mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Failure 
Well, it wasnt so bad, well, it was really.
I went to the garage expecting it to fail and it did 
Pulled out of the garage, no brake pedal (built up after 5mins), lots of smoke (1st time its been ran properly since the engine was fitted) and massive amounts of camber on the drivers front wheel.
So, pulled away, bit smokey, expected really off fresh build, then really smokey, then couldnt see anything behind me.
Pull over, open bonnet, manifold & heat wrap have some oil on, hmm, wheres the smoke coming from?
Look under car, small leak from sump i think, then look at the tyre, its desimated, half of it is in the bloody arch liner
Camber is that bad that the tyre is resting on the coilover bottom platform.
Limp it to the mot place, brakes ok (even got onto the rollers, not deep at all) lights work fine, horn is ok.
Up on the ramps, cant get the jack under it to lift it, so put it onto the arb & lift it (i cringed a bit there) says ohh, very nice under here, then sees the tyre & laughs.
Bugger, anyways, says bring it back with that fixed & it will pass (says no cat, small plates & emissions can be "sorted" as its just me driving it & mainly on track :norty: )
So, limp back to the garage @ 15mph, much to the annoyance of everyone behind, they must have thought i wuz cruizin
Oil leak is worse, need to do the sump again, change a rad hose as its not a great seal, and sort the camber problem out.
Now then.
Camber problem.
What can this be?
Ive changed track rods, bottom arms, ball joints, shafts, struts, all for new items (bar the struts as they were on the red one & on toms before that) so what can it be?
Im thinking since i bought cheap bottom arms / track rods / ball joints i may have been given some poor quality items, perhaps even nova (corsa A) items? going to have to get some new ones of everything, take them off 1 by 1 & check them against the new items.
Any advice would be appreciated, pics (if they are any help) are below.
needless to say, im pretty miffed, i knew it would fail, but i wasnt expecting this to happen.
Tyre ruined, not even looked at the coilover, expect that to be damaged in some way.
Poop, what a crappy end to a half decent week.
[Edited on 18-03-2009 by mantamark]
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allza
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Registered: 14th Jun 04
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I reckon you have got the wrong lower arms in. They might be a a slightly different length to the originals.
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Bottom arms?
Hmm, will have a look, they were just off ebay, i wondered if i have been given nova ones or something?
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allza
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Registered: 14th Jun 04
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Also is it definitely the camber that is wrong? Cant really tell the camber from the pics. Some wheels will sit too close to the spring platform and require spacers.
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allza
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Registered: 14th Jun 04
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Also is it both wheels, or just the one side?
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ChrisBoom
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Registered: 6th Dec 06
Location: Highland
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The top bolt hole on the coilover, is it oval? So you can loosen it and move the hub? My coilovers had the top hole like that, was a right cunt to get the camber right.
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Drivers side is the worst, actually touching the strut.
Passenger side is ok, got a few mm between the two.
afaik there is no adjustment on the coilovers, i was thinking redrilling the top of the arch & relocating the top mount further in so it sits further away from the wheel?
If that makes sense?
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allza
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Registered: 14th Jun 04
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You need to find out if something is at fault first rather than working round the fault. Or buy adjustable top mounts or fit wheel spacers.
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allza
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Registered: 14th Jun 04
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Also you would think both sides would be the same if nothing is bent or wrong.
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Correct, its a last resort really.
Was just wondering if anyone had seen any similar problems.
Cant use spacers, well. dont want to use them.
Dont think adj top mounts would give me the adjustment i need.
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Ste L
Member
Registered: 3rd Jul 06
Location: Manchester Drives: 106 16v Rallye
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need to use spacer with spax rsx if you wanna go low..
used 3mm's on mine, and it had "just" about enough clearance
either that or enlarge the top hole for the hub carrier on the shock, so you can move it out a bit
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mov3d
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Registered: 15th May 06
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shorter springs?
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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But surely the stds would rub if it was that colse? they have a larger bottom platforms than the spax?
Deffo not something right, the pass side is ok, drivers side is uberchuffed.
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MJFF88
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Registered: 30th Apr 08
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Off topic kind of, I've got an MOT soon and I've put the spare on because my rear O/S tyre is bald. The bald tyre is where the spare tyre sits in the boot, will this fail an MOT?
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Yep
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LukeD
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Registered: 23rd Jan 07
Location: Shropshire
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need spacers with spax coilovers when using et49 wheels.
[Edited on 18-03-2009 by LukeD]
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Pass side is ok though?
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Ste L
Member
Registered: 3rd Jul 06
Location: Manchester Drives: 106 16v Rallye
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dont forget the shell always have a slight different tollerance, so arre never exactly the same on each side etc etc
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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True, but also had these on my old corsa, and were fine, the tyre is literally resting on the strut, a few mm difference i could understand, but this is like a cm at a guess?
there is a good depth groove on the tyre now, time for the bin.
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Minty_Fresh
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Registered: 1st May 08
Location: westmidlands
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mine caught on my spax rsx's, i rang 5mm spacers and had no problems.
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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Bugger, why do they catch on spax then?
Saying that, spacers would solve the fact my passenger wheel looks half decent, and the drivers looks like its sitting like / ??
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=194
Could help?
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ChrisBoom
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Registered: 6th Dec 06
Location: Highland
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If spacers are needed for the spax coilies, and the passenger side is fine, then the problem must be with the passenger side surley? Get spacers, and take a good look at the passenger side, check it all over.
Coilovers may be bent? Dont know if that can happen right enough, but worth a try.
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mantamark
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Northumberland
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If the passenger side is fine, there is a problem with it?
i dont get it
Coilovers deffo aint bent, had them on my old car with no issues, ran same ride height, same wheels.
Thanks for the suggestions 
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ChrisBoom
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Registered: 6th Dec 06
Location: Highland
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quote:
Originally posted by mantamark
If the passenger side is fine, there is a problem with it?
i dont get it
Coilovers deffo aint bent, had them on my old car with no issues, ran same ride height, same wheels.
Thanks for the suggestions
Yeah, i didnt make myself very clear
Was thinking that if spacers were needed to stop the wheel from touching the coilovers, then why was the passegner side not touching it?
But then, you say you had the setup on your old car, so i dont know what could be up with it.
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