Rear Damper
Rear Damper
Support the vehicle on a wheel-free hoist allowing the wheels to hang on
Undo the top fixing
Remove the lower fixing
the suspension. Use
a jack or stands to support and adjust the height of the suspension arms as necessary. To remove the lower fixing, use two spanners, if necessary, to undo the stud. Remove the damper stud and nut. Remove the upper through bolt and nut and detach the shock absorber. It may be necessary to compress the damper, but most are easy to remove.
Installation To install, place the damper in position and fit the retaining nuts and bolts. Tighten the lower fixing to the specified torque. Raise the
Rear strut and
suspension arm to a normal ride height with a jack. damper Tighten the upper shock absorber through bolt and
nut to the specified torque. Summary Safety of all road users and pedestrians
is essential. Reliable operation of the vehicle is also important. The condition of all systems is therefore Safety is
vital. Carry out a check at all service intervals. important
Look back over the previous section and write out a list of the key bullet points here:
SUSPENSION – CUSTOMER CARE Vehicle Condition Respect your customer’s vehicle and take
precautions to keep it clean. Repairing or checking some systems, is likely to involve you working under the vehicle, and then sitting in the driver’s seat. Use seat covers and ensure the steering wheel is clean.
Springs and Dampers The use your customers have for their vehicles, will determine how much work will be required on the suspension system! A vehicle used off road is more likely to wear the springs and dampers. This is particularly so if the vehicle is not designed for off road use! You may need to explain this to your customers. Regular inspections of the system may
be necessary in this case.
Lowering the Suspension Some customers will want you to advise them about lowering the suspension on their vehicle. This is an area where you should be very cautious! Lowering the vehicle can make it look good, but the performance of the steering and suspension will change – not necessarily for the better. Recommend to your customer that only parts designed specifically for their vehicle should be used. If not there is a danger of damage to the vehicle. The insurance may also become invalid. Take care!
Hard Springs and Soft Springs Suspension is always a compromise between comfort and performance. Fitting harder springs and stiffer dampers for example, can improve the way a vehicle handles, but it will be a harsher ride. Softer springs will improve the ride comfort but handling may not be as good. Explain these issues to your customer if necessary.
STEERING INTRODUCTION TO STEERING
Development of Steering Systems The development of steering systems began before cars were invented. On early cars, the entire front axle was steered by way of a pivot (fifth wheel) situated in the centre of the vehicle. The steering accuracy was not very good, there was a serious risk of overturning and the tyre wear was significant.
Ackermann In 1817, Rudolf Ackermann patented the first stub axle steering system in which each front wheel was fixed to the front axle by a joint. This made it possible to cover a larger curve Ackermann steering radius with the wheel on the outside of the curve than with the front wheel on the inside of the curve.
Rack And Pinion Steering Rack and pinion steering was developed at an early age in the history of
Steering rack
Power steering
the car. However, this became
pump
more popular, when front-wheel drive was used more, since it requires little space and production costs are lower. The first hydraulic power steering was produced in 1928. However, since there was no great demand for this until the fifties the development of power steering systems stagnated.