Steve Heath Drop Links "Clunking Noise"
Discussion
I had these fitted by APM on the front of my 2000 lightweight at the same time my Ohlins were done. They were ok for the first day but then started to make a clonking sound. Back to APM she went and he found that they'd worked a little loose. After tightening they were ok for a few days but then started to clonk again. Back to APM and this time he discovered that the oversized ali washer had been rubbing away on the drop link body causing some play to form and hence the clonking to return. He used some smaller washers between the ali ones and the body. She's been fine for a month or so, but has recently started to clonk again. I haven't taken her back yet as she's due her service next month.
Has anybody else suffered such problems??
Has anybody else suffered such problems??
Edited by thegreengoblet on Tuesday 15th January 09:33
Well that's first class customer satisfaction.
Just spoke to Steve - who incidentally sounds like a really nice bloke. Basically he would like to come down at a convienient time for me with spares in hand to look into the problem. Now you can't say fairer than that
Will re-post sometime next month (when she goes in for MOT and service) with the outcome.
Just spoke to Steve - who incidentally sounds like a really nice bloke. Basically he would like to come down at a convienient time for me with spares in hand to look into the problem. Now you can't say fairer than that
Will re-post sometime next month (when she goes in for MOT and service) with the outcome.
thegreengoblet said:
Well that's first class customer satisfaction.
Just spoke to Steve - who incidentally sounds like a really nice bloke. Basically he would like to come down at a convienient time for me with spares in hand to look into the problem. Now you can't say fairer than that
Will re-post sometime next month (when she goes in for MOT and service) with the outcome.
That nice to know, as I was going to fit these to my 4.5 LW soon...Just spoke to Steve - who incidentally sounds like a really nice bloke. Basically he would like to come down at a convienient time for me with spares in hand to look into the problem. Now you can't say fairer than that
Will re-post sometime next month (when she goes in for MOT and service) with the outcome.
Mr F
They shouldn't make any noise at all. Certainly the ones on my Cerbie are as quiet as quiet can be. If they are clunking then there are a few things to check:
1. The bolts are tight enough to clamp the rose joints so that the droplinks swivel on the rose joint and not on the bolt.
2. They are fitted so that as the ARB moves the rose joints do not lock out i.e. they do not reach the end of the movement. If they do, the links need to be spaced out. This should be checked per the fitting instructions. It may look fine with the wheels off the ground but as the suspension compresses, it may clunk as the rose joint touches. In this case, look at spacing the top or bottom to improve the angle so this doesn't occur. This is why extra washers are supplied with each set.
3. There is no play in the rose joint. Grab the drop link and see if it can be moved. If so, it is possible that there is some play in the rose joint but it could be a loose nut/bolt so check point 1. If it is the rose joint, contact me and I'll sort out a replacement.
It can also be other areas like the ARB bushes. As the drop link is now working correctly, the ARB may be moving in the bush and this is causing a clunk as it hits the chassis. Equally it can also be something else that is loose. In particular, the ball joints and suspension bushes. It is worth checking that there is nothing else that is loose.
1. The bolts are tight enough to clamp the rose joints so that the droplinks swivel on the rose joint and not on the bolt.
2. They are fitted so that as the ARB moves the rose joints do not lock out i.e. they do not reach the end of the movement. If they do, the links need to be spaced out. This should be checked per the fitting instructions. It may look fine with the wheels off the ground but as the suspension compresses, it may clunk as the rose joint touches. In this case, look at spacing the top or bottom to improve the angle so this doesn't occur. This is why extra washers are supplied with each set.
3. There is no play in the rose joint. Grab the drop link and see if it can be moved. If so, it is possible that there is some play in the rose joint but it could be a loose nut/bolt so check point 1. If it is the rose joint, contact me and I'll sort out a replacement.
It can also be other areas like the ARB bushes. As the drop link is now working correctly, the ARB may be moving in the bush and this is causing a clunk as it hits the chassis. Equally it can also be something else that is loose. In particular, the ball joints and suspension bushes. It is worth checking that there is nothing else that is loose.
Edited by shpub on Tuesday 15th January 20:39
GreenV8S said:
I don't think anyone who knows Steve would be surprised that he has handled this so constructively, but I think as a general point it would have been polite to approach him directly rather than let him read about the problem on a public forum.
I suspected nothing wrong with the drop links but maybe a weird setup issue with lightweights - as I said, they were done at the same time as my dampers. I asked the question to see if it was just my setup. So this is not a dig at Steve or his products. Neither at Andy at APM. Both are well respected in the TVR community and I'm absolutely sure that no one will take this thread negatively. Interestingly, it would seem that Biker has a similar issue.After speaking to Steve, it is very clear to me that he takes extreme pride in his products and that they do the job right. And obviously he sells many drop link kits and it would appear - due to the lack of responses - that most do the job they intend to do. Interestingly, he evolved the washers from steel to ali due to issues with some Griffs. So there may be some extreme setups which cause some other as yet unforseen issues with Cerbs?? Or simply it could be a failed rose joint?? Either way he wants to get involved. I'm an Engineer and I respect and understand that engineering is an ongoing process of evolvement and improvement - especially when designing, manufacturing, and testing in low volumes. If it does turn out to be something wrong with the drop link, it will not put me off one bit buying Steve's products. In fact, due to his dedication and customer satisfaction drive, it does the opposite. And I'm sure most Cerby owners will take great comfort knowing that people like Steve exist in this small but niche market.
shpub said:
They shouldn't make any noise at all. Certainly the ones on my Cerbie are as quiet as quiet can be. If they are clunking then there are a few things to check:
1. The bolts are tight enough to clamp the rose joints so that the droplinks swivel on the rose joint and not on the bolt.
2. They are fitted so that as the ARB moves the rose joints do not lock out i.e. they do not reach the end of the movement. If they do, the links need to be spaced out. This should be checked per the fitting instructions. It may look fine with the wheels off the ground but as the suspension compresses, it may clunk as the rose joint touches. In this case, look at spacing the top or bottom to improve the angle so this doesn't occur. This is why extra washers are supplied with each set.
3. There is no play in the rose joint. Grab the drop link and see if it can be moved. If so, it is possible that there is some play in the rose joint but it could be a loose nut/bolt so check point 1. If it is the rose joint, contact me and I'll sort out a replacement.
It can also be other areas like the ARB bushes. As the drop link is now working correctly, the ARB may be moving in the bush and this is causing a clunk as it hits the chassis. Equally it can also be something else that is loose. In particular, the ball joints and suspension bushes. It is worth checking that there is nothing else that is loose.
Cheers Steve - I'll take a look over the weekend.1. The bolts are tight enough to clamp the rose joints so that the droplinks swivel on the rose joint and not on the bolt.
2. They are fitted so that as the ARB moves the rose joints do not lock out i.e. they do not reach the end of the movement. If they do, the links need to be spaced out. This should be checked per the fitting instructions. It may look fine with the wheels off the ground but as the suspension compresses, it may clunk as the rose joint touches. In this case, look at spacing the top or bottom to improve the angle so this doesn't occur. This is why extra washers are supplied with each set.
3. There is no play in the rose joint. Grab the drop link and see if it can be moved. If so, it is possible that there is some play in the rose joint but it could be a loose nut/bolt so check point 1. If it is the rose joint, contact me and I'll sort out a replacement.
It can also be other areas like the ARB bushes. As the drop link is now working correctly, the ARB may be moving in the bush and this is causing a clunk as it hits the chassis. Equally it can also be something else that is loose. In particular, the ball joints and suspension bushes. It is worth checking that there is nothing else that is loose.
Edited by shpub on Tuesday 15th January 20:39
I'm sure most Cerby owners will take great comfort knowing that people like Steve exist in this small but niche market.
[/quote]
I bought front drop links and found Steve Heath was excellent to deal with. The links were beautifully made and stopped the front 'waddle' which I had (my cerb I mean, not me personally). They came with detailed instructions and the need to position them correctly was clearly explained. Mine have never clonked! I would recommend S.H. to anyone.
[/quote]
I bought front drop links and found Steve Heath was excellent to deal with. The links were beautifully made and stopped the front 'waddle' which I had (my cerb I mean, not me personally). They came with detailed instructions and the need to position them correctly was clearly explained. Mine have never clonked! I would recommend S.H. to anyone.
I went to APM today, as planned, to look at the drop links. Andy kindly organised some space and tools for me. When I examined the drop links, it was clear that the ally spacers which are used to help position the rose joint correctly (and protect it, should the link lock out,) were distorted and that part of the edge had been trapped under the washer between the washer hole and the bolt shank. This meant that the bolt was not kept under tension and would gradually work a bit loose as the spacer distorted. As a result, the rose joint centre was not clamped correctly and was moving on the bolt - hence the clunking.
To find out what had caused this, I measured the spacers and washers and found that the spacers were very slightly thinner than normal and the washers had a slightly bigger (0.5mm) hole than usual - and it was a combination of these two factors that caused the spacer to get trapped and cause the problem. Given the track record of these parts, Andy and I agreed that this is most probably a one off: Andy has fitted "lots" of these units over the last couple of years with no problems - including Johhy Wilson's Cerbera racer. (Looks really nice as well!)
I replaced the washers and spacers on both sides and everything was nice and tight - so there should be no more problems.
To find out what had caused this, I measured the spacers and washers and found that the spacers were very slightly thinner than normal and the washers had a slightly bigger (0.5mm) hole than usual - and it was a combination of these two factors that caused the spacer to get trapped and cause the problem. Given the track record of these parts, Andy and I agreed that this is most probably a one off: Andy has fitted "lots" of these units over the last couple of years with no problems - including Johhy Wilson's Cerbera racer. (Looks really nice as well!)
I replaced the washers and spacers on both sides and everything was nice and tight - so there should be no more problems.
Steve
Thanks for coming down to APM and fixing the issue. It's bizzare how it makes so much difference to the feel of the steering. It all feels "tight".
I presumed that it must of been an isolated incident because I had not heard of anyone else having any dificulties. And I'm glad both you and Andy agree.
Thanks again.
Bill
Thanks for coming down to APM and fixing the issue. It's bizzare how it makes so much difference to the feel of the steering. It all feels "tight".
I presumed that it must of been an isolated incident because I had not heard of anyone else having any dificulties. And I'm glad both you and Andy agree.
Thanks again.
Bill
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