Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[badhuis]

One of the rear lever arm dampers on my TR4 is not doing the work as it should be.
Before getting new, or reconditioned ones, is there anything I can do to try to improve the working?
Thicker oil?
Any tips?

[Roger-hatchy]

Have copy and pasted to a triumph forum
Might be lucky

Roger

[Roger-hatchy]

Had a question put forward

What are the symptoms.

Roger

[Roger-hatchy]

Got one answer so far

Roger


Quote :
Not damping I expect......
If they are anything like the rotoflex Vitesse ones they aren't especially good at that even when working properly. It is actually possible to take them apart to investigate. Might be low on oil or have knackered seals. Some also suggest using different weight oils in them to change the damping characteristic. I think there are also people out there doing telescopic conversions?

Might be worth asking the question on the TR register forum too - you don't have to be a register member to post.

Cheers

Nick

[badhuis]

Thanks Roger.
I am already a forum contributant tot the CTH forum and the TR register forum but wanted to ask this question here, because a lot of older cars are fitted with lever arm shock absorbers.

I hoped to pick up some old school thinking here about maintaining them.
Surely this must have been common practice 40 years ago?

Most early TR owners (about the only Triumphs fitted with these shocks) probably would not give a toss - and will fit new ones immediately.

[Jim.Walker]

A curious thing about this is that those units are fitted with a topping up plug. It used to be a normal service operation (stipulated in the Manufacturer's service schedule) to top them up to replace any oil loss.
Now, of course, for the MOT they must not leak.
I suppose you could possibly "fiddle" the MOT Test by topping them up so they work effectively and clean them off prior to the MOT. You must of course remember to top them up regularly.

THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION.

Jim.
_________________
Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[Ray the rocker]

I had a case many years ago when working on a morris marina. A member of the local constabulary pulled a customers car initially parked awkwardly out side his local shop to pick up the local newspaper.Is this your car sir !!said the policeman--yes replied the motorist.well i`ve just tested the front shock absorbers and they appear to be very weak....wrote out a prohibition order out and told the motorist to get them changed within seven days.Since when does a policeman become a fully trained mechanic!!!
Finding nothing wrong with the shocks ,i advise the customer accordingly--i`m not going to protest he said--otherwise they`ll keep pulling over.
I took them off the vehicle,cleaned them up and resprayed them matt black! took the car to the local nick and they recinded the order as replacement of shocks on the ticket.Had to take the car then to the ministry of transport with the formal documents toofficially clear the car!
there`s red tape where ever you go these days..Back to the subject --jim is correct about the filler but you have to disconnect the lever to operate the arm for bleeding the system when topping up the oil....

cheers Ray the Rocker....

[MVPeters]

I'd certainly give thicker oil a try - it worked in an A35 many years ago, but the effects don't seem to last too long.
Hydraulic/jack/shock oil is typically about 20-weight; it's not significantly different from regular motor oil, so a 30 or 40-weight would work. I don't think I'd go any higher than that.
The biggest problem will be getting enough of the old oil out for the new to have much effect. There's probably no drain plug, so it means taking the shock off, inverting it & pumping the arm. If you're going to do all that, you might as well replace it altogether.
Depending on how much, how often & how hard you use the car, you might consider new lever shocks (re-furbished have a reputation for not lasting long & they're not that much cheaper) or even a telescopic conversion. None of these options are 'cheap' (except the thicker oil!).

Try a search on the WorldWideWilderness for - tr4 lever shock oil - there's lots of stuff out there.
_________________
Mike - MVPeters at comcast.net
2002 MINI Cooper 'S'

[Jim.Walker]

Not sure about the oils Mike.
Obviously Shock Absorber oil was specified and was easily available from Girling. I always thought that it was a non-mineral oil like hydraulic or jack oil or even brake fluid but a different viscosity (it did not smell like mineral oil) and that using mineral engine oil would destroy the seals as it would in hydraulic brakes. On everything but some Citroens anyway.
Maybe I've been wrong all these years?
Jim.
_________________
Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[MVPeters]

Jim

(Your 500th post - congratulations!)

Very good point about the mineral oils - I did consider/re-think my comment just after I posted it, but it was based on 40-year-old experience which seemed to have worked at the time - or perhaps that's why the effect didn't last very long!

Commonly-available hydraulic oils don't seem to be marked with viscosity ratings or their chemical make-up (at least over here) - other than "heavy-duty" or similar - which makes it hard to find a 'thicker' one. The only exception I've seen is motor-cycle fork oil & I should have mentioned that as a possible source.

Thanks for the correction.
_________________
Mike - MVPeters at comcast.net
2002 MINI Cooper 'S'

[Jim.Walker]

[Nic Jarman]

Automatic Transmision Fluid is often used in forks. It worked very well in my CBR600.
_________________
1936 Morris 8 Series 1
1973 MGB roadster
1977 MG Midget 1500
Dax Rush

[Richard H]

The front shock absorbers in my A35 are appalling, they are full of oil but don't seem to have any damping action whatsoever

[Jim.Walker]

[peter scott]

Jim,

I've had exactly the same experience as you and wondered whether the violent oscillations would get worse if I braked. I just lifted off the accelerator and fortunately came to a halt with the car still the right way up but like you I found it one of my most alarming driving experiences. I didn't have a precipice to avoid but did have oncoming traffic.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon