Yeah - I used the type that you put on water based o'rings (for plumbing). It certainly helps seal and keep the rubber moist and therefore helps to prevent perishing.
Air Suspension head scratcher
- Thread starter Tapps33
- Start date
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Tapps33
Full Access Member
Interesting, that makes perfect sense! I think I've used that in the past, but typically I just use spray silicone....your idea is MUCH better!
Here's the stuff that I have:
I have a little tub of waterproof grease, will try that next time I crack open the block. I just cleaned it and put it back together last time, seems to be working fine.
Tapps33
Full Access Member
In theory I'll be headed to the base hobby shop tomorrow the get it swapped out. I'll try and take several pics of how I do it along the way.....probably a lot "what to do" and "what not to do". Most likely more of "What not to do!"
Sorry gents, been a little busy lately with an even that went off on Friday. My wife and I organized it for our local church, but it didn't leave any time to fix the Rover. That said, I'm juts about caught up...so, now it's time to fix the rover!
Sorry gents, been a little busy lately with an even that went off on Friday. My wife and I organized it for our local church, but it didn't leave any time to fix the Rover. That said, I'm juts about caught up...so, now it's time to fix the rover!
Tapps33
Full Access Member
Sorry Gents, I've been sick as a dog this week. According to the doctors, a 103 degree fever and pneumonia is bad....what do they know!
If the weather holds I'm gonna try and driveway repair it tomorrow. (no time to make it to the hobby shop)...this assumes the drugs keep doing what they're supposed to do!
If the weather holds I'm gonna try and driveway repair it tomorrow. (no time to make it to the hobby shop)...this assumes the drugs keep doing what they're supposed to do!
Tapps33
Full Access Member
Ok guys, it took me a little longer to get to than I would have liked....and there's still a chance there's something else wrong...but I doubt it.
I finished the swap this afternoon, and I have to say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. DOn't get me wrong, it was still a bit of a pain...especially getting the lines re-threaded into the new valve block, but all in all it was fairly straight forward.
So, here we go!
Here's the rear valve block in all its glory! I did remove the spare tire, but aside from giving me some better visibility it wasn't 100% necessary.
I started by disconnecting the electrical connector and tucking it below and out of the way:
I then disconnected the lower line:
Quick disclaimer: Stubby wrenches are your friend here. I don't think there's any chance I could have accomplished this with regular length wrenches.
Also of note; LR decided to run the brake line right through the middle of my work area making everything a giant pain because you have to reach around or beside the brake line.
After disconnecting the lower hose, you're able to lift and maneuver the entire valve block vertically and behind the shock mount, giving you access to the rear lines. While it should be intuitive, if you have bad short term memory like myself, you should definitely take a picture of the rear hose orientation so you don't actually swap the positions on accident.
I finished the swap this afternoon, and I have to say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. DOn't get me wrong, it was still a bit of a pain...especially getting the lines re-threaded into the new valve block, but all in all it was fairly straight forward.
So, here we go!
Here's the rear valve block in all its glory! I did remove the spare tire, but aside from giving me some better visibility it wasn't 100% necessary.
I started by disconnecting the electrical connector and tucking it below and out of the way:
I then disconnected the lower line:
Quick disclaimer: Stubby wrenches are your friend here. I don't think there's any chance I could have accomplished this with regular length wrenches.
Also of note; LR decided to run the brake line right through the middle of my work area making everything a giant pain because you have to reach around or beside the brake line.
After disconnecting the lower hose, you're able to lift and maneuver the entire valve block vertically and behind the shock mount, giving you access to the rear lines. While it should be intuitive, if you have bad short term memory like myself, you should definitely take a picture of the rear hose orientation so you don't actually swap the positions on accident.
Tapps33
Full Access Member
Sorry, it'll only let me attach 5 pics at a time so I have to break this up.
With the valve block rotated, I was able to get the butter most hose off:
After that I was able to remove the final hose, as well as the old voss fittings. I apologize, I forgot to get a pic of the Voss fitting removal, but it's fairly simply, you'll need to slide the threaded portion back a little to expose the brass "collar that actually gets pinched and holds the hose in place. I use to very small flat head screw drivers and gently pry the open end of the brass collar apart then you can easily wiggle/work the collar off the hose. Yes, these fittings can be re-used if you don't have new ones. Simply screw them into the new valve block. One note of caution though; Be careful when prying the collar apart as I made the mistake of pushing it towards the threaded portion and actually wedged it back into it's seat...the only problem was the "bump" on the hose wouldn't allow me to move the threaded portion back any further and I had to do some serious digging to get the collar out.
Here I've started to install the new voss fittings on the hoses. I did manage to drop the first one I was putting on and it literally took me 45 minutes find it....I looked everywhere. can you spot it? (I made it a little more visible for the picture, but in case you drop your in this spot, there's a perfectly sized notch in the strut mount...once you see it...seriously...45 minutes trying to find it!)
In case you couldn't find it, look just above and to the right of the green hose. I angled it slightly so I could get a good picture....it was pretty much flush with the mount and you can't really get your head in there to look.
After that, I started with the green hose as that was the "inner" hose on the rear of the block. I found that once I got it threaded I was able to just "spin the block onto the hose" then tighten it with a wrench. After that, the hoses got a little more difficult. I totally forgot I had used the last of my clear orange grease and my wife had my car, so spray silicone was the best I could find on short notice. Not at all ideal, but better than nothing. I was finally able to get all the lines threaded back into the valve block...and because my 4 year olds were running around there wasn't even any cursing.....externally that is! The lines aren't that bad, they're just easy to cross thread and because I didn't have the ring lube, they're very stiff to turn, and because you're already limited on access, it can get a little frustrating. Just stick with it and try not to lose your cool and you'll get it!
Here's mine with the lines reconnected just waiting on the electrical connector:
Obviously, the last step is to reconnect the electrical connector, but before I did I added a healthy serving if di-electric grease to protect the pins and connectors. I found a bunch of dust and what not inside the connector when I took it off, so I figured a little extra protection couldn't hurt....plus I do it on all my marine and aircraft engines...so, why not my car too?
With the valve block rotated, I was able to get the butter most hose off:
After that I was able to remove the final hose, as well as the old voss fittings. I apologize, I forgot to get a pic of the Voss fitting removal, but it's fairly simply, you'll need to slide the threaded portion back a little to expose the brass "collar that actually gets pinched and holds the hose in place. I use to very small flat head screw drivers and gently pry the open end of the brass collar apart then you can easily wiggle/work the collar off the hose. Yes, these fittings can be re-used if you don't have new ones. Simply screw them into the new valve block. One note of caution though; Be careful when prying the collar apart as I made the mistake of pushing it towards the threaded portion and actually wedged it back into it's seat...the only problem was the "bump" on the hose wouldn't allow me to move the threaded portion back any further and I had to do some serious digging to get the collar out.
Here I've started to install the new voss fittings on the hoses. I did manage to drop the first one I was putting on and it literally took me 45 minutes find it....I looked everywhere. can you spot it? (I made it a little more visible for the picture, but in case you drop your in this spot, there's a perfectly sized notch in the strut mount...once you see it...seriously...45 minutes trying to find it!)
In case you couldn't find it, look just above and to the right of the green hose. I angled it slightly so I could get a good picture....it was pretty much flush with the mount and you can't really get your head in there to look.
After that, I started with the green hose as that was the "inner" hose on the rear of the block. I found that once I got it threaded I was able to just "spin the block onto the hose" then tighten it with a wrench. After that, the hoses got a little more difficult. I totally forgot I had used the last of my clear orange grease and my wife had my car, so spray silicone was the best I could find on short notice. Not at all ideal, but better than nothing. I was finally able to get all the lines threaded back into the valve block...and because my 4 year olds were running around there wasn't even any cursing.....externally that is! The lines aren't that bad, they're just easy to cross thread and because I didn't have the ring lube, they're very stiff to turn, and because you're already limited on access, it can get a little frustrating. Just stick with it and try not to lose your cool and you'll get it!
Here's mine with the lines reconnected just waiting on the electrical connector:
Obviously, the last step is to reconnect the electrical connector, but before I did I added a healthy serving if di-electric grease to protect the pins and connectors. I found a bunch of dust and what not inside the connector when I took it off, so I figured a little extra protection couldn't hurt....plus I do it on all my marine and aircraft engines...so, why not my car too?
Tapps33
Full Access Member
Here's the finished product! All nice and ready to go!
For those of you eagle eyed repair folks, yes, that's a bubble in my brake line....it's been added to my list of things to swap when I have the body off...FYI, the parking brake actuator is also on that list, cause It's almost impossible to get to with the body and exhaust system still in the way.
For those of you eagle eyed repair folks, yes, that's a bubble in my brake line....it's been added to my list of things to swap when I have the body off...FYI, the parking brake actuator is also on that list, cause It's almost impossible to get to with the body and exhaust system still in the way.
