It passed!

mjb · Post by **mjb** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:43 pm

Got my new MOT certificate today... just!

Got pulled up on 2 points:
1) Number plate light was out - completely forgot to check it when I did the final checks over everything else!

Thankfully being a small garage he gave me the option of accepting the fail or buying a new bulb off him. I took the latter option ;)

2) The "swivel joint" in my steering needs replacing apparently because the play in the steering (I've not noticed - the smallest twitch on the wheel will steer the car!) was such that if he hadn't "seen the car's obviously been well maintained" (

) he'd have failed it, but as it is I got let off with an advisory.

Unfortunately my Haynes has gone AWOL and I can't find anything useful on t'internet about this "swivel joint" thing apart from they use them on go-karts. Any ideas? I'm guessing it's something I'll need to remove the plastic engine compartment guard to get at? or is it something I'm not going to be able to fix myself in an afternoon when my back's better?

jameslxdt · Post by **jameslxdt** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:16 am

this could be 3 things, your lower wishbone balljoint, track rod end, or steering rod inner end, usually it the swivel joint refers to the wishbone ball joint

have a look at this:

ive put a circle round what i think he's on about, there cheap to buy but there a bugger to get out of the hub

mjb · Post by **mjb** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:54 pm

Not sure that's what he was on about, as he said (forgot to mention this above) if I don't get it fixed soonish I'd probably be looking at a new rack. Doesn't seem to me that the part you circled could cause a rack to break, although my knowledge of steering systems that aren't made of Lego is somewhat minimal and I could well be totally wrong ;)

jameslxdt · Post by **jameslxdt** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 2:12 pm

well none of those will kill your rack, the only way to tell is to jack up whichever wheel it is, shake it hard and find the part that has the most play in it, vertical movement is usually a wheelbearing, and horizontal movement is usually steering rod or track rod

Post by **Welly** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:17 am

Nice one mjb

Are you sure he's not on about the 'universal' joint where the steering column exit's the car's footwell.

It would be pretty rare to get wear here though

Some columns have an articulated joint to get over to the rack, I don't know if the 406 had one?

jameslxdt · Post by **jameslxdt** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:02 pm

the 406 does have a universal coupling for the rack, but i have never ever come across one of these that has worn out on any car ive ever worked on even ones with starship mileage
well i have found one on a volvo 850 where mr clutch didnt disconnect it when lowering the subframe and subsequently it sheared in two