Outboard rear bushes

[tegwin]

After doing about 100 miles in the M so far I jacked up the car to inspect the mechanicals after hearing a number of unpleasant noises...

On the offisde at the bottom there appears to be a gap between the bush and the upright of about1.5mm which I assume is allowing the upright to slide/twist on the pivot bolts. (I am assuming this is not normal?)

The rest of the bushes, although old, do not look or feel too bad....and should hopefully hold up for this seasons shows etc. Is it acceptable to simply remove the bolt and add a washer between the bush and the upright to prevent unwanted movement of the upright on the shaft?

How tight does the bush/urpright actually need to be?

And does anyone have any workable shocks/springs for a 2500m?

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I realise my discription is poor....This drawing might help

Edited by tegwin on Monday 30th March 15:29

[Adrian@]

There should be no play between these...the bushes already have washers that abut the alloy casting (and stop the steel inserts from winding into the alloy). Cars that have poly bushes NEED to be washer packed as the they have shoulders that get dragged through the eye of the wishbone and they corrupt into the eye if you don't, BUT rubber bushes get drawn through when the pivot bar is tightened and IF too smaller than the OE washer (which has a odd larger than std OD) is fitted then a ringlet of rubber is chopped off the bush and metal to metal contact creates noise.
Removing the bushes requires that you cut the pivot off on the outboard of the washers that face the bush and the pin to be drilled out UNDERSIZE and the remains then picked out, with the excess in the alloy pulled through the back hole! AND NOT pressing the pin out as this leaves the hole oversize and the pin then rattles and wears the alloy oval.
Adrian@

Edited by Adrian@ on Monday 30th March 16:00

[tegwin]

Chears Adrian. That makes sence... Will go and have another look

I dont supose you have a serviceable diff do you? Mine is making a rather unpleasant noise!

[Adrian@]

Yes to the diff, but IMHO..... Things that need looking at, rather than the upright/diff would be the diff carrier frame, drivers side front, for allowing the diff to twist out of the car and it levering the passenger side drive shaft beyond 12 degrees with spline locking....and then the wheel bearings feeding back noise...along with the handbrake cable pull rod not being set correctly and clashing with the propshaft when the diff is allowed to move ...ALL issues with the very early cars, that do not happen to later cars.
Adrian@
(The frame breaks through the centre of the bolt hole (forward) then through the box edge, then off the diff axle).

[tegwin]

Hmm... I had the diff out 2 months ago to inspect the internals (I couldnt see any obvious damage inside)... at the same time I inspected the carrier and welded on braces as recomended by you I believe they make a lot of sence and add to the mechanical strength. That was then refitted with new mounts+bolts the handbrake cable is well clear of the propshaft. This is why I am very confused as to where the noise is comming from...(unless I somehow managed to refit the mounts incorrectly.....)

Unless I am hearing things and the noise is actually comming from the gearbox or OD unit....but it deffinately sounds like its comming from behind me!

Would biding splines create such a honking/whining noise? Its only there under load above about 15mph.....dissaperars as soon as the power is removed!


When I bought the car the oil level in the diff was very low as there is a slow leak.... so pinion damage is a possibility!

Edited by tegwin on Monday 30th March 16:36

[Adrian@]

Where did you get the rear diff mounts from?
Adrian@

[tegwin]

Adrian@ said:

Where did you get the rear diff mounts from?
Adrian@

Only replaced the rear ones as the fronts had been done just before the car came off the road a few years ago according to the paperwork

Just checked the receipts.... The rear ones came from Rimmer bros I believe.... they looked and felt identical to the old ones...... Please dont tell me I have bought the wrong part again.... Im starting to learn.. Promise!!

Edited by tegwin on Monday 30th March 18:00

[Adrian@]

OH....The rear TR6 diff bushes as an OE part clash with the rear of the TVR chassis.
Adrian@

[tegwin]

This gets weirder and weirder.... I have jacked the car up and inspected the diff mounts.... The "non TVR" rear mounts are a good 2 inches from the nearest chassis tube... and unless the chassis/carrier bends, there wont ever be any contact!

The wrong mount is unlikley to cause the noise I am hearing though is it?


What else could I check.... anyone have any cunning ideas of how to track the noise down and figure out exactly what part is at fault?

[Adrian@]

It is a fact that the Std TR6 diff bush when fitted to the ALL the M series I have seen with them fitted..... will rub the central plate of the bush on the rear upright tubes that are directly behind the diff to the point where small holes are worn into the chassis, and that when fitted there is direct metal to metal contact to the chassis.
You might have something different.....Adrian@

[tegwin]

How very odd...

I am going to take the diff out I think and have it properly inspected... at the same time I will get some photos for you..... Would be interesting to hear your opininon on what is going on with the diff mounts/chassis tubes... for curiosities sake Chears for your help Adrian

[Adrian@]

Something that I had thought previously was a DIY mod.... bounced back at me this week when a ONE owner from new Tuscan V6 (on a K plate) appeared with a Triumph 2000 diff...I had previously thought that a Vixen S4 I had rebuilt in 1999 (the S4 has an M series chassis with a Vixen body shell and was also on a K plate) which had a 2000 diff in, was DIY.
Just a thought rather than anything relative to your car and the fact it a different diff in an M series chassis.
Adrian@

[tegwin]

Now that is very interesting as I had spotted somewhere that the TR 2000 diff was favourable in the US for some reason....forget in what context though... How does one distinguish between a TR6 and a TR2000 diff unit?

[Adrian@]

Gear/crown and outputs are all the same, but the 2000 unit has the same mounting bush set front and rear (the TR6 has bolt on rear) and an extension nose with double 45 degree brackets going backwards within that extension,(the TR6 has an milk maid carrier style axle).
Adrian@