Simon's new Xantia V6 and Leaf blog

[Armidillo]

Yes, the 5910 is correct for ES9 cam boxes and sump.

Thanks Mike.

[RichardW]

You won't need much, I've got a toothpaste sized tube I sealed the sump 3 times on our C4, and some other jobs, and it's still only half empty...

[Mandrake]

Toothpaste size tube it is then!

[Mandrake]

Well done Simon, it's always good when you can feel a difference after doing a job. Many non mechanically minded drivers tolerate ball joint wear over a period without even noticing until an MOT or service points them out. Once replaced they still don't feel any difference which really helps to justfy the need for the MOT!!

Looks like I probably have some bad news on the Leaf front.

After replacing the lower suspension arms the front suspension was completely silent for about a week.

I then had an unfortunate encounter with the curb. A rubbish truck was blocking one side of a centre pedestrian island forcing me to drive around the wrong side of it - a car was coming in the distance but I thought I had plenty of time to get through, however either they sped up or I misjudged how much time I had and I ended up steering too far left trying to get out of their way sending both the front and rear left wheels over the corner of the curb at probably 20-25 miles an hour.

It was a hell of a bang at both the front and rear. I got out and had a look and it looked like there was a new minor scuff on one of the left wheel rims, (hard to say as I already had at least one scuff dating back to before I bought the car) but I didn't see any other damage, and the car still steers straight and everything seemed fine so I decided I probably got lucky compared to the time when I hit a centre island in the Peugeot and bent the lower control arm...

However a few days later I've gradually realised the front left suspension is clonking and rattling over lightly broken surfaces, and is no longer silent as it was when the arms were first replaced. For all the world it sounds like the lower ball joint has quite significant play in it now, (it sounds pretty much like the faulty one I just replaced, although not quite as bad) and it's definitely coming from the side that had the impact.

Is that a thing that can happen ? Can one hard impact that apparently didn't bend the arm (as the steering is still perfectly straight) cause immediate damage to the ball joint that causes it to become slack ? I understand ball joints these days have a steel ball inside a nylon cup ? Can a hard impact damage/stretch the nylon cup in just a single impact causing it to become slack and start rattling ?

A bit gutted really as it looks like I'm up for another suspension arm only a couple of weeks after replacing it.

[RichardW]

It might have done, but I'd check the spring is not broken.

[Armidillo]

Commiserations - I hit a kerb in a carpark (thought I'd backed up far enough to miss it). At the time it looked like I'd got away with it, but the rego check a couple of weeks later revealed a nasty bulge in the tyre I'd bashed into the kerb...

[Mandrake]

It might have done, but I'd check the spring is not broken.

What would a broken spring sound like ? I've never had one before. (Partly because so many of my cars have been green blooded. )

If I jack it up and take the wheel off would a broken spring be obvious ?

[RichardW]

Varies, sometimes nothing, sometimes all sorts of horrible noises! Usually bottom or top coil breaks off, you can see the jagged end, or the loose bit will still be there somewhere.

[CitroJim]

Does anyone know roughly how much is required for the job ? Larger tubes of the stuff seem to be somewhat expensive.

Not as much as you think you might as you only need a small bead. Having said that, you don't want to get too little and run out seven eighths around the sump... One big tube, the one intended to be used with a caulking gun, will be vastly more than you need but the small tubes are marginal... I'd get two of the small tubes although one big tube may work out more economical if you can find uses for the excess...

It keeps well... I've used it in the past for sealing water inlets and outlets on ceramic toilet cisterns amongst may other little jobs that call for a high quality RTV. If it was while I'd reseal my bath with it... Somehow, a bead of black would look all wrong...

[Mandrake]

You won't need much, I've got a toothpaste sized tube I sealed the sump 3 times on our C4, and some other jobs, and it's still only half empty...

I'm looking just now and so far haven't been able to find any toothpaste sized tubes.

Everyone wants to sell me a full 300ml cartridge gun size for around £50!! Can you remember where you got yours ?

Loctite 5940 is about 1/3rd of the price and is coming up as a suggestion when I search for 5910 but I don't know if it's suitable:

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-206849-loc ... tid=327779

[Gibbo2286]

https://www.gsfcarparts.com/jrpsp-003

[Rp0thejester]

If you broke a spring you would know about it. It sounds like an explosion, the largest bang you'll ever here from a car imo. When mine went it was just a small pot hole but damn I crapped myself.

[Mandrake]

If you broke a spring you would know about it. It sounds like an explosion, the largest bang you'll ever here from a car imo. When mine went it was just a small pot hole but damn I crapped myself.

Although I'll check, I'm doubtful it's the spring.

I genuinely think I've "just" damaged the ball joint. I'm just surprised it happened so easily - it was a fairly big impact, (quite a loud bang both front and rear) but not big enough to bend the arm or cause any effect on steering geometry etc...

I have to assume the nylon sleeve/shell / whatever it is in the ball joint is now split, cracked or chipped. I can't see what else could do it. It's a relatively easy job to swap the arm, the biggest part of the job working on my driveway is carefully getting the car jacked up and supported with axle stands!

I'll definitely need to check the wheel alignment after swapping it this time though, especially as the car will be getting new tyres in a month or two.

[Mandrake]

Found this guide on the sump re-sealing job:

http://406coupeclub.org/Files/HowToGuid ... ngines.pdf

One thing I don't have is a tiny torque wrench - I really ought to buy one!

The only one I have is a half inch drive that does 40Nm to 250Nm.

[Rp0thejester]

Why do I feel the need to say that they don't make them like they used to!! Mass production metal parts do seem to be of lower strength than the 'original' parts. If that's the case then hopefully it's a blessing in disguise, that part took the damage rather than something more labour intensive.