New tire rod ends today 78 NYB

73 T&C

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Took the Nimitz in for some work on the rear brakes (been banging on application figured the adjuster was out of sorts). Also I’ve been noticing some excess slop in the steering and some uneven tire wear.

So....

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Up on the alignment rack/lift she goes...

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Sure enough... adjuster cable is slack and adjuster is stuck (both sides). Shoes look good though. Take it appart, clean it up, lubricate the adjuster and see if that does it.

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Front pads all good.

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Front tires wearing on the inside. Check alignment, set camber, check the upper and lower control arm bushings after new tire rods are in. If all good, reset the alignment.

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The front tire rods are all varying degrees of “toast”. As is idler arm. No wonder it felt so sloppy. Interesting is that it didn’t pull and the wheel held straight.

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Going to have to look up how to change the pinion oil seal. Leaking.

Shocks all leaking too... will start rear self-leveling project on this excuse.

Been a year on the road since recommissioning her.

She’ll be down for a few days. Will miss the killer A/C.... good thing that it’s finally starting to get less hot!
 
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Good that you got the work done and knowing what was in good shape.

Was the toe-in "towed out'? Or was the camber negative? Brake pull is usually a function of un-equal caster, than loose/worn steering linkage items, IF it's not due to a brake situation on one side of the car.

When the idler arm on the '66 Newport was needing replacement, I'd noticed that the front end was more sensitive to longitudinal pavement ridges than it had been, plus some clicks, AND that I couldn't follow BMWs through some off-ramps on the freeway (this was back in the middle '70s).

I suspect you rotated the rear tires to the front?

Good pictures!
CBODY67
 
None of the typical noise of popping at standstill while turning. Quick check shows camber is out amp the bottom but upper and lower bushings show some cracks in the exposed part of the rubber but.... No looseness or movement. May have dodged a total rebuild on the front suspension.

Now toe in or out with the level of looseness in the tire Rod joints.

Just checked the FSM and the rear seal is a bit of a ***** to change.not to mention... where the heck do I find a new seal.
 
If it's the 9 1/4 it should be easy to get a seal, the seal can be changed with out pulling it all apart and replacing the crush sleeve. I do them alot in GM's, you just need to be cautious when tightening the pinion nut as you don't put too much preload on the bearings.
 
If it's the 9 1/4 it should be easy to get a seal, the seal can be changed with out pulling it all apart and replacing the crush sleeve. I do them alot in GM's, you just need to be cautious when tightening the pinion nut as you don't put too much preload on the bearings.
Been there, done that, 65sporty is correct.
If 9-1/4, pinion seals are easy to find and easy to install, then it must be true. Mine never leaked :lol:
 
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All done.

Tires were wearing on inside due to toe out caused by worn tire rod ends. Upper and lower bushings good. Rotated tires and reset alignment.

Rear brake cylinders were sticking and leaking and were replaced. Adjuster replaced due to lack of smooth operation after cleaning and lube of old adjuster.

Diff seal changed. Replaced oil soaked exhaust hanger and cleaned up the mess.

All new shocks including rear air shock. I am ditching the idea of a vacuum operated pump and reserve for a small electric unit (probably from a Cadillac) in the front and switch off the rear suspension. Still working it out. Separate post to follow.

Car rides smooth and reacts well to dips and bumps with less upsetting of suspension. I hadn’t even realized they were gone but can really feel the difference with the new. Much more precise in handling and road manners.

Happy.
 
So the pinion seal went in without any drama eh?
Truth be known knowing Jav, he already knew he could do it in his sleep. He also has the mind of an OCD Engineer and had to throw it out there for the JIC scenario.
The freaking guy owns a Citroën fer crisakes. :rofl:
 
So the pinion seal went in without any drama eh?
Only minor drama.
Went to loosen the nut with my mondo torque wrench to record the preload...expecting it to be pretty high. Checked the pinion drag and found it to be pretty much to spec at 10 or so inch pounds. Luckily, I started at twenty ft lbs. It cracked at thirty. Thinking that it was loose and the cause of the failed seal, I changed the seal and went back in with the nut at the same thirty pounds. Resistance and preload checked out as the same as before. Tried at forty ft pounds and preload and drag went way up to almost 49 inch pounds. Backed the nut out and reset it to 30 and it was fine. Diff had a little whine but it is now gone. I’m thinking the whine was the low fluid level.

End of the drama there.
 
Truth be known knowing Jav, he already knew he could do it in his sleep. He also has the mind of an OCD Engineer and had to throw it out there for the JIC scenario.
The freaking guy owns a Citroën fer crisakes. :rofl:
Truth be known knowing Jav, he already knew he could do it in his sleep. He also has the mind of an OCD Engineer and had to throw it out there for the JIC scenario.
The freaking guy owns a Citroën fer crisakes. :rofl:

Sometimes OCD gets you....

The Citroën in question is a 73 SM which is also descriptive of my relationship with it. It is also the most mechanically challenging car I own.

In its day (circa 1970) it was was cutting edge tech with all sorts of unique and truly innovative features.

One of these is a self centering steering system. (Systèm DIRAVI)

It operates via a pressurized follower ( like a roller lifter) on a heart shaped cam within the steering box in line with the steering shaft with a 2 to 1 reduction gear. So, the steering only has two full turns lock to lock.

The boost off the main accumulator is at a measly 1590 psi. Boost to the steering gear and the self centering system inside the steering box is controlled by a regulator with a centrifugal valve driven by the transmission whereby the boost is full at low speeds and gets diverted to the self centering system (regulated to a more palatable max of only 580 psi) when at speeds over 60 MPH. Great stuff..... when it works right.

Well for the last year or so, the wheel would not return to center and would drag at certain points with even some resistance when turning.

It was driving me crazy

I changed serviced or repaired every component between the front tires and the steering gear. I even built a pressure testing guage that I could insert in line to check the operation pressures in the system. No luck but I can now tell you I have the best god damned front end of any Citroën on the planet.

Well, this Sunday I cracked it.

It was a dry u joint on the steering shaft between the fire wall and the steering box.

**** me and my OCD!
 
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