old lined up next to each other and they're identical in length, and the various sections of the shaft match in length also. It doesn't have, what I now know is called a balancing weight, fitted to the shaft, like the original, but ho hum, see how it goes. It was £110 so I can't complain.

hoolio - ah maybe ur right, but like you say, best not to wash anything in there.

I'll post up the outcome!

 

[liam1610]

I see what you mean now, if it was me I would just remove the old boot and fit the new one as the inner boots rarely let go its the force on the outer one that's the issue.

As for the ptfe lining its only a lining the ball joint is steel so if there is very little movement in the joint over time the ball will corrode in areas, demon tweeks sell top mount Jose joints on there own but I'm not too sure if these can be used with the k-Tec units.

 

[stormduck]

I put they idea to the mechanic and i'm taking the old shaft down there 2mora so he can decide what to do. That's what i thought, the rubber looks fine, and both my originals have failed because the metal clip holding the outer boot on snapped.

Well no change in the one bearing, so they're going in the post 2mora for them to have a look at. The ball looks in fine condition and there's nothing stopping the free movement of it, it's just not as free as the other one, almost like the casing is fractionally smaller. We shall see what they conclude!

 

[Carbon Chaos]

Drive shaft wise this is normal for the clips to break which lets some of the grease out onto the wheel etc,If you catch them soon enough you can just replace the outer boot,repack the joint and all for about £8.

Done both outers on mine.

 

[stormduck]

Well, spoke to shaun at ktec about the situation, and he's returned my top mounts as there are no faults. But did say that BG don't like people using shortened springs as it causes problems with the dampers having a set rebound, add that to the springs turning within the cups, and i've refitted the standard springs to the front of the car. I've used cv joint grease on the metal sleeves of the top mounts, and i'll keep a tiny amount of engine oil sitting in the top mount.

The driveshaft simply had the boots changed over to solve that, and the mechanic had fun replacing the wheel bearings! So it's all back together, a part from me, being a twat, put too much force on the damper's reservoir, and now the outer casing wobbles slightly, and is able to turn 360 degrees. So i've email BG to see if i need to send it back to them . Just need to find the gearbox filler hole tomorrow, and damper issue aside, it's all done, minus road test and alignment.

 

[Carbon Chaos]

Gearbox bung is at the front (radiator side), usually white plastic wing nut type bung. fill until it drips out with the car on the level.

 

[stormduck]

cheers bud, found the hole, removed the air box to get at it. Then discovered the drive shaft boot isn't sealed properly and the oil went all over the drive And i need to send the damper back to BG too, oh yippee! Nitrogen in the reservoir holds everything in place, if the seal is broken it goes all loose, no car for weeks now!