Vertical link - disc -caliper issue

[mark spit]

So I've fitted two brand new v links on my car.

Drivers side, all okay though the outer face of the brake disc is very close to the brake caliper. I put this down to the new powder coat on the shield.

Nearside, however, the outer disc face is even closer to the caliper. So close in fact that with the shield on, they are locked together. Removing the dust sheild and they are very very close.  I did fit a new old stock felt seal to the hub on this side. Could that be stopping the hub sitting right in?

Tightened the hub nut up as much as possible before backing off and fitting the caliper but no change.

There was no issue with the old v-link and caliper spacing so I suspect there's something amiss with the new, but don't know wether it'll be the caliper mounting lugs aren't machined off enough dragging the caliper intowrds the centre of the car, or the face the inner bearing sits against isn't machined back enough to let the hub come back.

What do I do now???????

Mark

[Howard81]

I had this problem, but luckly it only just clears.  I assumed it to do with the vertical link or stub axle tolerances being slightly off size, or not pressed in well enough.

[mark spit]

Hmm, I suspect the tolerances are wrong somewhere, I'm using all original stub axleshub/discs and calipers, but on both sides either the hub disc assy is being prevented moving in far enough or the caliper isn't sitting out enough.

The closest one is going to foul with even a tiny bit of bearing endfloat.

Think I'll contact the supplier tomorrow and see what they say.
just wanted to go for a drive this weekend  :-/

Mark

[Howard81]

Interesting!

The problem one I had was also a brand new vertical link and brand new stub axle.

I have new discs and recon calipers.

The original vertical link and stub axle on the other side are a much better fit.

[Hugh]

Where dd you chaps get your parts from :)

[mark spit]

I'll let you know later on today.

Mark

[John Bonnett]

mark_spit wrote:

I'll let you know later on today.

Mark

I'd be grateful if you would share it with me because I'll probably need to source a pair of vertical links too and this information would be very helpful to me.

Thank you

John

[CharlieB]

908 wrote:

Where dd you chaps get your parts from :)

I'm pretty sure there's only one manufacturer for vertical links

[uksnatcher]

My VL snapped last week.

I was reliably told by John at James Paddocks that the supply of new (remanufactured not NOS) VL's were now depleated by all stockists and the new batch will be available to all in approx 2 months by the same manufacturer.

Couldnt get one anywere so ended up putting a great S/Hand one on supplied by Totally Triumph with no issues.

Not saying the stockists are dodgy but maybe the last of the last ones in the parts bin were returns/faulty if you bought very recently?

Probably sounds like it could be the seat the inner bearing butts upto is too long on the new VL, that determains the distance the hub/disc is away from the caliper, compair it to the old VL if you have it??
Or you could shave some off the face of the calipers .....not ideal i know. :(

[heraldcoupe]

I would take out the felt seal and perform a trial fit without it. An uncompressed felt seal will throw out the sit of the hub on it's stub axle, so you want to establish this is OK before getting in any deeper,

Cheers,
Bill.

[uksnatcher]

Good point.
Also a point to consider...I have read some of the new seals have the metal cup made too deep, that will cause the VL to butt up to the seal metal housing rather than the bearing inner race...but you would get a grinding noise then.

[Davemate]

heraldcoupe wrote:

I would take out the felt seal and perform a trial fit without it. An uncompressed felt seal will throw out the sit of the hub on it's stub axle, so you want to establish this is OK before getting in any deeper,

Cheers,
Bill.

This was my problem everything looked up when the calliper bolts were done up tight,I very slightly overtightend the wheel bearing nut then left it overnight which compressed it, by the morning it was about right (having checked it)
Every day for about a week I kept checking the wheel bearing and for the first couple of days it needed retightening
Old seal

And the new

[Davemate]

If you are fitting new stub axels check the hole is in the correct
Place,mine wasn't

Compared to the old
Look at the old stub axel the end is tappered with no thread,the new one has no tapper and is threaded to the end.Both axels are the same total length,but I think the hole was drilled by measuring down the thread by(let's just say)10 mm which due to the shaft not having the tapper moved the hole 5 mm further towards the end of the shaft
Am I making sence

[uksnatcher]

Good pics to compare the new with the old there Dave and there lies a problem...wow that new felt seal is wayyy to thick, my new seal was 1/3 of the thickness of yours..???

Maybe what i have read is that on some seals the felt is too deep not the metal cup it sits in? Just like the one you have in the pic.

The seal i bought is deffo thinner than that one, mine was a NOS Payen felt seal.

That stub axle is just plain poor machining, hope you got your money back..!

[Davemate]

uksnatcher wrote:

That stub axle is just plain poor machining, hope you got your money back..!

Don't want to thread drift too far,but no I did not
Long story but I ended up doing this,I did ask on here if it would be ok though

[Howard81]

My new stub axle was exactly the same, had to use washers to space the nut out.

[mark spit]

Okay chaps,
Update on my particular situation, had a nice long informative chat with the retailer of the links.

I need to check the distance relationship between the vert link face where the caliper mounts onto and the central castle that the inner bearing butts up against. I still have both original links so I can see what the measurement is on them as well to compare.

The new felt seal I fitted was NOS and appeared as thick as the one in the picture above.
I shall do as Bill suggested and see what happens without the felt seal in on the most problematic side and see if it then matches the other one.

The other possible cause for this excessive outward position of the disc relative to the caliper could be due to inner bearing fitment, but as they were okay (and have been for a number of years) on the original set and haven't been removed from the hubs I think they're okay.

With regards as to the source, there is only one for the vertical links, as they are  made in batches as the manufacturer sees fit, they are all CNC machined together, seems unlikey that I've been unlucky in getting a bad set, more that there's another issue with mine.
I'll add more later as I sort it, but don't hold your breath. Taken well over a month to get round to fitting the things to start with....

Thanks for all your suggestions.
Cheers
Mark

[Hugh]

mark_spit wrote:

Okay chaps,
Update on my particular situation, had a nice long informative chat with the retailer of the links.

I need to check the distance relationship between the vert link face where the caliper mounts onto and the central castle that the inner bearing butts up against. I still have both original links so I can see what the measurement is on them as well to compare.

The new felt seal I fitted was NOS and appeared as thick as the one in the picture above.
I shall do as Bill suggested and see what happens without the felt seal in on the most problematic side and see if it then matches the other one.

The other possible cause for this excessive outward position of the disc relative to the caliper could be due to inner bearing fitment, but as they were okay (and have been for a number of years) on the original set and haven't been removed from the hubs I think they're okay.

With regards as to the source, there is only one for the vertical links, as they are  made in batches as the manufacturer sees fit, they are all CNC machined together, seems unlikey that I've been unlucky in getting a bad set, more that there's another issue with mine.
I'll add more later as I sort it, but don't hold your breath. Taken well over a month to get round to fitting the things to start with....

Thanks for all your suggestions.
Cheers
Mark

Your not alone a few others have had problems with so called bad sets??

[GT6 M]

I wonder if when they make a new batch, that the tolerances will be tighter, !!!
the V/L seems ok, but the trunnions are too bigg, causing a bit of play.  as much as the old one that was took off.

I had similar prob, but it was the seal, took the seal out o the metal case,and just used the seal its self,

[Nick Jones]

The last new trunnion (the brass bit) I had was actually too tight and needed considerable "exercising".

Nick

[mark spit]

796 wrote:

I wonder if when they make a new batch, that the tolerances will be tighter, !!!
the V/L seems ok, but the trunnions are too bigg, causing a bit of play.  as much as the old one that was took off.

I had similar prob, but it was the seal, took the seal out o the metal case,and just used the seal its self,

Could be that, one side ok with original seal, one with NOS fat seal worse. Time will tell.
Mark

[mark spit]

Right, managed to get out and have a look again.

Two issues, both self inflicted, nothing to do with the vertical links. :B

One. Powder coating the stone sheilds looks nice but moves the caliper back towards the centre of the car. Cleaned off the coating and the close drivers side one is now okay.

Two. Nipping any part of the felt seal between the centre castle and the bearing face WILL stop the hub going in far enough.

So both sides on, got disk-caliper clearance. Just need the two new split pins which are on route now and it's good to go once the wheels are back on.  :)

And as promised, I let the retailer know of the outcome as well.

Mark