She passed

[swimmer27]

It was my first MOT since purchasing the S2 early this year and was a tad nervous because it cost the previous owner over £500 to pass the previous MOT. I did get an advisory though, bulkhead bush/bearing worn so ordered the new parts and will fit them next weekend.

It looks a straight forward job althougb with a lower back problem i will probably have to remove the drivers seat to make it more comfortable. Has anyone else done his job and come accross any problems?

The nuts and bolts look rusty so will give them a good soak with penetraiting oil first.

[Wiz]

Not a difficult job, can get at the engine side from above as well. A long socket extension will make the job a lot easier on the inside as will a good assistant.
I found that the tvr car parts kit was thinner than the original so had to cut the bolts down. Also had one less bolt so was left with a hole. Filled it with silicone which sorted it.

[tvrgit]

Instructions available for download on Pies' site at http://www.tvrsseries.com

[swimmer27]

Thanks, it looks like a previous owner has put some spot welds on the bolts that are on the engine side, I have four bolts all of which are rusty, more so the nuts inside the footwell so I'm spraying them each day with Plusgas.

Edited by swimmer27 on Saturday 18th July 11:16

[Wiz]

swimmer27 said:

Thanks, it looks like a previous owner has put some spot welds on the bolts that are on the engine side, I have four bolts all of which are rusty, more so the nuts inside the footwell so I'm spraying them each day with Plusgas.

Edited by swimmer27 on Saturday 18th July 11:16

He must have been good to spot weld grp!

[swimmer27]

Wiz said:

swimmer27 said:

Thanks, it looks like a previous owner has put some spot welds on the bolts that are on the engine side, I have four bolts all of which are rusty, more so the nuts inside the footwell so I'm spraying them each day with Plusgas.

Edited by swimmer27 on Saturday 18th July 11:16

He must have been good to spot weld grp!

The bolts in the engine pay pass through a metel plate then the bearing housing not the fiberglass, I can provide a photograph if this helps you understand!!

[tvrgit]

sounds like the plate and bolts have been made up as a "special" to prevent the bolts turning.

As standard, the bolts come through from the footwell with the nuts in the engine bay, and there is no backing plate.

[swimmer27]

Managed to undo the rusty nuts and bolts and remove the bearing/bush without undoing the steering column retaining bolts, the bearing had seized causing the bush to wear.
IMG_0450.JPG

Edited by swimmer27 on Sunday 19th July 22:56

Edited by swimmer27 on Sunday 19th July 23:01

[swimmer27]

Managed to undo the rusty nuts and bolts and remove the bearing/bush without undoing the steering column retaining bolts, mine has 4 nuts and bolts unlike the one shown in the technical bits section plus once undone the retaining plate, bearing and bush just was pulled off the steering shaft into the engine bay.
The bearing had seized causing the bush to wear.

Edited by swimmer27 on Monday 20th July 08:03

[TOPTON]

Wiz said:

Not a difficult job, can get at the engine side from above as well.

Maybe just different wording, but how can you get at it from above, surely it is under the wheel arch and access is from there and can't be done from above!

swimmer27

If you have replaced it without removing the steering column, then the bearing assembly must be on the wheelside of the bulkhead. That must have been where it was before but not the best of places for it, catching all the splatter from the wheel. I would be taking it off again and replacing it on the inside of the bulkhead down by the pedals. More work and more fiddly but dryer and cleaner down there

[swimmer27]

TOPTON said:

Wiz said:

Not a difficult job, can get at the engine side from above as well.

Maybe just different wording, but how can you get at it from above, surely it is under the wheel arch and access is from there and can't be done from above!

swimmer27

If you have replaced it without removing the steering column, then the bearing assembly must be on the wheelside of the bulkhead. That must have been where it was before but not the best of places for it, catching all the splatter from the wheel. I would be taking it off again and replacing it on the inside of the bulkhead down by the pedals. More work and more fiddly but dryer and cleaner down there

That's what I'm going to do, as you have said with the road muck kicked up from the road wheel it's probably why the bearing has seized.

[Wiz]

swimmer27 said:

TOPTON said:

Wiz said:

Not a difficult job, can get at the engine side from above as well.

Maybe just different wording, but how can you get at it from above, surely it is under the wheel arch and access is from there and can't be done from above!

swimmer27

If you have replaced it without removing the steering column, then the bearing assembly must be on the wheelside of the bulkhead. That must have been where it was before but not the best of places for it, catching all the splatter from the wheel. I would be taking it off again and replacing it on the inside of the bulkhead down by the pedals. More work and more fiddly but dryer and cleaner down there

That's what I'm going to do, as you have said with the road muck kicked up from the road wheel it's probably why the bearing has seized.

It's not enclosed in the wheel arch, if you look down it can be seen just below the servo. Get access from above or below. Personally find lifting the bonnet and leaning in a lot easier than jacking up the car and putting on axle stands and removing the wheel. Then kneeling on the floor.

The photo shows a different set up to the standard tvr one, guess its been modified at some point.

[tvrgit]

Wiz said:

The photo shows a different set up to the standard tvr one, guess its been modified at some point.

You're right, but I never thought I'd see the words "standard", "TVR" and "setup" all in the same sentence...

[Jed-S]

swimmer27 said:

That looks like the original Sierra bushing mounted into a steel plate which I seem to recall was on early cars. Later cars had a roller bearing mounted in a plastic housing but still used the bush with the triangular hole that slides over the steering column.

[swimmer27]

I didn't bother to remove the road wheel I just lent over the servo unit.
My S2 is a 1989 registered model so interesting that the bits I have removed could be from a S1.
I have ordered the following kit from TVR Car Parts which should be deliverd soon, lets hope it fits ok without to much of a mod.

[TOPTON]

The only thing you might have to do is enlarge the hole in the fibreglass bulkhead with a flapper wheel. As I said in a post a couple of weeks ago, best £20 ever spent on the car. Even a small amount of play at the bulkhead transfers to a horrible rattle at the wheel.

I know its all in the mind, but driving it after fitting a new bearing makes it feel a lot more stable and precise.

ETA just been out to have a look, as you say it is possible from above. I have just never looked at it from that angle. Think I have done just about every job on a Tiv and never noticed that before

Edited by TOPTON on Tuesday 21st July 12:29

[swimmer27]

Last weekend I got around to changing the bulkhead bearing, as TOPTON had said I did have to enlarge the hole in the bulkhead and drill 4 new smaller holes, not an easy job when you suffer with lower back problems but the wife did her bit to help.
In the above photo of the old parts I assumed that the excessive wear on the bush was due to the bearing being seized but when I pulled the rubber seal off it's not actually a bearing it's a static ring made of the same material as of the bush, plastic / nylon so each time the steering is turned the bush rotates but the inner ring does not so no wonder the bush has worn so much.