On Mon, 16 Mar 1998, Berny Pellaers wrote:
> As an inexperienced mechanic and owner of a TR4, I would like to appeal to
> the experience of the list, in order to maintain my TR4. At the moment I
> have the following two questions.
If you continue to be owner of a TR4, you will eventually become an
experienced mechanic... or deep in debt to one.
> First the simple question: how far do I have to tighten the central
> weelnut? Is there a way to check if the weelnuts are sufficiently
> tightened?
Umm... i dunno. I have steel wheels, an I give them a good "oomph" before
being satisfied. I think with knock-offs, you give them a bash with the
soft hammer (copper?) and that's enough.
> The second question is more difficult. I have noticed that the left front
> side of the car is about 2 cm lower than the richt front side. Can somebody
> help me to locate the problem. How can check if eventually the chassis is
> deformed, or if left spring is not as strong as the richt spring, or if the
> problem is to be located elsewhere.
There IS a way to check this. You need a level area and a good
straightedge, and long arms. The Haynes manual has a lengthy test for
frame straightness.
Did the car ever get hit? (Do all the panels line up?) If they do I
would suspect the suspension first.
A quick spring check is to jack up the car so that the frame is level, and
see if the car still looks crooked... if it is, you need new springs.
-Malcolm
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