Steering, missing suspension, and oil leaks
Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 10:35 am
I recently had a new steering box installed and the sloppy steering, is MUCH improved; but is now a bit stiff, and self centering does not happen. The alignment was set with the Caster a bit to the higher side of tolerances, per my request. I still have a little bit of wiggle in the steering wheel, but that might get traced to some looseness in the upper steering linkage.
I was recently under the vehicle ( vehicle on ramps for safety ) looking for the source of a very small, but persistent, oil leak. I have been parking on cardboard recently, and the leak seems to be coming from something fairly high up on the motor or transmission. The fluid smells a bit like hypoid, but is very light weight and very light colored, so I an not sure just what it is yet.
I had a small seepage at the right CV axle seal previously, and recently found the factory manual states the front diff oil level is to be 3/8" below the threads. I had always believed it to be correct at the level where it just barely dribbles over the edge of the fill plug opening. That minor level adjustment seems to have helped considerably.
While under the van, I noticed something caught in a hole in a lower control arm. After removing it, I discovered it was a rubber sway bar link bushing. The lower sway bar link bushings and hardware were gone from both lower control arms.
That sway bar is HUGE! It will be interesting to see how much change I will notice in the suspension after I replace those links. I plan to use the van quite a bit on forest roads and I am wondering if that large sway bar might actually be a disadvantage on rougher roads. Might the suspension be more 'independent' without it?
I know on the highways and with the van being well loaded, it probably helps a lot.
Rod J
I was recently under the vehicle ( vehicle on ramps for safety ) looking for the source of a very small, but persistent, oil leak. I have been parking on cardboard recently, and the leak seems to be coming from something fairly high up on the motor or transmission. The fluid smells a bit like hypoid, but is very light weight and very light colored, so I an not sure just what it is yet.
I had a small seepage at the right CV axle seal previously, and recently found the factory manual states the front diff oil level is to be 3/8" below the threads. I had always believed it to be correct at the level where it just barely dribbles over the edge of the fill plug opening. That minor level adjustment seems to have helped considerably.
While under the van, I noticed something caught in a hole in a lower control arm. After removing it, I discovered it was a rubber sway bar link bushing. The lower sway bar link bushings and hardware were gone from both lower control arms.
That sway bar is HUGE! It will be interesting to see how much change I will notice in the suspension after I replace those links. I plan to use the van quite a bit on forest roads and I am wondering if that large sway bar might actually be a disadvantage on rougher roads. Might the suspension be more 'independent' without it?
I know on the highways and with the van being well loaded, it probably helps a lot.
Rod J