question Land Rover Steering Relay Seized In Crossmember

[Rover8FFR]

My steering relay appears to be seized in position and I suspect is probably original from 1963.

 

Apart from penetrating fluid and patience does anyone know a novel way of pushing / lifting one out.

 

I suspect that the years of moisture and muck have caused the snug fit to become even snugger with some localised corrosion that we all know can be as good as a weld.

 

I don't want to cut up the chasis as it is original and in reasonable repairable condition.

 

Can anyone help / have you experienced this issue before only to come up with a good solution.

 

Cheers

[Stormin]

Remove the bottom drop arm and jack the front of the vehicle up on the bottom of the relay, keep soaking in oil and leave for as long as it takes.

A few alternate heating and cooling sessions on it may help.

 

Failing that it may be a cut it out job and replace/repair the front crossmember.

[Tony B]

Can you get hold of a pipe freezing kit? I've hosed one in the fluid a few times than warmed it up. The result cracked all the gunge and it jacked out. A decent trick, get a lump of two by four soft wood and bore a hole out to just over the depth of the bottom nut. When you jack it protects the bar going through.

[ruxy]

You need plenty of "shock" from hammering on the relay cast body - a pneumatic hammer helps. Often the corrosion is the X member liner tube (you will probably find it perforated through) not the cast relay body. The relay spindle is also a shock-absorber against spring loading on Tuffnol cones - so a copper hammer on spindle does zilch. . Probably best to dismantle in situ. (the spring is not that strong - but take care) - water could have entered past the seals and the spring may be rusted up in any case.

Once dismantled - you can play a propane torch on the inner wall of the relay casting , cold shock with water - and then hammer away.

[Rover8FFR]

All useful tips guys and I shall be experimenting away soon, starting with the jack and 2x2 and then onto the hot and cold shock treatments........

 

It will be sods law that the liner tube will be Kerry Packered and that I will need to cut out and replace the front Xmember......

 

Fingers crossed and I will tell you how I get on.......

 

Thanks to all as always.:-)

[antarmike]

All useful tips guys and I shall be experimenting away soon, starting with the jack and 2x2 and then onto the hot and cold shock treatments........

 

It will be sods law that the liner tube will be Kerry Packered and that I will need to cut out and replace the front Xmember......

 

Fingers crossed and I will tell you how I get on.......

 

Thanks to all as always.:-)

 

Is it out of the question to leave it in and to rebuild it in situ. That should be possible.

[ruxy]

It is possible with a fair bit of hassle , even in a vice you may need to make your own spring compressing tool up - so just another modified tool with shorter handle length etc..

 

There are other issues :-

 

1. The ongoing problem with certain replacement shafts manufactured from inferior grade of material. Hard to believe that a safety critical part are / were supplied on aftermarket suspect - but that is the case.

2. If water has entered - other parts will be rusted and need replacement, there are often slight size differences on parts pattern/genuine. In fact some pattern relays are designed / built slightly different.

3. Genuine Rover parts expensive (if you can get them) . You may have difficulty getting a OEM / genuine relay complete presently.

4. Probably better and more cost effective to get a new relay unit from a reliable source.

 

-----------

Relays are in fact quite a loose fit until bolted up - often a new bottom location flange washer is a loose fit on the machined dia. of the relay , people often get a good solid one turned to suite or convert the bottom flange washer to a pinch nut (to eliminate unwanted movement).

[Tony B]

Coma do a stuff called 'Frost Bite'. Fairly new to me but I've had some recent success with it on stubborn parts. Better than WD40.

[Rover8FFR]

Coma do a stuff called 'Frost Bite'. Fairly new to me but I've had some recent success with it on stubborn parts. Better than WD40.

 

Worth some investigation....WD40 is okay at most things, but probably pooring some Kerosene down there may be more penetrative....As long as I don't apply heat/ flame......Smokin!!

 

:nut::nut:

[Rover8FFR]

Coma do a stuff called 'Frost Bite'. Fairly new to me but I've had some recent success with it on stubborn parts. Better than WD40.

 

Just had a look at Comma Oils site and this stuff looks quite lethal.....But sound like it could be interesting stuff.

 

Suggests its available from Halfords so may pop in on the way home L8r.

[Tony B]

Just had a look at Comma Oils site and this stuff looks quite lethal.....But sound like it could be interesting stuff.

 

Suggests its available from Halfords so may pop in on the way home L8r.

I got mine from my local gar spares shop. It is sold as a releasing fluid, not a lubricant. It works particullaly well on disimilar metals, so ideal for Landys!

[Brooky]

Suggest you have a look on the Land Rover Series 1 forum (LRSOC Forum) and the Series 2 club forum.

 

Lots of good advice and tips on there

[Tony B]

Suggest you have a look on the Land Rover Series 1 forum (LRSOC Forum) and the Series 2 club forum.

 

Lots of good advice and tips on there

Qoute: 'Take one large hammer...' :-D Eight bells of B888 is about the only way to get the relay out. Smear liberaly with bearing fit before refitting, you're grandkids will love you.

[ruxy]

The problem of hitting it with a hammer is being able to hit it in the right direction - normally that is only when the truck is stripped and you can roll the chassis over.

[antarmike]

The problem of hitting it with a hammer is being able to hit it in the right direction - normally that is only when the truck is stripped and you can roll the chassis over.

 

I have stripped these with no more than a heavy blanket to catch the parts.

 

Or you can clamp flat plates across the splines with a big G clamp. Then dissassemble. The plates catch the springs, but not the bushes that may escape!

 

If you can strip it, you can pass a large bolt through it and make a simple puller to draw it out.. If stripped you can cut a longitudinal slit along the axis if the body, with a hacksaw, to allow it to collapse inwards.

 

But be careful the spring IS quite strong.

[ruxy]

Probably phrased it badly in reply to Tony B , I find it hard to swing a hammer at the relay body underside when the truck is wheeled - this is why I rely on a pneumatic hammer but I have split one in situ. you can screw a thick round plate on the relay bottom - to bray on. I try to avoid pulling gear as you can easy bend up the X member & the last thing I want is more work than welding a new liner tube in , normally I try and work weeks in advance by squirting diesel down the chassis hole - normally makes things possible.

[Davie]

I had this problem a few years ago. First I tried a big trolly jack under it, but that just lifted the front of the vehicle up. I got a heavy chain, placed it over the top of the crossmember and then under the jack, shackled the two ends together and, placed a short length of scaffold tube between the jack cup and the bottom of the relay. then pumped up the jack. after a fair bit of pressure had built up, bang, the relay released and I could easily jack it all the way out.

 

Regarding Ruxy's post about the inferior pattern parts, I had one snap just above the drop arm. It was made by a large British manufacturer. Luckily it was in my off roader, and I wasn't travelling fast so there was no mishap. I had to get a replacement and change it in the bog the Land Rover was sitting in, getting bitten to pieces by clegs (horseflies) that there was a bumper crop of that summer. Happily the relay had only been in for a year or so and it came out easily. Put lots of copper grease in when you fit the new one.

 

Hope this helps, Davie.

[Rangie]

I have the luxury of a car ramp!

The last relay I removed was done by sliding a short scaffold tube over the bottom splines and then heating/welly-ing the living sh*t out of it with a forehammer!

Out it came, with the inner sleeve rusted onto it still!!

 

Handy piece of gaspipe and two new tabs for the top later she was good to go!!!

 

Good luck...........

[Rover8FFR]

Well I got the Bar Steward out in the end but after belting the crap out of it and spraying more juice than Del Monte into the gap to try and free it off.

 

The jack didn't work and so in the end I stripped it in-situ and decided that the thing was now fooked and it wouldn't drive upwards more than 5mm. Even after ages tapping up, down, up, down etc to try and free it off!

 

In the end I carefully cut out the top part with the grinder and broke away the casting to leave the remains of the sleeve/ collar in place. This allowed loads of WD40 to be sprayed down the sides.

 

I left it to soak for 5 minutes then drifted it out from the top and the bugger came straight out. I guess the heating up of the grinding helped also.

 

Not hard to see what was holding it in there. Years of crap!

 

Cleaned all the crap away and the sleeve has very little pitting in one small area so really lucky.

 

Note sure if this is the best way, but as I had conceded the relay was fooked I didn't care about saving the begger!

 

It became personal and I wasn't going to lose.

 

The new one will definately have the bearing seat applied or similar

[fesm_ndt]

It became personal and I wasn't going to lose.

 

 

 

:D yes I can relate to that. I can be very patient at times but sometimes you need stress relief.

 

I would have liked to have seen the pictures

[Rover8FFR]

:D yes I can relate to that. I can be very patient at times but sometimes you need stress relief.

 

I would have liked to have seen the pictures

 

I got hammer rash twice as well m8 so the red mist crept in then and that was it!

 

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: