Hermes

[enigma]

Oh noes, I'm sensing another Knaccord-towing-Isaac-in-Hermes-round-a-tight-bend-on-a-bridge type event!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvtYs...eature=related

[elnevio]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvtYs...eature=related

Something like that - but without the lack of attention being paid to Towing 101 - leaving the key in the 'ACC' position!

[bradc]

Hello Dave!

[Kieran]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvtYs...eature=related

Bloody hell fire! He posted!

Sorry for not updating the thread in a while, been raaaaaather busy around here just lately...

[MarkSanne]

Amazing I missed this thread! Good to see you're back!

[MPBVr4]

Come on K or am I going to have to go the library to find something to read??

[steelie600]

Yeah come on binger jollocks we need another thrilling instalment of (HUM) duh dhu durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Hermes, the wonder car.

[Kieran]

Sorry - Been tardy, haven't I? I'll knock another few posts out soon, fear not.

[ANTHONY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvtYs...eature=related

good to see your still around dave

[Kieran]

About a month after removal, the brake lines landed at Mitsubishi Nottingham. And they were right.

And there was much rejoicing.

I went to get them, and then had the job of somehow getting them into the KnAccord without bending them out of shape.

And there was much swearing.

But get them home un-kinked I did. And here they are. All neatly pre-bent for me and spangly new. I fitted the P-clips from the original lines, and they were ready for going in.


Getting the pipes in was reasonably easy with everything removed. Position under the car and then lift and secure bit by bit. Once the pipes were in position and secure, I gunned waxoyl over their entire length to prevent re-rusting in the future, and I also smothered the fuel tank cavity - as you can see below, that area is primer only. That's shocking really. Still, it's now primer with a lovely thick coat of waxoyl to keep the badness at bay!




This is the clip of doom (black one at the bottom). There must be a way to get at this with the subframe in-situ, but I couldn't see how...



With the lines in and secure, the fuel tank was hoisted back into position, and the front subframe was refitted too. To avoid damaging the steering rack, I refitted the subframe bare. I could mess about with the rack and make sure I got it on properly later. This is the KieranCorp Mk1 Subframe installation tool. It worked really well - the wood was perfect to saddle the subframe across and then I could gently lift it into position.

[Kieran]

So - How does one centralise the rack?

It's quite easy really - If you remove the air bag and the clock spring, you can then refit the steering wheel. Getting the steering wheel off is easy. Make sure (if you've not already!) that you disconnect the battery and wait at least 10 minutes. This minimises risk of accidental airbag deployment.

Two Torx screws...



A couple of wiring connectors on the rear of the airbag...



And then the steering column nut..



As you'd expect, the steering wheel is tight on the splines. I used a puller to break it free, rather than the comedy 'pull the steering wheel with all your might until it suddenly releases and smacks you in the face' method...



That gets the wheel off. Now, to get the clock spring off, firstly you remove the steering column trim..



And then you can unclip the wiring connectors under the column (shrouded in yellow). Once they're clear, you can undo the four screws and gently lift off the clock spring. Don't panic if the clock spring moves. You can reset that too.



With that out the way, you can see the steering wheel sensor and the photo-disc that the sensor uses to 'count' how much lock you've wound on. Here's a close up. See that rectangle? That is the 'home' position indicator. When you've finished centralising the rack, this needs to be in the six o'clock position. Get it misaligned and your TCL and AYC will misbehave.



This will allow you basic levelling of the rack. You turn from one extreme to the other, count the number of turns. For this part it doesn't matter what way up the steering wheel is as it will be coming back off anyway. So - For Hermes, it worked out that middle point gave 1 full turn (360 degrees) plus aproximately 160 degrees each way.

VR-4s have less lock available. The important thing is that you make sure the amount that you can turn the steering wheel is equal.

The next step is to check that the range of motion on the rack ends is also the same. This is easy with fresh rack ends as they'll be tight and stay straight. Pick a point on the subframe to measure from, and then measure the position of the track rod end with the steering wheel in the middle, and then then hard over to the left and to the right. This will give you a middle point, and a maximum and minimum distance. Where you measure from is not important, as it's the *difference* between the maximum and minimum distance that's important...



Once you've got your measurements, what you need to do is work out the range of motion each side. Both rack ends should be close to each other in their range of movement...



It should be close. The aim is to get the rack centred enough to allow you to safely drive to a tracking station. You WILL need to do this. Once you're happy with your basic rack alignment, you can refit the clockspring assembly and the steering wheel, making sure the rack is back in the centre position.

I mentioned you can reset the clock spring. This is useful if you want to be sure. With the assembly off the car, turn the spring slowly clockwise. Don't do it fast. After about 3 or 4 turns it will suddenly tighten. This happens in 10 degrees. When you feel that, you've reached it's maximum clockwise position. So don't force it or you'll bugger it.

Now - to reset the unit to the correct position, you need to wind it anti-clockwise three full turns, plus an additional four-fifths of a turn (approximately 288 degrees). This is easier to judge than you may expect as there's a handy position marker. See the arrows? They should line up.



When you're happy, a little strip of tape will stop it moving whilst you re-assemble. Don't forget to remove the tape afterwards!!

[MarkSanne]

... this supposed to be a cliffhanger Kieran?! ...

Well done then! Is this gonna be like a new exciting TV series of which only one episode a week is featured?

[Kieran]

... this supposed to be a cliffhanger Kieran?! ...

Well done then! Is this gonna be like a new exciting TV series of which only one episode a week is featured?

Stay tuned!

Hopefully I'll get more organised than once a week... But don't hold your breath!

[miller]

Here's what had happened to the tow bar (these pictures are a reconstruction, the last thing on our minds during the event was a camera!) :



Fortunately, having bought tools, we were able to remove the damper at the side of the road and shorten the towbar thus:

I think i figured out what really happened on the towing incident!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDikN...eature=related

[foxdie]

PMSL!

Why can I picture Kieran actually doing that?