WGB
New Member
I am in the process of rebuilding my steering linkage and upper suspension arms/bushes and on re-fitting the idler arm (with a new kit) I noticed that when it was cycled to the position of left full lock it did not stop at the stop on the subframe but rested against the positive battery feed to the starter motor. The end connectors were a little distorted and displaced the cables away from the side of the engine by a couple of centimetres.
Neither the squared off area on the arm itself nor the riveted contact plate on the subframe appear ever to have contacted each other in the entire life of the car whereas the same on the opposite side show quite measurable wear on both the pitman arm area and it's respective plate. After connecting it all up again it still does not contact the stops on the left side.
I guess in a RHD car right lock is used a lot more than left and I assume my steering box is not at it's central position in relation to the Pitman Arm but the really scary thing is what would happen if the idler arm regularly contacted the battery cable and started a firworks show.
I corrected the shape of the connections and re-routed the cable so that if left full lock is ever required in the future the correct stops will come into play but I would suggest that you may want to check your own cars before the fireworks start.
Bill
Neither the squared off area on the arm itself nor the riveted contact plate on the subframe appear ever to have contacted each other in the entire life of the car whereas the same on the opposite side show quite measurable wear on both the pitman arm area and it's respective plate. After connecting it all up again it still does not contact the stops on the left side.
I guess in a RHD car right lock is used a lot more than left and I assume my steering box is not at it's central position in relation to the Pitman Arm but the really scary thing is what would happen if the idler arm regularly contacted the battery cable and started a firworks show.
I corrected the shape of the connections and re-routed the cable so that if left full lock is ever required in the future the correct stops will come into play but I would suggest that you may want to check your own cars before the fireworks start.
Bill
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