Milners Drop Links (part deux!)

[leafy1]

Well, I got the T2 back from the Spanish garage this morning after they allegedly tried to sort out the poor handbrake (again) - told my daughter they had checked the brake shoes and they were ok, so they adjusted it again. First impression, the handbrake doesn't come up as far, about four-five clicks, whereas the workshop section states six! Second impression, the handbrake is still c**p, so I thought, sod it, it's going to be a diy job.
Off I went to an auto accessory shop in Marbella, about 18 kms away to get a trolley jack and a pair of axle stands. The road into Marbella goes down a long twisting road, and I thought "I can smell a burning clutch, must be the car in front".
So I parked outside Norauto and the smell is stronger, then I see smoke coming from my right-hand rear wheel, and it's so hot I can hardly touch it!
You guessed it, all the prats had done is tighten the cable, and didn't even bother to check if the shoes were binding!
Then it occurred to me, they couldn't have checked the shoes because I forgot to give them the locking wheel nut adaptor and the locking wheel nut shows no signs of being butchered to get it off.
I will never criticise UK garages again!

Had a bad situation a few weeks back when one of my back wheels locked on solid....somehow it freed of till I got home then went out the next day to check it out and it locked again.
I got the Terrano on my ramp and took off the offending wheel plus drum and found that the brake material which looked like it was glued on from the factory had come off the shoe completely in one piece and had been getting wedged between the shoe and drum locking it solid.There was plenty of life left in it too.All I can think is that I had adjusted the handbrake a few weeks earlier and maybe did it a little too much ...........I vividly remember both wheels rotating when the handbrake was off though and always double check it isn't binding.It must have overheated and broke free(Years ago they were riveted on and probably would never of happened)
Good job no one was behind me both times when it locked on and my speed was relatively slow.
Anyway I renewed both shoes and wheel cylinders and set the handbrake with the wheels off this time.

Cheers
Dave

 

[johnno]

Apologies for the thread hi-jack and putting it back on its' original track, but I've just bought a set of Milners front drop links and after reading this post, thought I'd take a couple of replacement and original comparison pics. I think these go a long way to explaining Terranicals' confusion!

As the top pic shows, the spindle is considerably longer on the new drop link and the collar is closer to the ball joint itself on the original.
On the bottom pic, with the spindles lying parallel, you see the difference in offset of the threaded part which goes through the ARB. This would explain why they sit at such a jaunty angle!!

To be honest, I'm tempted to send these photos along with the drop links back to Milners and suggest they have a look for the right ones!

Thanks for looking,

John.

 

[lammy426]

links

Apologies for the thread hi-jack and putting it back on its' original track, but I've just bought a set of Milners front drop links and after reading this post, thought I'd take a couple of replacement and original comparison pics. I think these go a long way to explaining Terranicals' confusion!

As the top pic shows, the spindle is considerably longer on the new drop link and the collar is closer to the ball joint itself on the original.
On the bottom pic, with the spindles lying parallel, you see the difference in offset of the threaded part which goes through the ARB. This would explain why they sit at such a jaunty angle!!

To be honest, I'm tempted to send these photos along with the drop links back to Milners and suggest they have a look for the right ones!

Thanks for looking,

John.

that does explain it,good post,i'll check the ones i have listed for the terrano

 

[lammy426]

link

mine look wrong aswell,are all terrano ones the same,mine are listed for the r20

 

[Terranical]

Thanks for those pics Johnno, it certainly does explain why my Milners drop links are leaning over at an angle, question is, how could Milners get it so wrong, and how many other Terranos/Mavericks are driving around with drop links similarly fitted.
Regarding lammy's question, as far as I know all Terrano ones are the same, so it appears that it's not only Milners that are supplying these wrongly made ones.
My problem now is either trying to get some correct ones here in Spain, or leaving these on until I get back to the UK and then bringing the correct ones over on my next visit!

 

[makeitfit]

This may muddy the waters a bit :augie There is defo a difference between the MK1 and MK2 suspension. I know that the newer bottom ball joints are about 20mm longer than the early ones. Could be related :nenau

 

[johnno]

Having lifted the part number from the Ebay link Rustic posted, I fired it into Google and and several of the websites it returned do indeed show drop links which have the same shaft offset that the original parts do.
Example here - http://www.yiparts.com/Part/en/n/FRSKAF

My concern with fitting the Milners ones is the potential for increased wear on the wishbone.

Anybody have a tame Nissan parts dealer that would do drop links for a reasonable price?

Cheers,

John.


Wee edit - this supplier ( http://www.euroautomotive.co.uk/nissan-c-9 )lists the same part number for Terrano and T2. Looking at the pics, I can't see any difference, but one being half the price of the other, I know which ones I might go for!

 

[solarman216]

OK just to complicate things even more, I have 2 Mk 1s and a Mk 2 in the yard at the mo and just had a look at them all, all have the offset link (right hand one in the pics) the Mk 2 sits perfect, :clap one Mk1 sits perfect :clap and the other (my work motor) sits pissed :nenau Rick

 

[makeitfit]

Rick could the ARB itself be different sizes? As you've got a selection there, perhaps a tape measure will answer things? :nenau

 

[solarman216]

will try that later, got to go out now, only other thing is both Mk 1s are N reg but the one that sits ok is a Mav and my one is a T2, Rick

 

[Terranical]

I've just ordered a pair of drop links from a Spanish motor factors - the illustration in his catalogue showed just one type, from 1993 on. I'm picking them up around 5 this afternoon, i'll keep you posted!

 

[mowerman]

Very recently changed mine with ones from Milner (bought within the last month), cannot remember what they looked like :doh but were certainly the same length! I will check when I get home and post later... not sure about a pic as I have never done that:nenau:nenau. Remember they were a bugger to get straight (and not at a jaunty angle) and had to use a big bar to 'persuade' them into place !!!!

 

[johnno]

I've just ordered another set but this time from the eBay seller rustic linked to at the beginning of this thread. And at a tenner for the pair, they're a third of the price of Milners ones!
I'll be sending back the Milners ones with the piccie of them beside the original and politely let them know they're the wrong ones!

Cheers,

John.

 

[Terranical]

This is the ones I have just bought from a Spanish motor factor - look like the right ones this time!

 

[rustic]

They look about right, I like the flat that you can get a spanner on. :thumb2

Shouldn't take long to fit.:thumb2



.

 

[solarman216]

Rick could the ARB itself be different sizes? As you've got a selection there, perhaps a tape measure will answer things? :nenau

Tape measure is not the answer to this one, just no way of accurately making the dimension, I will make up a gauge tomorrow and then check them all to see if there is a difference, Rick

 

[johnno]

So it continues...

New drop links arrived this morning (barely 20 hours after ordering them, seriously impressed with Euro Automotive Parts!) and still they're not quite right!

Although the same length as the originals, they don't have the same offset - somewhere in between the originals and Milners ones.
I'm sure for a tenner for the pair the quality maybe isn't to Nissans standards, but I can live with that!

 

[Terranical]

://i1191.photobucket.

al/P1010195.jpg[/IMG]com/albums/z471/Terranical/P1010174.jpg[/IMG]

Spanish - sourced drop links now fitted. Top pic shows the incorrect angle of the Milners item, the second pic the correct angle (perpendicular) of the Spanish ones. The other two pics illustrate the difference between the Milners and the Spanish drop links.

 

[Terranical]

Don't know what happened there, the first pic is obviously the Spanish drop links, this one is the Milners ones.

 

[Terranical]

This pic shows the difference between the Spanish drop links and the Milners ones.