Save your ball joints!
Do you have an early 80's Vanagon, or similar vintage VW? VW uses
"permanently lubricated" joints in the suspension on the late model
busses. Grease is kept in and dirt kept out by a flexible rubber
boot. This works well, saving you (or your mechanic) from having to
"lube", but only for a while. After 10 years or so, the rubber usually
cracks, and the previously sealed joint is now exposed to the
elements. The Bentley manual says: replace ball joint!
I noticed this summer that the rubber boots on my ball joints were
getting brittle and one of them had cracked. However the joints
themselves were still ok, and the suspension "tight"(*). Instead of
replacing the joints per Bentley, I thought about other solutions:
- Replacing the boot:
- About as difficult as replacing the joint, since
the joint has to be taken out to slip a new boot over it.
- "Renew" the boot:
- Well how can you do that? Self vulcanizing (or self
curing) rubber tape is a product, which much like a inner tube rubber
patch chemically bonds to itself and other rubber. The tape however is
much thinner and elastic than even racing bicycle tube patches.
To apply the tape on the old boots I first thoroughly cleaned
everything and let it dry. Then I applied a thin coat of vulcanizing
solution (as found in tire repair kits) to the old boot. The tape
cures to itself without any extra solution, but the old boots had a
dry and cracked surface, which needed to be softened to make the tape
stick. I waited a minute or two for the solution to work, and then
applied a thin layer (two overlapping turns) of tape stretched to
about half its original thickness.
Before sealing the one cracked boot I also injected a little new
grease through the crack.
When I inspected the joints 6 month later (this weekend) I found that
the repaired boots still look fine, and were as flexible as when I
first put the tape on.
(*) I checked the front end for "tightness" by lifting the bus and
trying to rock the wheel in all directions. Is there a better way to
do this?
/Martin and '82 diesel westy
--
Martin Jagersand
Computer Science Department
University of Rochester Fax: (716) 461-2018
Rochester, NY 14627-0226 WWW: http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/
Several people ahve asked me where to get the self vulcanizing tape
I used. David Raistrick in KC got quoted an unreasonable $60 for
a roll. I paid about $3 for my roll at a Clas Ohlson store in G\"oteborg.
They also do mail order. Their web page is:
http://www.clasohlson.se/
http://www.aftenposten.no/web/clas_o/
The first one is in Swedish, the second is in Norweigian. I couldn't
find an English language page. Theu have a web on-line order form.
I ordered the catalogue.
The tape I use is:
Rotunda 2501
PIB self amalgamating tape
25mm x 10m (1 inch x 33ft)
Manufactured by:
Rotunda plc.
Holland Street
Deriton
Manchester M34 3GH
England
Clas Ohlson also sells the heated seat pads Martha has been talking
about:
230Kr about $32 for a thermostat (27-32 degrees celcius) controlled one.
cheaper for the non-thermostatic ones.
Martin's solution to cold seats: Strap half of a cheap insulating
camping matress pad to the seat ($5-10 or get the same material
free as used packing material from a shipping terminal)
pad
/Martin