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BJ8 replacement front Lever Shocks keeps leaking

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AUSMHLY,
I know you have been considering that there might be an alignment problem, but still I'm curious, how are your tires wearing? Is the internal shaft of the shock loose? When you connect the shock arms to the top trunnion of the swivel pin
do they align reasonable easily?
 
Frameman said:
Are you sure you are getting a different shock back? I would suggest marking your shock before sending it in to ensure you are getting a different shock.
Marty
Click to expand...

Would Wide sends me a shock, I remove mine, install theirs, send mine back in their box.
 
They rebuild or repair it, set it aside, next time you need one you get the first one back again....
 
vette said:
AUSMHLY,
I know you have been considering that there might be an alignment problem, but still I'm curious, how are your tires wearing? Is the internal shaft of the shock loose? When you connect the shock arms to the top trunnion of the swivel pin
do they align reasonable easily?
Click to expand...

I appreciate any question you guys have, and please keep them coming.

Tires are wearing perfectly, as is the front end alignment. Car drives straight and does not pull or drift at all.

The shaft seems fine. How can I tell if it's loose? Seems smooth and tight when I try it by hand and also when installed.

The pin is a tight fit when I press it into the trunnion. Same amount of pressure to get it in, both sides. That is the hardest part of replaceing the shocks I found. Getting things to line up to get that pin in. But after replacing the right shock 5 times now, I'm getting pretty fast with R&R.

People tell me it's not my car, that I'm getting bad shocks.
I wish I could believe that and really want to.
5 shocks in 2 years?
This shock lasted only 2 months?

Peter at World Wide Auto Parts is as confused as I. He tells me he hardly gets any returns and here I am returning 5 in one year.

The replace I just got from him is now going on the drivers side. The drivers shock has been working fine for the last 2 years. I will put that shock on the passenger side and see if it starts to leak. If it does, then what am I to do?
 
Maybe I wasn't clear. Your shocks are not leaking. They are blowing the seals clean out of the housing and the fluid is running out. WW cores out the housing and puts in bushings, or bushes the shaft, cannot recall.
So, it's tight.
If you had a loose shaft, and it was wobbling around a bit, okay, a bit of leakage, but that is not the case here.
Your seal is blown clear out of the housing and laying there with torn up bits of seal on the shaft at a 30 degree or so angle.

Now, I am going back a long ways in the memory banks, here.

Houdailles on old Fords, knee action on GM's, work years ago on AH, B/E, MG, etc.

The pressure is in the bore and pistons, not in the reservoir area, altho that does happen a bit.

I think the old Houdailles had a vent hole in the cap.
Do Limey Limos have that?
If the cap vent is painted shut........


Or, overfilled. How full are you making them? We always had them a little ways down, cannot remember how far.....one knuckle?
 
TOC said:
Maybe I wasn't clear. Your shocks are not leaking. They are blowing the seals clean out of the housing and the fluid is running out. WW cores out the housing and puts in bushings, or bushes the shaft, cannot recall.
So, it's tight.
If you had a loose shaft, and it was wobbling around a bit, okay, a bit of leakage, but that is not the case here.
Your seal is blown clear out of the housing and laying there with torn up bits of seal on the shaft at a 30 degree or so angle.

Now, I am going back a long ways in the memory banks, here.
Houdailles on old Fords, knee action on GM's, work years ago on AH, B/E, MG, etc. The pressure is in the bore and pistons, not in the reservoir area, altho that does happen a bit. I think the old Houdailles had a vent hole in the cap.
Do Limey Limos have that? f the cap vent is painted shut........

Or, overfilled. How full are you making them? We always had them a little ways down, cannot remember how far.....one knuckle?
Click to expand...

Not sure if you're asking me if I fill them, for I don't. I get the shock and install it.
 
TOC said:
So, why is the seal popped completely out? Is there pressure buildup that the original packing could handle, but not a tight seal? Seals don't just come out...unless they don't have a good outer edge. Those look like rubber on the outside, and anytime I ever had seals pop out on other applications, they were rubber outers.

Suggestion.

Find a flatwasher that clears the shaft, and is the size of the bore, see if it will fit in against the seal enough so you can stake it into the bore and hold that seal in place.
Dave
Click to expand...

Dave, I think I'd void the warranty if I did that. WW gives a lifetime warranty, as long as I don't do anything to the shock.

Do you think it's a defective shock and not my car?
 
Knowing how the shaft is held in the housing, there is no way I can think of that would cause that with a car issue.
If it did, any AH would pop the seals out when you hit a pot hole or railroad tracks.

Dave

I suppose, as long as they warrant them, and as long as you don't mind changing them out this often, then don't fix the problem with a washer to hold the seal in. But, I would ask them to at least put the seal in the next one with some old fashioned hardening permatex lightly applied to just the outer edge of the new seal, into a dry bore.
 
your shock oil is almost certainly heating up and expanding, thus pushing the seal out. It takes quite a bit of pressure to push a seal out so I'd guess the oil level is very near 100% full. Either run with less oil, shield the exhaust heat or put a very small cut in the sealing washer of the fill plug.

Andy.
 
I thought our Houdailles had a small hole in the fill plug. I also seem to remember some of the British cars having the same.
 
57_BN4 said:
your shock oil is almost certainly heating up and expanding, thus pushing the seal out. It takes quite a bit of pressure to push a seal out so I'd guess the oil level is very near 100% full. Either run with less oil, shield the exhaust heat or put a very small cut in the sealing washer of the fill plug.
Andy.
Click to expand...

Shield the exhaust heat?
The exhaust is on the drivers side.
This shock in on the passenger side.
 
AUSMHLY said:
Shield the exhaust heat?
The exhaust is on the drivers side.
This shock in on the passenger side.
Click to expand...

Oh doh... yea that won't help then.

I wonder if a a little bit of tire shake is heating it up, how smooth is the ride at cruising speed?
 
I'm very fortunate, except for the shock issue, that she rides very smooth and straight as an arrow. Tire wear is even too.

I appreciate all those that are chiming in here.

I'd really like to figure out what the problem is. I wish I could believe that I have received 5 bad shocks.

This is the first time I've seen the rubber seal blown out.

Maybe WW is filling the shock with too much oil?
Maybe the area where the seal goes is not making a good fit?
Maybe some of the parts are too old or bead blasted too much so that the fit tolerance is not good enough?
Maybe I really do have this bad of luck with replacements :frown:
 
What does the Factory Manual tell you about oil level in the shock?
 
https://www.carolinahealeys.org/Technical/Suspension/shock%20therapy.htm

"Again place the shock in a vise so that the piston link and cam chamber is facing up and the arm is free to move. Fill chamber with the recommended fluid; if not available, use SAE 30 non-detergent oil. Fill the chamber to the top and work the arm through its fullest travel each way a few times. This is important because working the arm forces the fluid into all the cylinders and expels all the air. Refill the shock, replace the cover gasket cover, and retaining screws, and tighten securely.

After the cover is secured in place, right the shock and remove the filler plug to check the fluid level. The level should be approximately 5/8 inch from the top. This leaves space for the initial expansion of the fluid. When handling the shocks off the car, it is important to keep them in an upright position as much as possible; otherwise air can enter the cylinders"

So, the air space for expansion is 5/8". One knuckle is about an inch, so adjust accordingly.
Dave
 
If your car is driving and steering that smoothly then I don't think you have a frame or mounting or alignment problem. At first I was thinking that the shock might be out of alignment and it was wearing the shaft and or bushing causing play. So now I am thinking along the lines that the shock isn't assembled right or isn't quite right in some way such as pressure as Dave has been talking about. Look very closely at the left shock and the right shock for any differences at all. Your swap from side to side may be revealing as well. I just thought of an experience that I had some years ago. I took all my hydralic cylinders off my Healey and sent them to a very well known shop that specialized in brass sleeving brakes, slaves, masters etc. When I got them all back and installed them, everythihg worked perfectly except the clutch system. I could not get a good bleed on the system and it always acted as if it had air. I took the slave apart, then put in new rubber. I then took the master apart, after finding nothing wrong, and trying it again, I put new rubber in the master as well. Still had the problem. Changed the hose. Then the hard line. Could not get the system to actuate the clutch completely. Called the company that did the sleeving and they said to send
the slave and master back to them. Got them back and same problem. Switched masters with brake system. Now the brakes where bad. Sent the bad master back 4 times that summer. Each time they said it was perfect. But I could not make it work. Finally bought new master from another source (unsleeved), it bled up in about 10 minutes and I have never had trouble with it since.


























t
 
Hi Roger,

I am beginning to believe that the Healey must maintain at least one problem so don’t fix an issue you can live with and your shock difficulties will end.

Since WW provides a lifetime guaranty, I would send the shock back….again. I do agree with Dave and Andy that there may be an excessive pressure buildup. Other than fluid that has been developed specifically for the shock, I would recommend Ford Type F automatic transmission fluid or motor cycle fork fluid as both are non-foaming and have the proper additives for this function.

The passenger side suspension is far more active then the driver’s side and the normal action of the shock will heat its fluid. As a result, the fluid will expand into the approximately 5/8” space left at the top of the chamber. If this expansion space is not sufficient for the fluid being used, pressure will build and possibly push past, or even displace, the seal.

Although I think your issue is one centering on a faulty shock, I keep remembering I had sent back 3 different alternators at least 4 times before I found that my fan belt started slipping, without noise, when the engine got hot.

Good luck,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
RAC68 said:
Hi Roger,
I am beginning to believe that the Healey must maintain at least one problem so don’t fix an issue you can live with and your shock difficulties will end.

Since WW provides a lifetime guaranty, I would send the shock back….again. I do agree with Dave and Andy that there may be an excessive pressure buildup. Other than fluid that has been developed specifically for the shock, I would recommend Ford Type F automatic transmission fluid or motor cycle fork fluid as both are non-foaming and have the proper additives for this function.

The passenger side suspension is far more active then the driver’s side and the normal action of the shock will heat its fluid. As a result, the fluid will expand into the approximately 5/8” space left at the top of the chamber. If this expansion space is not sufficient for the fluid being used, pressure will build and possibly push past, or even displace, the seal.

Good luck, Ray (64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

Hi Ray,

I trust WW is using the correct fluid, being they specialize in rebuilding these.

I've not heard that the passenger side suspension is far more active. Would you elaborate on that? With only a driver, or with a passenger too?

Roger
 
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