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Axle Swivels

  • partho00
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22 May 2019 10:19 - 22 May 2019 10:31 #208653 by partho00
Axle Swivels was created by partho00
Hi all,

My wife has just taken her beloved Jimny (SuLu) for its MOT. It passed, but the garage have made quite a big deal about some pitting & corrosion on the front axle swivels. They have told her they need replacing and they ‘might’ last a year but they don’t know for sure.

I’ve had a look at them and to my eyes it really doesn’t look so bad. I’ve attached some pictures and wondered if anyone can advise on how serious the corrosion is.

The garage has advised that the who front axle will need replacing and cost £1500+ which seems a bit extreme.

Thanks in advance for you expertise and experience!

Tom

Last edit: 22 May 2019 10:31 by partho00.

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  • Lambert
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22 May 2019 11:47 #208657 by Lambert
Replied by Lambert on topic Axle Swivels
Welcome to the forum. Utter tosh. Those swivels are fine. Mine are much worse and not a problem. A lot of garages especially see that as a quick way to make money. I do notice a very slight bit of dampness on the bottom of one which is a early indication that the king pin bearings will need looking at eventually but that is fine. It is possible to strip them down and fill and paint them with a really hard epoxy paint but there's no real need. They are not an oil seals so don't have to be a perfect smooth surface.

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22 May 2019 12:12 #208659 by mlines
Replied by mlines on topic Axle Swivels
Yep -tosh

Garage is thinking "Landrover" where the swivels are chromed and form part of the axle sealing system, this is an MOT failure on landrovers.

Jimnys do not have sealed axles in the same way. Rub them down, fill the pitting and paint.

Martin

2003 M13 early KAP build.
3" Trailmaster lift with 1.5 Spacers on front
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235/85R16 Maxxis Bighorns on 16" Rims, 4:1 Rocklobster, Rear ARB locker and on-board air
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22 May 2019 17:12 #208699 by partho00
Replied by partho00 on topic Axle Swivels
Thanks for the input guys! Much appreciated.

It was a specialist landrover garage so maybe that’s why they were so observant about the swivels. Either that or they just planned to make some easy money...

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22 May 2019 17:51 #208719 by facade
Replied by facade on topic Axle Swivels
When I last did the kingpins I splashed out on new dust seals (which are about a million pounds each), so I sanded down all the rust with a flap wheel, and painted with enamel paint, but it took about a week to harden enough that my nail wouldn't mark it before I could put it all back together, lucky I have a 'bike to go to work on..


If it suddenly breaks, go back to the last thing that you did before it broke and start looking there :)
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22 May 2019 19:39 - 22 May 2019 19:40 #208742 by Scimike
Replied by Scimike on topic Axle Swivels
I just want to type Tosh :laugh:

Yep what's already been said. Ignore it, keep a check on the kingpin bearing and find another MOT station for next year. To be honest some MOT stations will simply put advisory comments if they are not sure, its just to cover their a*s.

Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
Last edit: 22 May 2019 19:40 by Scimike.

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23 May 2019 11:19 #208791 by Bosanek
Replied by Bosanek on topic Axle Swivels
So if an enamel paint takes so much to dry, what other paint type is hard enough to withstand constant rubbing but does not take ages to dry?

What about those epoxy paints?

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06 Jul 2019 18:35 - 06 Jul 2019 19:56 #210721 by Scimike
Replied by Scimike on topic Axle Swivels
POR 15 paint gets the thumbs up from me. Have used it before on motorbikes, so gave it a try on my swivels during a refurbishment.

POR 15 uses humidity to dry, so within 5 hours you can sand it. It's VERY hard, once dried you need a grinder to get it off. It dries like glass, so is very smooth, it's also not damaged by oil or petrol. It likes rust, so a pitting is a good key. A little paint goes a very long way, so you don't need much.

The negative is cost and you do need to key the surface if it's not rusted, it's also not UV colour stable, but not an issue on swivels.

That said a rusty swivel is just going to kill your new seals, then your bearings will fail, so smooths got be be better than rust.

Only been done 3 months but still look like new, will report back as time goes by. The picture shows the finish at 3 months old, taken today, not the day I did the work. Only saying we they still look new :laugh:


Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
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Last edit: 06 Jul 2019 19:56 by Scimike.

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06 Jul 2019 21:41 #210730 by Soeley
Replied by Soeley on topic Axle Swivels
Wow, looks like it is good stuff!

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07 Jul 2019 18:09 #210753 by jackonlyjack
Replied by jackonlyjack on topic Axle Swivels
That looks good ;)
Which flavor did you use ?
I am looking at it now is yours gloss black
do you have to under coat ?

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07 Jul 2019 18:55 - 07 Jul 2019 22:13 #210755 by Scimike
Replied by Scimike on topic Axle Swivels
The finish I used is gloss black, but only as I already had a can. If you go on the POR web site they recommend Silver (please check) as the best for filling deep pitted metal as it contains more solids than black.

It does not require any primer and is painted directly to the metal / rust.

It's not happy on new steel, ie it needs a good key or rough surface, and you need to de grease the part thoroughly.

So here is what I did ( after each swivel was disassembled)

1)Washed swivel with engine degreaser.
2)Sanded rust off with wire brush then course paper over entire swivel
3)Wash with cellulose thinners as a final clean.
4)Treated swivel with Machinemart rust acid, removes the final rust and acid etching of the remaining surface and Suzuki original finish.

5)Two coats of POR 15, left for 6 hrs, sanded smooth with 600 grit wet and dry. This was mainly to use the paint to fill the rusted and pitted areas.

6) Final two coats of POR 15, assembled swivel.

It took a day (on and off) to get to the final two coats stage and overnight to harden, the following day I assembled the swivel.

Don't use the paint directly from the tin and try not to get any paint on the tin lid, if you do you will never get it open again. Also once opened keep it in the fridge. Follow this and a small can goes a very long way and lasts months.

Is it worth the effort?

I don't know to be honest.

My original kingpin bearings lasted 49000 miles (or 10 years) and only failed as water and dirt had killed the lower bearing. This happened because the seal was unable to function efficiently against the rough surface of the swivel, speeding up the failure of the bearing and the seal itself.
So with the painted and restored surface, new bearings and seals I am back at day 1, the day it left the showroom. So in theory I should be good for another 49000 miles or 10 years.

I'll let you know :laugh:

But even if my logic fails, smooooooooth is better than rough rust.

Some links.

Rust acid used
www.machinemart.co.uk/p/rust-remover-1-l...C9g7DfRoCuasQAvD_BwE


The paint I used
www.frost.co.uk/brands/por15/por15-rust-prev-473ml.html

You can (could) get a tester kit which has a small pot of black, metal cleaner and metal prep, gloves and a brush for about £25. Can't see it on the frost site at the moment.

Edit
Found the kit, if you fancy a go with this product this is the cheapest way to go as it contains everything.

www.frost.co.uk/blk-por15-starter-kit.ht...SQebvRhoC9hEQAvD_BwE

Yokohama Geolanders, Sony head unit, NAUTILUS Air Horn, DRL conversion, Rear cargo space, Elvis Bobblehead, transfer Guard, Indian hanging Elephant, Koni Heavy track dampers, Custom SS exhaust, Voodoo Doll, Adventure Rack with LED ight bar, vintage ERIBA caravan usually attached (yes it's slow)
Last edit: 07 Jul 2019 22:13 by Scimike.
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