Steering Relay/Idler Stuck in chassis - Land Rovers Only

SIIA-Pilot · 11-27-2004, 12:07 PM

Hi

I am having to replace the steering relay on mine and it is stuck solid the chassis doesn't look too corroded.

My friend is doing the work and he has tried jacking it off the idler to get it out then hitting the chassis down, etc.

Has anyone had the same trouble he says he is going to have to cut the chassis to get it out, and weld the new one in has anyone else had to do this?

Any tips, help, advise greatly appreciated

.

Snagger · 11-27-2004, 02:24 PM

Sounds completely normal. Perversely, having bought a new relay for my rebuild (new chassis), the relay slipped straight out of my old, holed, rusty chassis (all extremities, including dumbirons, had been replaced). No seized or even stiff bolts, no bashing with a hammer, heat or levering; it just lifted straight out! Of course, had I planned to re-use the relay, things would have been different...

Stage 1; spray a liberal amount of penetrating oil around the top and bottom of the relay and let it soak over night.
Stage2; use a crow bar to lever the relay bolt flanges away from the top of the cross-member.
Stage 3; use a blow torch to heat (not cut) the cross-member's relay locating hole, then, while still warm, bash the underside of the relay with a big hammer.
Stage 4; swear, curse and go to stage 1!

SIIA-Pilot · 11-27-2004, 05:07 PM

Cheers for that, much appreciated as I am not keen on having my chassis cut to bits just to get that out.

SIIA-Pilot · 11-28-2004, 10:23 AM

Right after a tin of WD-40, much use of the blow torch, lots of hammering and swearing, I managed to free it up enough to get it to appear about 3/4 of an inch above the crossmember, then we cut into the top and smashed the top bit off then hammered the remainder of the tube back down and out the bottom.

I never wish to do this again what a nightmare!!!

Anyway my mates gonna let me know when hes fitted all the steering components, new relay all 6 track rod ends, and tighten up the steering box and hopefully i should have a landy which passes it MOT!!! And drives really well hopefully.

Snagger thanks for your help you saved me a lot of money

Snagger · 11-30-2004, 11:40 AM

I'm glad not to hear of any injury! The internal sping is under a great deal of compression - you're lucky no-one got hurt when you cut the relay in half!

Well done though. Sounds like a hell of a tough bugger. Like I said, it's sods law that mine slid out with no effort at all, given that I wasn't using it in the new chassis (I was just after the lower retaining collar, but decided to take the whole thing out as an excercise in curiosity).

SIIA-Pilot · 11-30-2004, 01:08 PM

YOUR DAMB RIGHT that spring is under great pressure when we took of the spline retaining collars top and bottom we decided to bash the whole lot out, whilst I was underneath that spring fired itself and the spline into my inside thigh at one hell of pace gave me quite a shock!

As for other injury's trapped my thumb under a big crow bar trying to lever the relay out!

Never mind should have it back soon when its been for the MOT, my mate said it steered so much better with all the new parts

11-27-2004, 12:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
SIIA-Pilot Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 25 Gallery: 0	Steering Relay/Idler Stuck in chassis Hi I am having to replace the steering relay on mine and it is stuck solid the chassis doesn't look too corroded. My friend is doing the work and he has tried jacking it off the idler to get it out then hitting the chassis down, etc. Has anyone had the same trouble he says he is going to have to cut the chassis to get it out, and weld the new one in has anyone else had to do this? Any tips, help, advise greatly appreciated .

11-27-2004, 02:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
Snagger Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bedford, UK Posts: 125 Gallery: 0	Sounds completely normal. Perversely, having bought a new relay for my rebuild (new chassis), the relay slipped straight out of my old, holed, rusty chassis (all extremities, including dumbirons, had been replaced). No seized or even stiff bolts, no bashing with a hammer, heat or levering; it just lifted straight out! Of course, had I planned to re-use the relay, things would have been different... Stage 1; spray a liberal amount of penetrating oil around the top and bottom of the relay and let it soak over night. Stage2; use a crow bar to lever the relay bolt flanges away from the top of the cross-member. Stage 3; use a blow torch to heat (not cut) the cross-member's relay locating hole, then, while still warm, bash the underside of the relay with a big hammer. Stage 4; swear, curse and go to stage 1! __________________ It's not broken; it's British

11-30-2004, 11:40 AM	#5 (permalink)
Snagger Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bedford, UK Posts: 125 Gallery: 0	I'm glad not to hear of any injury! The internal sping is under a great deal of compression - you're lucky no-one got hurt when you cut the relay in half! Well done though. Sounds like a hell of a tough bugger. Like I said, it's sods law that mine slid out with no effort at all, given that I wasn't using it in the new chassis (I was just after the lower retaining collar, but decided to take the whole thing out as an excercise in curiosity). __________________ It's not broken; it's British

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11-27-2004, 05:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
SIIA-Pilot Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 25 Gallery: 0	Cheers for that, much appreciated as I am not keen on having my chassis cut to bits just to get that out.

11-28-2004, 10:23 AM	#4 (permalink)
SIIA-Pilot Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 25 Gallery: 0	Right after a tin of WD-40, much use of the blow torch, lots of hammering and swearing, I managed to free it up enough to get it to appear about 3/4 of an inch above the crossmember, then we cut into the top and smashed the top bit off then hammered the remainder of the tube back down and out the bottom. I never wish to do this again what a nightmare!!! Anyway my mates gonna let me know when hes fitted all the steering components, new relay all 6 track rod ends, and tighten up the steering box and hopefully i should have a landy which passes it MOT!!! And drives really well hopefully. Snagger thanks for your help you saved me a lot of money

11-30-2004, 01:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
SIIA-Pilot Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 25 Gallery: 0	YOUR DAMB RIGHT that spring is under great pressure when we took of the spline retaining collars top and bottom we decided to bash the whole lot out, whilst I was underneath that spring fired itself and the spline into my inside thigh at one hell of pace gave me quite a shock! As for other injury's trapped my thumb under a big crow bar trying to lever the relay out! Never mind should have it back soon when its been for the MOT, my mate said it steered so much better with all the new parts

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