'96 ZX 1.9TD lower balljoint woes...

[ekjdm14]

Well today's shopping trip for parts was only partially successful, we've got filters, wheel cylinders, brake fluid & cleaner but nobody had 180mm lucas brake shoes in stock, nor did we manage to get a lower balljoint for the nearside...

I'm confused as to what vehicle the front hub carriers & balljoints are actually supposed to be for now, because going on the Reg number/chassis number & by ECPs own computer, every ZX has 16mm balljoints. Ours however has 14mm :/

So, in the absence of the receipt & part number for the balljoint we succeeded in replacing for the offside, and in the further absence of anyone who gave a damn in the shop we're stuck for what vehicle to order the 14mm 3-bolt balljoints by...

Anybody know of a PSA group vehicle that had 14mm cotter-pin lower ball joints fitted? tearing my hair out here wondering where the receipt is for the one we already got, and feel like burning ECP for denying all knowledge of such an item when they sold us one not a month ago!

[Harlequin]

if you pm me your VIN I can happily check on service citroen for you

[ekjdm14]

oh cool thank you no doubt it will still say 16mm balljoints as per everyone else's computer lol but will send it you when I get a chance. Thanks again.

[citronut]

here is a list of all 1.9D ZX swivel joints from service citroen

3640 43
FRONT TRIANGLE ARM BALL-JOINT
DIAM 16
- EXCEPT POWER STEERING

3640 42
DIAM 16
- POWER STEERING

E459704
RP 16 072 952 80
EM:SUSPENSION BALL JOINT PSA
- EXCEPT POWER STEERING AND AGE >= 3

VSJ573A
M:SUSPENSION BALL JOINT PSA
- EXCEPT POWER STEERING AND AGE >= 4

E459705
RP 16 072 951 80

EM:SUSPENSION BALL JOINT PSA
- POWER STEERING AND AGE >= 3

VSJ641A
M:SUSPENSION BALL JOINT PSA
- POWER STEERING AND AGE >= 4

it seems even the 1.1 ZX has a 16mm swivel pin, then as dose the 2.0 ans 1.9TD

[ekjdm14]

Yep, and 106/AX platform seems to use the cartridge type similar to the larger vehicles, so rather befuddled as to what part bin & what production line the factory workers grabbed our front suspension from when the 16mm stuff ran out (which from previous French cars erratic specifications, is what I'm guessing happened with this!)

If I could only find the damned receipt I could order by P/N but can I find it? all there is so far is tyres/glow plugs & tracking paperwork from the P/O... Somewhere in this world there is the invoices for our new glow plugs & the offside wishbone and balljoint, but where exactly I'm beggared if I know haha

[RichardW]

Pretty sure early (poss non PAS) ZXs were 14mm (despite service.citroen denying it!) - surprised that a 96 TD has 14mm though - perhaps the hubs have been changed at some point? I can't see anywhere that's listing 14mm ones though... I've got one in the garage off a similar age TD, and that is 16mm. Tried looking in the QH catalogue, but you need to register to see it! Can only think that you will either have to drill out the existing hubs to 16mm, or change the hubs for ones off another car that does have 16mm pins. Should be plenty of donors (306, Xsara, berlingo etc). Mind you, small pins might = small hubs / drive shafts....

[ekjdm14]

Ah right, Euro Car A*ses do actually have 14mm in stock because we managed to get one for the other side not long ago when we replaced the wishbone as well, it was a pain as we had to get a separate 'bone and joint then bolt it together rather than buying one complete & riveted which I'd have preferred, but they did have them nonetheless. However we went to the stoke branch this time (couple of miles closer & they had some bits in that the Crewe branch didn't) and the staff there could not have given less of a care for helping if they'd tried... If I'd known then we would have just gone to crewe & fetched the missing bits from one of the other suppliers round there.

Got a couple of places to look for the receipt this morning & whether it turns up or not I'll be off to sunny Crewe to find the remaining bits to get the car up to scratch suspension/brake wise.

Thanks Richard for that clue, so I might try lying and ordering a balljoint for a '91 1.4i haha. it is very unusual that the balljoints are this small on a diesel yeh, but everything under there looks like it left the factory that way, similar amounts of corrosion on all bolt heads etc so maybe it was a Friday afternoon car I think the driveshafts should be OK as they look no different to any other PSA diesel motor I've crawled under so hope upon hope it's just the carriers & balljoints that are "wrong"!

Will let you know how we get on, if we get on thanks.

[citronut]

whats actually the problem with the swivel you want to replace, if there is play in that joint maybe its because the wrong/14mm swivel had been fitted instead of the correct 16mm one

[ekjdm14]

whats actually the problem with the swivel you want to replace, if there is play in that joint maybe its because the wrong/14mm swivel had been fitted instead of the correct 16mm one

Nope, carriers are definitely for 14mm as per the side we already did (which is fine), 16mm one we originally bought would not physically fit. the play in the side we have yet to do is 100% in the swivel itself not in the pin/carrier interface, had the pry bar on all the bushes/balljoints while I had the wheel off, don't think a 14mm pin would even stay in a 16mm hub carrier TBH the pinch bolt would miss it.

Off to hunt shortly, wish me luck haha it's a '91 1.4i base model, honest guv'

[citronut]

2mm in the diameter is not a great deal, and i have seen a case were a smaller swvle had been fitted to something, and the pinch clamp on the hub carrier had been wound in as far as it could go in the attempt to clamp the smaller swivel pin,

this then needs opening/spreading outwards to get the correct swivel pin in

of course this is theoretical you understand

[ekjdm14]

Not a great deal diameter wise, but it makes a fair old difference in % of circumference on something this size. I'll certainly have a look but really don't think this is the case as the slot in the clamp on the offside that I did a while back wasn't closed up, plenty wide enough to get a cold chisel in as a wedge to help the new one slot in place on that side.

In theory you could be right & I understand your scepticism as to it really being 14mm (after all, no bugger else believes me when I ask for a 14mm swivel in the shop lol & if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't believe they'd fit 14mm to a diesel either!)

Now the missus is feeling ill so doesn't look like I'm getting time to go out and sort it today after all, oh well it's hissing down out there in any case...