My first foray into car mechanics.... Saxo VTR

[waltzinblack]

My loyal shed Saxo VTR, my first car that I have used for over 4 and a half years for all the daily graft that the Zed is too pretty to do, finally let me down for the first time the other week. I haven't looked after it amazingly well, only done the bare minimum to keep it relatively safe, road legal and working, but it has always just started and done what I've asked. Every time.

 

It makes weird noises sometimes, and has almost left me stranded a few times, but whatever the problem has always limped home and then to the garage to be fixed. However, I knew recently that a damper was going or gone, with the others not far behind. This gradual decline, combined with me having no time to get to a garage due to hectic work schedule, meant that eventually this front drivers damper had had enough, and was leaving the spring to absorb everything. The potholes are very bad near me, and were taking their toll!

 

Cue spring snapping on a pothole very near my house. So near, in fact, that I didn't even notice (I know, right!?) and managed to park up outside. Went to drive it next day and it hardly moves, felt like brakes had stuck on in the rain or something, so I drove it down the road 100m or so hoping they would 'pop' off. Much smoke and burning later, it was apparent that the snapped spring had sprung over the bottom spring seat and was grinding against the tyre as I drove. How the tyre didn't burst I will never know (that's why you buy Michelins I guess!).

 

So, not trusting OEM spec suspension to cope with being at the mercy of the lacklustre Highways Agency, I decided to treat the poor car to an Apex upgrade suspension kit, to be fitted with the help of my mate who works on his old MG. Considering he has never done suspension (apart from fiddling with leaf springs...) and my biggest mechanical triumph was fitting new windscreen wipers, it was going to be a big task to attempt the Haynes manual 4 spanner rated job!

 

The kit was an Apex 25mm lowering upgraded suspension kit, seemed to have favourable reviews on Saxperience (lol) and the like. Came with two front springs and damper inserts, and two rear shock absorbers.

 

Jacked up and wheel off, with new suspension at the ready, you can see how far down the snapped spring had travelled in the pic below:

 

 

So we opened up the Haynes manual and set to work. Later on, as you will see, we found the Haynes manual pretty rubbish. It fails to mention lots of difficult bits and assumes you have a pristine car with no rust. No mention of bits that are more difficult, doesn't even indicate what tools you need! My mate has most tools you could want for a car, but Haynes could've at least given a checklist at the start.

 

Rudimentary sunshade set up!

 

 

Meanwhile, our cars were basking:

 

 

So first things first, with the wheel out the way we cracked out the good old WD40. In all honesty, a lot of the bolts here probably needed a few days soaking before being moved, but we did the best with the time we had. Anyone checking the metadata of these pics will see that, given we needed to keep going to Halfords, Machine Mart (neither close by!), or to my mates to get his Grinder etc this actually took us SEVERAL weekends of 1-2 hour stints of actual work. Proper experienced mechanics like Keyser at the Zed Shed, would have all this to hand and know what to expect as they actually know what they are doing! Again, all we had was Saxperience and the Haynes manual, other that that it was learn as we went along.

 

 

Again, note the sheared spring and how far down it is!

 

Next was to remove the big central nut holding the hub carrier and drive shaft etc together. This was an unexpectedly large nut (30mm) that our massive socket and wrench set did not have anything to remove! First trip to Machine Mart for the 30mm socket... and we got it out. An overly long trip for one part!

 

 

Then we had to get the caliper off, lots of WD40 here and two awkward to reach bolts. Then propped caliper on a brick and moved to one side to avoid having to disconnect the brake hose and have to bleed brakes etc!

 

 

When this was finally off, the obvious next move was to take off the anti roll bar drop link. The bolts on these, stupidly, have an Allen key hole to hold whilst you turn the nut. Obviously, rust had ruined this allen key hole and effectively rounded it, and the force required to hold it and move the rusted nut was way beyond the limits of any allen key. We were stumped... but reference to the Saxperience guide revealed that these drop link bolts are notorious for seizing and there's pretty much nothing for it but to...

 

 

...grind the old drop links off. We hadn't expected to need the grinder, and wasted a day going to get it. We also knew we couldn't finish anything until I had ordered a new set of links. Luckily they were about £12 for the pair and came with all fitting bolts, so we could go to town removing every last trace of the old ones. The grinder made mincemeat of the actual drop link (severed it in half because it was just quicker, to allow removal of the hub carrier), but later on actually grinding the drop link bolts out really was hard going. The heat even caused them to get that rainbow effect you see on TVR exhausts and the like. That combined with their toughness made me think that the bolts themselves were probably titanium.

 

New links:

 

 

With the new links arrived, we assumed we had everything we would need to finish taking the hub out, replace suspension and put it back in. first step was to jack the hub up slightly under the brake disc, and lever out the drive shaft and lower suspension arm. The driveshaft came out easily, but the lower arm being under tension made it very hard to lever downwards enough for it to slip out. The Haynes manual was actually our friend here, giving one little tip about a dual lever motion to ease the lower arm out. Once done, left the drive shaft and lower arm resting on more bricks! (Although before we did this you can see how springy the lower arm is below, pushing the driveshaft up!).

 

 

Then got out the shiny new ball joint separator. A tool bought and used for literally one part of the process. Unfortunately it came shrink wrapped so couldn't return it!! The nut removed here had been lucky enough to be doused in WD40 for a week or so while we waited for the drop links before continuing work. As a result it came out fairly easily and just needed the separator to remove the steering arm.

 

 

Now my mate carefully supported the hub carrier with the help of the jack, and I went up top to unscrew the upper mounting screws. No worries about springs decompressing here - it had bloody snapped!!

 

 

After much toil, hub carrier fully out:

 

 

Haynes didn't tell us you'd need these bad boys to get the top damper screw out to undo the strut assembly! Another hour wasted on a round trip to Machine Mart!

 

 

 

Removed the top sections of the strut, only to find this pesky little screw cap holding the damper in. It was a bugger, really on tight and rusted on.

 

 

Haynes and Saxperience unhelpfully suggested using mole grips or pin wrenches to remove...

 

 

It simply was gonna budge with those little tools. ANOTHER hour down the tool shop effectively wasted, and we ran out of time that day. In the meantime whilst my mate had other commitments, I shopped around for something meaty enough to remove the really tough screw cap. Bring on the beast:

 

 

30 seconds with that pipe wrench and the cap came straight off! New damper in, old damper for the bin!

 

 

Then out came the spring compressors to fit the new spring on!

 

 

After a bit of fettling, tapping, screwing and some cuts and groans... we finally had a finished, upgraded suspension piece!

 

 

Just had to grind away the pesky titanium bolts from the old drop links and it was all ready to go back in...

 

 

AND VOILA! NEW LINKS AND SUSPENSION FITTED!

 

 

 

Ready for driving! Unfortunately we only had time this Sunday to finish fix the broken side, not ideal to have 1/4 of your suspension upgraded, I know, but desparately needed to relieve the Zed from the daily drive to the train station, so we fitted the wheel back on and the Saxo so its driveable and it will just have to wait until next weekend for us to upgrade the other side and complete the job installing the rear shocks!

 

Not bad I think, for my first ever mechanical job. Even with only one corner done it feels much better. Can't wait until the entire car is finished. And hopefully the other side should only take a couple of hours as we know what to expect and have all the right tools now!

 

Thanks for reading.

Edited June 9, 2014 by waltzinblack

[Ekona]

Good effort!

 

However, three things:

 

1) Bin the WD40, you need proper penetrating fluid (like PlusGas) for removing stuck stuff. Too late now, but worth remembering in the future, it's saved me hours of hard graft over the years.

2) Minus 25 man points for wearing gloves and especially knee protectors!

3) You've just doubled the value of the car

 

 

Great write up, really enjoyed that and fair play for sticking with it. Satisfying in the end, isn't it?

Edited June 9, 2014 by Ekona

[GMballistic]

Great write up and pics.

 

Very interesting and you've almost got a full tool box by now I'd bet.

[GIXXERUK]

Nice work, I've done this many times, it doesn't get easier but you do know what to expect

 

[Wasso]

you've amazed me matey, I remember the Saxo sat there as your trusty beast, rattled to hell and still the reliable motor that you care to fix, she should be proud of you for dedicating an entire day to fix her.

 

You could have done with my Gazebo to be fair

 

How's the zed?

[Almeida1234]

Good work

[Mack]

Like a trip down memory lane reading this.

 

I did the exact same work about 8 years ago on my old VTR. I still have the pipe wrench, used only once!

 

When you do the other side beware there is no cir clip on the drive shafts. If you pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox it will **** gearbox oil all over the floor. I found that out the hard way!

 

I don't know if yours is lowered already. If not then you have to adjust the torsion bars. They can be an absolute pig. Beware the bolts for the rear anti roll bar tend to snap when you try and undo them. There is also a brake bias valve that needs to be adjusted otherwise the brakes think the car is loaded heavily at the rear and you'll be locking up the rear wheels every time you come to a stop.

 

Nice work by the way.

[Daryl]

Fair play to you, especially investing in more tools etc. I felt really chuffed when I did my ARB's, its a great feeling working on your own car and fixing/replacing something

[NeilMH]

Well done +1 to PlusGas.

 

I'm embarrassed to say it's only desperation that drives me to get the tools out nowadays (e.g. when my son's old Polo was in danger of being written off due to uneconomic repair) - £158 for me to fix it with 2nd hand parts.

[waltzinblack]

Like a trip down memory lane reading this.

 

I did the exact same work about 8 years ago on my old VTR. I still have the pipe wrench, used only once!

 

When you do the other side beware there is no cir clip on the drive shafts. If you pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox it will **** gearbox oil all over the floor. I found that out the hard way!

 

I don't know if yours is lowered already. If not then you have to adjust the torsion bars. They can be an absolute pig. Beware the bolts for the rear anti roll bar tend to snap when you try and undo them. There is also a brake bias valve that needs to be adjusted otherwise the brakes think the car is loaded heavily at the rear and you'll be locking up the rear wheels every time you come to a stop.

 

Nice work by the way.

 

See THIS is the kind of info you need from the forums/Haynes manual! How easy is it for the driveshaft to come out? Is it just a case of be careful or is it likely to come out?

 

Mine is lowered at the rear, quite a bit. Not because it looks like a slammed sick ting innit blud, but because I had to replace a rotten torsion bar in the past, and garage quoted me cheaper to just fit an entire spare rear axle they had lying around, which had already been lowered. I think these 25mm lowering springs will make it fairly even. As for the brake bias valve, never had a problem so far, even with a lowered rear and standard front.. ha ha. Maybe its because I took the spare wheel and bracket off! Thanks for the tip though.

 

It is a thoroughly satisfying job to do, and after doing a few more bits on the Saxo I will endeavour to do some simple ones on the 350Z. The problem is, I don't drive the Saxo very far or very fast so I'm not too worried. I'd at least like someone to sue if some untightened bolt decides to spontaneously go on holiday when I'm on the autobahn in the 350z!

 

As for next steps, I will definitely do a few small bits just to get the Saxo in decent running condition. There are some other 'overdue' items that aren't quite as serious as the suspension. After that who knows... can't decide whether to flog it for a few hundred quid (black VTRs seem to hold value a little), or start doing some serious work on it and turn it into a track car.

 

The problem is in a few months, once moved into a flat, I will have no need for a dog car/train station runabout and will only have the one parking space, which will obviously be for the Zed. However, keeping it at a friend's house or family member's garage could potentially be an option.

 

Some people on here may scoff at the idea of a Saxo track car, but at the end of the day if you strip it you have a sub 900kg car, where even the upgrade parts are cheap. And you won't be forking out mega money on brakes and tyres. It will also give me an excuse to do some proper mechanical work to it! Yes its front wheel drive, but I'm sure there's a diff out there for it that will help and it will be a fun, low powered car to learn with and get more trackdays under my belt.

[Rock_Steady]

Good show ol'bean! good write up and a good read.

[Mack]

Like a trip down memory lane reading this.

 

I did the exact same work about 8 years ago on my old VTR. I still have the pipe wrench, used only once!

 

When you do the other side beware there is no cir clip on the drive shafts. If you pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox it will **** gearbox oil all over the floor. I found that out the hard way!

 

I don't know if yours is lowered already. If not then you have to adjust the torsion bars. They can be an absolute pig. Beware the bolts for the rear anti roll bar tend to snap when you try and undo them. There is also a brake bias valve that needs to be adjusted otherwise the brakes think the car is loaded heavily at the rear and you'll be locking up the rear wheels every time you come to a stop.

 

Nice work by the way.

 

See THIS is the kind of info you need from the forums/Haynes manual! How easy is it for the driveshaft to come out? Is it just a case of be careful or is it likely to come out?

 

Mine is lowered at the rear, quite a bit. Not because it looks like a slammed sick ting innit blud, but because I had to replace a rotten torsion bar in the past, and garage quoted me cheaper to just fit an entire spare rear axle they had lying around, which had already been lowered. I think these 25mm lowering springs will make it fairly even. As for the brake bias valve, never had a problem so far, even with a lowered rear and standard front.. ha ha. Maybe its because I took the spare wheel and bracket off! Thanks for the tip though.

 

It is a thoroughly satisfying job to do, and after doing a few more bits on the Saxo I will endeavour to do some simple ones on the 350Z. The problem is, I don't drive the Saxo very far or very fast so I'm not too worried. I'd at least like someone to sue if some untightened bolt decides to spontaneously go on holiday when I'm on the autobahn in the 350z!

 

As for next steps, I will definitely do a few small bits just to get the Saxo in decent running condition. There are some other 'overdue' items that aren't quite as serious as the suspension. After that who knows... can't decide whether to flog it for a few hundred quid (black VTRs seem to hold value a little), or start doing some serious work on it and turn it into a track car.

 

The problem is in a few months, once moved into a flat, I will have no need for a dog car/train station runabout and will only have the one parking space, which will obviously be for the Zed. However, keeping it at a friend's house or family member's garage could potentially be an option.

 

Some people on here may scoff at the idea of a Saxo track car, but at the end of the day if you strip it you have a sub 900kg car, where even the upgrade parts are cheap. And you won't be forking out mega money on brakes and tyres. It will also give me an excuse to do some proper mechanical work to it! Yes its front wheel drive, but I'm sure there's a diff out there for it that will help and it will be a fun, low powered car to learn with and get more trackdays under my belt.

 

The drive shaft will just pull out. Without a cir clip theres nothin holding it in place.

 

I did many a track day in mine, the odd sprint and autotest's.

 

Once I had changed the discs and pads all round it worked quote well.

[Mack]

Like a trip down memory lane reading this.

 

I did the exact same work about 8 years ago on my old VTR. I still have the pipe wrench, used only once!

 

When you do the other side beware there is no cir clip on the drive shafts. If you pull the driveshaft out of the gearbox it will **** gearbox oil all over the floor. I found that out the hard way!

 

I don't know if yours is lowered already. If not then you have to adjust the torsion bars. They can be an absolute pig. Beware the bolts for the rear anti roll bar tend to snap when you try and undo them. There is also a brake bias valve that needs to be adjusted otherwise the brakes think the car is loaded heavily at the rear and you'll be locking up the rear wheels every time you come to a stop.

 

Nice work by the way.

 

See THIS is the kind of info you need from the forums/Haynes manual! How easy is it for the driveshaft to come out? Is it just a case of be careful or is it likely to come out?

 

Mine is lowered at the rear, quite a bit. Not because it looks like a slammed sick ting innit blud, but because I had to replace a rotten torsion bar in the past, and garage quoted me cheaper to just fit an entire spare rear axle they had lying around, which had already been lowered. I think these 25mm lowering springs will make it fairly even. As for the brake bias valve, never had a problem so far, even with a lowered rear and standard front.. ha ha. Maybe its because I took the spare wheel and bracket off! Thanks for the tip though.

 

It is a thoroughly satisfying job to do, and after doing a few more bits on the Saxo I will endeavour to do some simple ones on the 350Z. The problem is, I don't drive the Saxo very far or very fast so I'm not too worried. I'd at least like someone to sue if some untightened bolt decides to spontaneously go on holiday when I'm on the autobahn in the 350z!

 

As for next steps, I will definitely do a few small bits just to get the Saxo in decent running condition. There are some other 'overdue' items that aren't quite as serious as the suspension. After that who knows... can't decide whether to flog it for a few hundred quid (black VTRs seem to hold value a little), or start doing some serious work on it and turn it into a track car.

 

The problem is in a few months, once moved into a flat, I will have no need for a dog car/train station runabout and will only have the one parking space, which will obviously be for the Zed. However, keeping it at a friend's house or family member's garage could potentially be an option.

 

Some people on here may scoff at the idea of a Saxo track car, but at the end of the day if you strip it you have a sub 900kg car, where even the upgrade parts are cheap. And you won't be forking out mega money on brakes and tyres. It will also give me an excuse to do some proper mechanical work to it! Yes its front wheel drive, but I'm sure there's a diff out there for it that will help and it will be a fun, low powered car to learn with and get more trackdays under my belt.

 

The drive shaft will just pull out. Without a cir clip theres nothin holding it in place.

 

I did many a track day in mine, the odd sprint and auto test's. Once I had changed the discs and pads all round it worked quite well.

 

They do tend to overheat a bit, probably requires an oil cooler or rad upgrade but I never had any brake fade problems.

 

One handing trait I noticed, particularly as mine did not have any ABS was when braking on the absolute limit of grip the left front would lock first causing the car to yaw right. It was controllable with a bit of steering. I believe its due to the car being designed to have the driver on the left. The heavier engine is on the right and the gear box on the left. Put the driver on the right as well and theres more weight over the right hand wheels. I never had the car corner weighted to prove this but I believe its true.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Mack