What if

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nino1
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What if

Post by nino1 »

I was wondering what would happen if the pressure release screw wasnt tightened properly after for example a acc sphere change.
What would be the symptoms?

Tnx.
LeeDJC
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Post by LeeDJC »

Wouldn't there just be severly reduced pressure in the system? Perhaps heavy steering, weak brakes, and not at full ride height?
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Post by Kowalski »

LeeDJC wrote:Wouldn't there just be severly reduced pressure in the system? Perhaps heavy steering, weak brakes, and not at full ride height?
It would depend on how slack the screw was. If it leaked very slightly, it wouldn't have much affect when the engine was running but the system would lose pressure quickly when the engine stopped (or if the belt aux drivebelt snapped). The system may also be slow to pressurise when started from cold / flat. If the screw was leaking at a reasonable flow rate, the system wouldn't reach operating pressure and the stop light would come on. The system would either develop enough pressure to open the safety valves or not, if it could open them the system would work as normal, perhaps being sluggish in operation. If the system could not open the valves the suspension would not rise at all.

You wouldn't get weak brakes, they would either work well or the "STOP" light would come on and if the pressure was bad then the front brakes wouldn't work at all, you'd be relying on the rear brakes only, and then only if there was rear suspension pressure.

The steering would not be affected, since it isn't connected to the pressure regulator / accumulator.
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

The pressure release screw MUST be tightened properly - excatly that !
Howver it must NEVER be torqued as you would do up a bolt. Under the the screw there is a ball-bearing (steel-ball) which do the tightening in its seat. Not the screw itself.
It works exactly the same way as the release screw in a hydraulic lifting jack. This you would never torque.

BTW : you may have noticed that the release screw have (or should have) a rubber O-ring seal. This is not important for the function - as the seal is only against external leaks while the release screw is open.
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nino1
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Post by nino1 »

Could it cause premature acc sphere or some other malfunction?
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Mandrake
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Post by Mandrake »

nino1 wrote:Could it cause premature acc sphere or some other malfunction?
Do you mean premature failure of the acc sphere ?

If so, no...it would cause extra work for the pump and the regulator though, but it would have to be left in that state for months to have any effect.

Low pressure could cause a few strange symptoms in the hydraulic system..... why, do you have something specific in mind ?

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Simon
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Post by jeremy »

Loss of the ball bearing underneath it causes even stranger problems! - no not really - just insufficient pressure.
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