Stu,
Sounds as though the Andrex has seized up - a common problem with these
auxiliary shock absorbers which were less than wonderful even when new.
That's probably why the link bushing disintegrated. Unless you can fins
someone to rebuild the Andrex (and I don't know if Apple or Worldwide do
these units), my advice would be to leave it disconnected.
One point about the rest of your note - your theory that removing the cap of
the shock "releases the pressure". Not so, I'm afraid. A lever shock
absorber does not contain releasable pressure - its action merely forces oil
from one chamber to another, through a valve which regulates the flow. There
is pressure at the valve, of course, when the shock arm is moving, but no
residual pressure once the arm stops moving.
Lawrie
British Sportscar Center
-----Original Message-----
From: Stuart Keen <simbafish@home.com>
To: MG T Digest <mg-t@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 7:38 AM
Subject: Good thing it's a MkII but questions
>This morning I was under my '51 TD MkII. I discovered one of the right
>rear shock (hydraulic damper) arms was free of the linking arm,
>connecting it to the leaf spring bracket. The link is suppose to have a
>rubber inset/bushing (now missing) in which the hydraulic arm's rod/pin
>fits. Since this is a Mk II, there are two shocks per wheel. The one
>disabled is the Andrex. Fortunately I have the other a Girling.
>
>Question:
>
>1. I have tried to pull down the Andrex hydraulic arm but it will not
>budge. How do I get the arm and link mated together? If it was the
>Girling, I'd remove the top filler cap to release the pressure. But the
>Andrex has no cap, just a plate on the SIDE with a couple of screws in
>it. How is pressure released in an Andrex hydraulic Damper and what is
>the procedure?
>
>2. I don't see how the two pieces became separated. Perhaps the fact
>that the rubber bushing is missing means it wore in half. But still the
>two should not been able to separate. Does anyone have an idea how to
>prevent this from happening again? I would think a washer and cotter pin
>at the end of the inserted pin would have been designed into the system,
>but the rod/pin was not made long enough to do this.
>
>One solution, of course, is to forget about the Andrex. I really don't
>need two shocks per wheel. However, I'd like to return the MkII to its
>proper configuration. In the meantime, I should have no problem driving
>it (like 300 miles this weekend).
>
>Any and all assistance will be appreciated.
>
>Stu Keen
>1951 MG TD MkII
>
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