You're very kind to post the procedure... and I hope I never have to refer to it! :D
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You're very kind to post the procedure... and I hope I never have to refer to it! :D
So, after playing around with my old busted bag and shock, i have concluded that the top bearing cannot be removed without specialized tooling or without causing damage.
furthermore, i no longer believe that the bearing was at fault for the knocking, it felt quite tight when I had it off the vehicle. it appeared that a small bit of movement was coming between the spindle of the shock and the inner race of the bearing. she currently sits as it was. knock and all
This is the thread I did on the rear tailshaft and how to replace the uni joint and centre bearing.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/l322-range...rbishment.html
Was the stumbling block not being able to remove the nut or to remove the bearing from the shaft?
Was the slight looseness due to the bearing's inner race not fully clamped to the shaft or is there a more complex arrangement?
Its all very very simple...I just think the cheaper replacements have some issues.
The photos attached show the replaced (Cheap part) shock spindle and the red lines show where the inner bearing race had been sitting. you can clearly see some slight amounts of wear from the bearing "jiggling"
the second shock spindle (one with the seals still attached) has probably 3 times the amount of kms to its name and has no sign of movement.
The bearing top shows the inside view of of the older inner race, there is no shiny metal surfaces in there so it hasnt been moving.
Unfortunately, the possibly over sized bearing had to go back on, i did replace the shock with the older one. however there has been no notable difference in the knocking noises. it still could be on the other side.
I will eventually replace with the arnotts upgraded bags and bearings when the time comes.
So it appears that the after-market shaft dia is slightly undersize but the nut must not have been properly tight to allow the bearing to move. I haven't tried tightening mine's nuts yet as I still haven't replaced the lost Torx bit but am encouraged to do so ASAP.
even with tightening, there was still movement. without the shaft diameter being spot on, it relies on the rubber seals to keep centered.
Is the nut not able to be tightened sufficiently for it to stay clamped or is something stopping the bearing's inside flange from pressing properly against the step in the shaft? If the nut doesn't stay tight due to excess clearance then bearing retainer is the fix but it may be difficult to disassemble next time.
As my vehicle had only done 18K kms when I bought it, I doubt that its noise is due to excess bearing/shaft clearance.