Traveller Rear bump stop

[edtog]

Hi

I'm just about to replace a traveller rear bump stop, I've been thinking which bit do I place the jack under, or can I do it using ramps?
I can't work out which bit holds up which bit when I undo the u bolts.

Cheers

Ed

[rayofleamington]

you need to use something like axle stands under the body - not under the suspension or axle! I would also recommend that you place a stack of wheels under the car so if it falls of the jack or axle stands it can't actually go anywhere and you will still be alive and hopefully uninjured.

If I was thinking aloud I would suggest that if you are struggling to know where to jack the car up to undoing U-bolts then you shouldn't be doing the job. That's not meant to be rude, as I don't know your mechanical ability but your question is a bit worrying!

[grainger]

ha !

thats the exact same job ive got to do, i bought the new bump stop in the summer and i havent got round to doing it because I dont know which part to jack up either !!! so this thread should be interesting.

i will get round to it in the end when i feel like ive got a better understanding, one of my dampers is leaking (not sure at the moment, but i think its the same side ?) so its going to have to come to bits anyway

cheers
grainger

[edtog]

Thanks Ray for your concern and help but I was sitting under the car yesterday and had a complete mental block where the weight would be...

[Cam]

Whenever I have removed an axle I jacked the car up under the diff (using a piece of wood between the jack and diff) and then laid steel car ramps under the body (towards the rear) covered with short planks of wood (so as not to damage the underside of the car). Then lowered the jack down so that the body of the car rests on the ramps. The car then cannot go anywhere and it's perfectly safe to start bashing it about underneath! Plus the angle of the ramps seems to suit the angle of the car when the rear is in the air (well mine do anyway!).

[rayofleamington]

The vehicle load goes through the wheel to the axle, the axle is tied to the top of the spring with the U-bolts and nothing else (so they are very critical - if they are heavily corroded they ought to be replaced). The load in the spring is distributed between the front and rear spring mounts.

You could 'in theory' support the car under the rear spring but it is not advisable as you need to be fairly central on the spring to get good location on it and then the support will be in the way of the area you are working on.
If you support near one of the ends of the spring, the spring will change shape when the load comes off the middle and your support may slip out!

Therefore supporting under the body is about the only safe way. I would use a hefty block of wood adjacent to the front spring mount and place the axle stand under that (and the stack of wheels under the rear of the sill, near the axle stand).

When it all goes back together you need to make sure the spigot on the top of the spring fully locates into the mating hole in the axle allowing the mating flange to pull tight with the spring.
I had one car where this had been wrongly assembled causing the axle to pivot on top of the spigot and the resulting handling was dangerous! I spotted it the first time I got on a motorway as the car had some torque steer (drove to the right under accelleration and left under engine braking) When I took it apart and sorted it that weekend it was obvious that the car had been used like that for a long time by the previous owner Eveything 'looked' bolted up tight and therefore there were no obvious errors (and it had passed an MOT the day bgefore). I put the crowbar on the axle and you could see it moving relative to the spring.....

[Kevin]

and it's perfectly safe to start bashing it about underneath!

I still pefer to chock the front wheels as well just in case.

[rayofleamington]

Quote:

I still pefer to chock the front wheels as well just in case.

I do that automatically so had forgotten to mention it! Yes if you are working on the rear, then it's advisable to chock the front wheels, and vice-versa. I have a bunch of house bricks laying around for that purpose.

[Cam]

I do that automatically so had forgotten to mention it!

Same here actually! But when I have used the ramps, there is no need as the car cannot physically slip off forwards (it would stop as the spring hangers hit the ramp rear). But it's best to do it anyway as a belt and braces method.

[Alec]

Hello Ray,

"a bunch of house bricks", flowers maybe, but bricks?????

On a more serious note, bricks are fine as a chock but a word of warning for those who may consider using them to prop a car up, don't!! They are not suitable, and easily crack or crumble with the weight of a car on them.

Alec

[rayofleamington]

"a bunch of house bricks", flowers maybe, but bricks?????

yes - a bunch of them (I would have said a handful but most people would have struggled to imagine me walking round the car with 4 housebricks in my left hand)