Knock
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Well the BJ determines how far out the spindle/knuckle sits out. So too short and it may bind, too long and it'd over extend the axle. It sounds like you're missing the clip which prevents the tripod slipping out of the cup. This generally doesn't matter as there is no angle in which this should happen, unless the geometry is changed.
Is your BJ the right length? IIRC RX7 and 323 are somewhat compatible. I think rx7s are longer, guys on club protege use them. That would be a very unusual problem though!
On a similar note the passenger side axle shaft is supposed to be shorter than driver side. Again this would be very unusual, unless a previous owner was careless and used the wrong axle on the wrong side.
The BJ boot always gets compressed a bit so the slotted section is at the right height to accept the bolt that holds it in place. Sometimes the bolt is hard to get in if you haven't lined up the hole and the slot in the BJ.
Hubs generally don't spin that easily, the brake pads tend to rub a bit. As long as you can spin it. Does it just look misshapen because the disc isn't tight against the hub with no wheel bolts?
I've had some seriously knackered BJs (lol) and that's never happened, but never say never. BJs are cheap enough though if you're unsure about the condition of yours.
These all feel like longshots, I can't help thinking there's something obvious we're missing! Is the axle definitely properly seated into the cv? There should be no amount of splines visible on the shaft that goes into the outer CV.
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cheers Marco, to answer some of your questions:
Is your BJ the right length? - I believe so. Looking on Probe store, there are two choices, and mine is definately the one listed for "later" cars, mines a 97. bear in mind, that this one was missing a bolt….
length of shaft - yes, im pretty sure its the correct length/side...
Ball joint rubber compression -well, it got compressed a lot, liek almost flat..!! and I couldnt get the bolt through the knuckly, AND the BJ stuck onto the abs ring when lowered...!!
hub mishapen? - no, looks fine to be honest, just gets almost impossible to turn with the ball joint attached. incidentally, zero move ment to and for from the drive shaft, and harder to turn the hub left/right.
fairly sure the Cv is fitted into the hub correctly, if thats what you mean? slots in nicely and no teeth showing behind the hub, only at the front where the hub nut goes....
:(
could it be as simple as a dodgy BJ giving me all this headache?
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in fact, just to add to this, looking on ebay, the ball joints for my year are different to what I have on:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l2736&_nkw=ball+joint+mx3
where as mine is
http://www.fordprobestore.co.uk/store/product_info.php?cPath=51_76&products_id=1654
have i got the wrong one fitted, and this is the issue??
I called Andrew pages earlier, and they have them in stock, so im picking one up tomorrow…..suppose I will find out for sure then.
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@9db8963212=clivvy:
AND the BJ stuck onto the abs ring when lowered…!!
woh woh woh… wait... what? Ok that's a definite no no :lol: Somethings not right with that. So the ball joint pin interferes with the ABS ring? That's not right at all. It shouldn't be in that deep. The slot in the BJ pin should mean there's very little protruding from the knuckle towards the CV.
(hotlinked for temp example) It should look like this:
The difference is the really early mx3s had 16mm pin, most have the 18mm pin. If you had 18mm spindle and 16mm BJ it would be very sloppy and shoot past the spindle bolt and towards the CV. If you had 16mm spindle and 18mm BJ it wouldn't go in, unless someone had butchered it previously.
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cheers Marco, the plot thickens.
so, I bought the correct ball joint form Andrew Pages a few hours ago, and yes, its very different to the one i have fitted. The joint that slots into the knuckle is not as long.
so, either the ball joint has caused the issue, or the hub carrier is wrong!!
going to fit it tonight in the dark and rain, to find out, I shall report back!
oh, I also bought a new tie rod end because I figured I might as well, just in case thats buggered as well…i will do the other side once i am happy I have fixed this side....
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well…i fitted the new ball joint. now, the pin seems to sit correctly now. the bolt that came with the ball joint seems a tad short though, as in I can screw on the nut, but only about halfway through the nut....?
anyhoo, the hub still feels tight to spin, but i think i will peice it all back together Sunday and see if it actually drives, because the main issue last time I tried...was no drive!
:(
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also, just to check, am I putting everything back correctly?
this is my process:
remove two 17mm bolts from strut
remove tie rod end
drop hub forward and remove CV
remove spline nut and pull hub out of BJ. Reverse to put back together.
I have to raise the hub to get it lined up with the strut correctly (the top bolt) is that right, or am I breaking things?
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a@79586638d0:
ve to raise the hub to get it lined up with the strut correctly (the top bolt) is that right, or am I breaking things?
no thats right mate, easiest way really to jack it up to get it lined up.
one of the those BJ bolts that goes into the wishbone has a spline on it right, you need to crank the nut right up so it pulls the spline through the wishbone and seats correctly if i remeber correctly.
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correct foxy, the bolt splines basically carve into the BJ as you tighten it up to 100nm IIRC. So quite a lot, as in very similar to how tight your wheel nut would be. Having said that too many people go to town on their wheel nuts!
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do you mean the little split washer things? do they go underneath, or on top? sorry, i am learning!
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no have a look a this picture, under the head of the bolt before the threaded part are lots of little ridges called splines, these will cut a path into the BJ
to make the bolt secure in there, but you need to tighten the nut on top to drive splines up into BJ.
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odd, I dont have anything like that on the BJ….theres a big bolt that came with, whihc doesnt seem long enough, two washers....and thats it. The bolt thats attached to the balljoint end also has a nut, or do you mean the bolt that goes into ther knuckle?>?
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no worries, as long as it's a decent grade bolt. All of the nut should be threaded on, if it doesn't it's the wrong bolt!
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cheers MArco, I will swap the bolt for the one I got from B&Q, which is just about the right length to get the nut fully on with a washer.
fingers crossed.
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for gods sake.
so, got home from a weekend away and decided to see if the repair on thehub has worked. tightened up everything but remembered, my battery had gone flat when I left the key in the ignition overnight a week ago. Ok, got my 4x4 down the drive and hook them both up.
car wont start
at first, all i got was the alarm playing up. managed to stop it alarming while the battery charged. Lights on dash nce and bright, but when I try to start, it sort of makes a fuzzy broken alarm sound, a few relay clicks, and thats it…?????
its a Mazda MVSS300 (Cobrea 5320?) alarm. I can now set it, although the light on the dash appears solid, rather than flashing. Is this the immobiliser icking in, or is the car batter not actually charged enough??
help....im starting to get a bit peeved.
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Try disconnecting the battery and leaving for a bit then reconnect see if it resets it? maybe give it a good overnight charge, batterys are never really the same after they have gone fully flat.
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been disconected a few days now….:( seeems to be some sort of immobiliser issue??
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Blown fuse? faulty keyfob?
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I will check the fuses, key fobs ok as now, after the jump start/charge, they activate, de activate the alarm…
when I turn to start, the starter doesnt even try, it just blurbs the alarm and keeps beeping untill I turn the key back....?
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Can you bump start it?
