revilla Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 Yes I think the reason mine failed is clear; the diff is blowing out oil onto it. I believe that metalastic bushes really don't like being soaked in oil. Quite why it is leaking, I don't know. It's already had a pigtail fitted to the breather but it still seems to blow a bit out. I've spoken to the Seven Workshop today and the car should be going in there to have the diff leak sorted, the bush changed and any surface corrosion around the suspension cleaned up. Much as I love to do as much as I can myself, I think that given the time (with two toddlers) and equipment I have available, if I try to strip the back end down myself it will all take so long I will miss half the summer's blatting season. So for once this time I will be putting my hand in my pocket and letting somebody with ramps, a hydraulic press and a lot more experience than me sort it out for me. Thanks for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revilla Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 Right .... Plan B!Quote from the Seven Workshop came in at over £550. No idea how this stacks up as a fair price for the job but I do know it doesn't stack up very well with my wallet right now, so I'm doing the job myself. This afternoon I stripped the rear suspension down and managed to get the bush out. I used the socket and threaded bar technique to pull the inner steel tube and rubber out of the bush, then used a hacksaw to cut a slot in the outer sleeve of the bush then tapped it out with a punch.A quick inspection found the following: The bush was definately knackered. The source of the oil leak is not the diff breather, it's the right-hand drive shaft oil seal. Oil is leaking out around the driveshaft onto the CV joint can and then being flung outwards. You can follow the ring of oily deposits around. In particular, oil is being flung onto the front face of the fuel tank and is running downwards from there, dripping onto the de Dion tube and then running down to the lowest point of the tube which is the bush. So I've got an oil seal to change (will probably do both for good measure) and a lot of cleaning up to do. I'll redo the pigtail on the breather as I can do a much neater job now it's stripped down. The left hand side Watts linkage rod ends are worn. Seems to make sense to change them all while it's in pieces. If you're reading this SM25T I'll be in touch! The de Dion tube, although of an older type, is not showing any signs of cracking or damage, neither does it show any witness marks from contact with the diff or anything else. The welds around the lower shock mounts all look fine. There is some (previously noted) light surface corrosion on the rear chassis rails, A-frame and de Dion. I'll rub down and repaint the chassis rails while I've got it in pieces, once I've cleaned up. I'll get the A-frame, de Dion and Watts linkage arms powder coated afresh while they are off.I'm in new territory here - I'm sure there will be lost of questions, so expect a flood of new topics in TechTalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted May 15, 2015 Member Share Posted May 15, 2015 Deleted duplicateJonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted May 15, 2015 Member Share Posted May 15, 2015 Well done: knowledge is power!Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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