More bloody cocking about!!!!!!!

[Fraggle]

Hi all

Having rebuild my busses rear brakes I decided to fit my CSP disk kit up front.......well attemp to!!

Having stripped the brakes down to the spindles as per instructions etc I discover that all 4 of my ball joints have split boots and are leaking out grease. They appear to be all ok so it's just the boots that need replacing.

Anyone done this? Any tips? How hard is it?

Next...

I tried to fit the new master cylinder as was recommended that it would need to be a disk brake unit as the original one has residual pressure valves in it thus creating drag on the disks. The new one doesn't have the the same outlets as the original so...

Can I use just one brake light switch? I guess so but wanted to check.

I will have to make up a slightly longer brake pipe as the original one won't reach.

Anyone else had these 'woes'?? Nothing easy is it but then I've learnt to expect it now so haven't got stressed just yet!!

Any help / suggestions / pics much much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[speedwell68]

Balljoints can be a right *******, your gonna need a decent balljoint splitter and a lot of patience. If I were you I'd take it somewhere and get them done.

 

[slammedkustom]

the master cylinder is probably a LHD one as RHD are almost impossible to find. can cause probs with the pipework. late ones tend to have two brake light switches

re balljoints they are a pig to do on T2s, if the balljoints are good then replace the boots (avalible from cool air for £2-50ish) or the same company advertise 4 recon arms for £99 with balljoints. ive done bus balljoints and that is a bargin trust me!

it looks like one of those jobs your find more little bits that need doing as you go along! good luck :wink:

 

[speedwell68]

He is right you know that is a bargain.

 

[alpsbay]

I've replaced a set on my van, they were a nightmare. When my mate asked me to do his, I got him to get them from cool air. Which was so much easier, and they took his old ones back and gave him money back.
It worked out really cheap in the end.

 

[Fraggle]

Cheers for the replies folks.

So how hard is it to replace the rubbers? What's involved?

Also am I right in thinking I can use just 1 brake light switch?

Yeah it's one of those jobs where the end seems to get further and further away as you progress if you know what I mean. As the saying goes......

1 step forward and 2 back!

 

[slammedkustom]

to replace the rubbers just take the old ones off, put the new ones on and refit the retaining rings, this bit can be fidderly. bear in mind that lowered busses often rip brand new rubbers quickly due to the angle they work at.

if you only had one brake light switch before thats fine, late model vans had two. also if your switch ever fails you pull the plug of it and use the spare one! :lol:

 

[speedwell68]

Cheers for the replies folks.

So how hard is it to replace the rubbers? What's involved?

Also am I right in thinking I can use just 1 brake light switch?

Yeah it's one of those jobs where the end seems to get further and further away as you progress if you know what I mean. As the saying goes......

1 step forward and 2 back!

Very basically, you have to undo the big nut on the balljoint. Then using a suitable balljoint splitter you have to put the splitter between the balljoint and the flange of the hub and hit it. This doesn't always work. In the end we had to remove the trailing arms from the beam and take off the hubs with the arms still attached, strip off the brakes and take the rest to an engineering works to split the balljoints. F**cking Nightmare. But on other buses it can be a piece of piss, depends on how ceased up each one is.

 

[Fraggle]

Cheers Guys. Ordering bits today.