Can't get swivell ball tension right....opinions please.

[brucejohn]

Thanks, more shims then?

[daveb]

its just you. I've seen em with alot more than that.

That is the problem I have: 0.065 and just over 20#. Is it just me or does 0.085 feel like a lot of shim?

[brucejohn]

That is the problem I have: 0.065 and just over 20#. Is it just me or does 0.085 feel like a lot of shim?

[thixon]

Confirmed...I was waferless.

That's what I get for starting a project, and letting it sit for two weeks!

After the wafer was installed, I had the opposite problem...too much tension! The green bible recommended starting at .040, which set me at around 30lbs. At .085 or so I'm now at around 14lbs.

[jac04]

... after I complete my swivel ball rebuild should I get a front end alignment?

I would check & adjust toe as required, but that's all you can adjust.

[JimC]

I think an alignment is a good thing to verify.

And thix - I assumed when you said new railco, you meant the wafer at the bottom was new, but yeah, you gotta have it there. Its also amazing how much it can wear. I thought I had my wafer in there, but it turned out to be almost a paper-thin little scrap. I was surprised by how thick the new wafer was in comparison. With the new wafer installed, the pre-load was perfect the first time out, with I think a .750 and a .250 wafer. I'm doing defender balls, so I don't know what thicknesses your series shims are.

[bmohan55]

Slight hijack, after I complete my swivel ball rebuild should I get a front end alignment? I really don't see anything that can be adjusted but again this is my first foray into the front end. The truck was pulling slightly to the right but I believe that was due to a very worn Railko bushing.

[SafeAirOne]

Mark - My manual (green bible) says 12 to 14 lbs. Maybe I read it wrong.

Probably a difference in the swivels/swivel pins between the SIIa and SIII? If I'm reading it right in step 25 in the attached pic it says 8-10lbs...

[TedW]

Ted,

In this case, I'm not getting enough tension, even with no shims. Its a good bet I did'nt put the wafer in. I really hope that's all it is.

I'd say you need the wafer......................

[thixon]

Ted,

In this case, I'm not getting enough tension, even with no shims. Its a good bet I did'nt put the wafer in. I really hope that's all it is.

[TedW]

Travis,
Did you remember to install the wafer washer thing in the bottom of the railco bush hole. No wafer = no preload.

Not always, IMO. The railcos I used to rebuild my swivels had the railco material preinstalled on the bottom of the hole. It confused the hell out of me. When I tried to use the thrust washer the king pin stuck out by about 3/16". So I skipped the thrust washer and got the proper resistance (12-14 lb.) with what seemed to be a reasonable number of shims.

[bmohan55]

http://forum.landrovernet.com/forumdisplay.php?f=244&order=desc&page=2

I found this to be very helpful in my current swivel ball rebuild saga, (stalled while waiting for a simple O-ring!)

[thixon]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Jim - I'm not sure anymore which way its facing. I took it apart about 20 times last night before I realized I was frustrated and needed to quite. Gregor can tell you, I prefer welding/fabbing/bodywork to mechanical work any day. When things don't go smoothly, I just have to put it down and walk away. Otherwise, I might end up cutting it in half with the torch!

Mark - My manual (green bible) says 12 to 14 lbs. Maybe I read it wrong. Also, I am pulling from the right hole, although I tried both just for laughs.

Gregor and Kevin - I'm betting you're right. I bolted things up at about 3am before I left for singapore a few weeks ago, intending to finish when I got home. I have a habit of staying up all night before a trip like that to kind of pre adjust to the time change. I was sleepy, and beered up so maybe I forgot to put the little bugger in. That would explain the lack of tension. It would also explain the lack of a signifigant change in tension with either a pile of shims, or no shim.

Thanks all. I'll report back later today when I get home from work.

[kevin-ct]

Travis,
Did you remember to install the wafer washer thing in the bottom of the railco bush hole. No wafer = no preload.

You took the words out of my key board

Make sure the wafer is there.

[greenmeanie]

Travis,
Did you remember to install the wafer washer thing in the bottom of the railco bush hole. No wafer = no preload.