Andrew's Amazing Journey

After I decided to replace my rear shocks with a set of Koni Heavy Track RAIDs, I did some reading to try and figure out how to adjust them (firmer/softer ride).  Everything I read on the web wasn’t too clear, and after I got the shocks it took me a few minutes to sort out the pictograph instructions provided…. so here for everybody else is how to do it, with a few simple pics.

The basic idea is that you need to compress the shock fully and turn it (while compressing) in order to adjust it.  There is a thick rubber washer near the top of the shock that prevents it from compressing this far normally, so you need to remove that first (and replace it after).  Twist clockwise for a firmer ride, anti-clockwise for a softer one.

1. Extend the damper all the way so you see a gap in the middle.
   
2. Use something long and thin to push out the rubber washer through one of the holes in the top, here I’m using an Allen key as the end isn’t sharp and won’t damage the rubber inside.
   
3. Once you push the washer past the dimple in the upper housing that keeps it in place, it simply falls all the way down as you can see here.
   
4. Now you just pull out the rubber washer, and compress the damper all the way.  To adjust turn clockwise or anti-clockwise while compressing the damper.  You should feel definite stops in each direction with the total adjustment range being about two full turns.
5. Once you have adjusted the damper, extend it all the way and push the rubber washer back in place.  Compress the damper all the way again to push the washer past the dimples in the upper housing that keep it in place, you should feel it pop into place and see the washer through the holes in the top.  Try gently pushing the washer out again to make sure it’s held in place.

That’s all there is to it!

A few months back I started noticing a small oil stain under the engine of my truck.  At first I thought it was a coincidence and the stain was there before, as I had checked when I first got the landy and it was leak-free as far as I could tell.  When I saw the same thing at work, however, I knew I had an issue.

Let me start this off by saying that Land Rovers are known far and wide for leaking oil… the running joke among land rover owners is “it’s not leaking oil, it’s marking it’s territory”.  This isn’t what I wanted for my landy, however, so I set out to find the source.  I knew that oil would travel down (gravity) and backwards (wind) so I was looking for the furthest forward and highest sign of oil.  The problem was, it was EVERYWHERE.  It took me an hour or so to clean most of the major oil from under the engine, and after a couple more sessions of leaving paper towel in strategic places overnight I located the source.

I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but when I found the source my first reaction was “what exactly IS that thing”?  It turns out, that’s the vacuum pump that’s used by the power brakes, and it was leaking oil from a seam in the middle of it.  When I did a bunch of reading on the net, I discovered this was a common source of oil leaks and pretty simple to fix.  One new pump purchased, and off I go to replace it.

From what I had read I expected a reasonably easy time doing the swap, but I had some issues.  I’d never taken the air filter housing off before and found getting the clamps on and off somewhat difficult.  Have I mentioned that I hate dealing with host clamps?  Anyway, I do.

Then there was the one bolt that I simply couldn’t get a tool onto… not enough space between the edge of the bold and an adjacent pipe… and the only way I could reach it was awkward because I have large, thick, clumsy hands (and arms).  At one point, while trying to get said bold undone, the socket popped off the end of the bolt, popped off the end of the ratchet, and disappeared to places unknown.  At another point I managed to drop a bolt and it also disappeared somewhere in the engine bay.  After buying a magnetic recovery tool (a strong magnet at the end of a flexible stick) I found the bolt, but the socket is still missing in action.

If you plan do to any work on a car and don’t have a magnetic recovery tool, buy one now.

In the end persistence paid off, and the new vacuum pump is working fine… no more oil leaks so far!  Whenever have these kind of problems doing something that “should be simple”, I sometimes get discouraged.  I’m still on a steep learning curve though, and whenever I go back and have to do one of these things again I always wonder why it seemed so difficult the first time.  I know that one reason it’s simpler is that the first time you do something the bolts are all rusted and frozen in place, and the obviously makes it more difficult… but I also think a lot of it is that I’m getting better.

At least I hope so.

So it seems I need to replace the suspension… I’ve had problems with the rear springs (see below) and now I’ve realized that one of my front shocks is likely gone, as one side is lower than the other.

After looking around at aftermarket parts, I’m seeing that almost all of them provide a lift, which I don’t want.  It’s also hard to find aftermarket rear springs with an inner helping spring like I currently have.

In the end I have decided to replace the Koni Heavy Track “RAID” rear shocks with the same ones (just newer).  I was undecided about if they needed replacing, until I took the shock off when attempting to replace the upper bush and saw the post at the bottom had a notch in it!  It seems the shock was on for long enough to wear away up to 30% of the post already… and having weakened shocks like that scared me.

The front shocks won’t take as much abuse (not nearly so much load up there) so I am using some standard Monroe dampers as I’ve heard good things about them and they’re not too expensive.

While I’m in there, I decided to bite the bullet and replace all the springs, retainers, washers and bushes.

I’ll post more when I start doing the install.