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MOT Failure

Dark Dude

Dark Dude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
655
After almost one year of happy motoring in my "new" truck, I today took my LC100 for it's first MOT, which it duly failed, Ie:

004: Front (n/s and o/s) Shock absorber has negligible damping effect (2.7.5)

In short, the suspension sometimes bounces up and down and sometimes it doesn't. There are NO warning lights on the dash to indicate that the Stability Control is out of kilter. Mr T wants to charge me £126 plus VAT just to plug into the ECU to see whats going on, while I'm stuck up a creek without a paddle with the clock ticking (10 days for the retest).

Any advice, anyone? What say you Mr W?

John
 
I have said computer and would be happy to help out if i can. I am not sure what it is going to tell you but happy to give it a try.

Where are you based?
 
warrenpfo said:
I have said computer and would be happy to help out if i can. I am not sure what it is going to tell you but happy to give it a try.

Where are you based?
Click to expand...

Thanks Warren

I'm in Tottenham Hale, North London, so I'm NOT too far away from you. I've just come off the phone with Milner 4x4 and they have quoted me £195.00 delivered (inc VAT) for both my shocks. Given that Mr T quoted me £190 per shock (without VAT), then the guys at Milner have come up trumps.

How difficult is it to fit the front shocks?

John
 
Re: MOT Failure: Update

Julian from Overland Cruisers has just informed me that those dreaded spheres are now no more. It's a bullet I'm going to have to bite I suppose. It already taste bitter and I haven't spent a penny yet.

John
 
John IMHO think long and hard about spending money on the AHC
It might be throwing good money after bad

Alternatives are cheaper and more reliable in the long term
 
Julian

If it was just me, I would have kissed goodbye to the AHC long ago (just like my old mate JW) and swopped them out for a standard suspension setup. Alas I'm married and my wife has breast cancer and the AHC makes it easy for her to get in and out of the car independently. I'm also an event photographer, who carries alot of very heavy equipment. The AHC makes it easy to load and unload my beast of burden without the need of breaking my back. Julian, even you have to admit when the AHC works, it's a wonder to behold.

BTW: You should check out these guys at Cambridge who maybe the answer to all our AHC prayers:

http://sites.google.com/site/pleiadessu ... heres/home

What is without doubt, at the end of the day I can't afford to go to Mr T. That's a fact!

John
 
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John, sounds like you will have to patch it up and keep it going


Dark Dude said:
Julian, even you have to admit when the AHC works, it's a wonder to behold.
Click to expand...

To be honest AHC is really not my cup of tea (over complicated)
A 'wonder' is being able to run too fast over very rough roads all day and still have the same suspension performance you had when you started ;)
 
Julian said:
A 'wonder' is being able to run too fast over very rough roads all day and still have the same suspension performance you had when you started ;)
Click to expand...
And the same truck without rattles...
 
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
From reading your posts in two threads, it seems like you are on the right track when it comes to sorting the mot fail.

Just to clarify, on an ahc vehicle, the shock absorbers are hardly the cause of lack of damping. Main problem with them is when the seal is worn out after 2-3-400 k miles, that they start leaking. The damping (shock absorber function) happens in the actuators, which is the ribbed blob to which each sphere is attached. The four valves in each actuator adjust the damping in 16 steps, but is dependent on the hydraulic fluid moving through, which it will stop doing when the sphere is flat.

The spheres don't last for ever, and there is no trouble code or built in detection for flat spheres. The way to test them is by counting graduations, which is mentioned in another post in here.

You will keep your spheres longer, and have a better "ride", if the the ahc pressure is correct; i.e that the steel springs are doing their part, and the spheres get to do only their part of the lifting. This is where checking the neutral pressure comes in. When changing the spheres, you could get the neutral pressure adjusted/checked at the same time. Pleiades probably has a suitable pressure gauge. It is enough to check one side only, front and rear (as long as the steering wheel is kept straight). If Pleiades can't do it, I think I saw an offer to use the Mr.T-tester in a post above here. (That's the other method for checking the neutral pressure)
 
I've got a thought! If the spheres have been shot to pieces, wouldn't it be prudent to also change the shocks as well? More money, in the short term. Better safe than sorry in the long.......

John
 
Not unless you like spending money for the sake of it John, I'd wait till they let you know they need changing. Also, are you sure what Milner are offering are AHC shocks? They could be, but they could also be conventional shocks that are no use to you unless you ditch the AHC.
 
Those shocks (actually just hydraulic rams) are very durable. If they are not leaking, or killed by road-salt, I wouldn't think of changing them. They could outlive three sets of spheres, maybe.
 
Hi John,

Sorry to hear about your woes.

I think at the end of the day, the spheres are going to have to go.

Drop in a conventional spring system, like has been done many time before.
perhaps have some alternative side steps, making it more easy for the better half to enter and exit the Cruisser?

Some lower side steps maybe?

Gra.
 
Hi uHu
I wonder if you could post a link to "counting the graduations". I don't remember reading about it. Thanks. My 2004 has 64,000 miles motorway only. As a guesstimate do you think it needs a look at. If so what to do?

Frank
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
Not unless you like spending money for the sake of it John, I'd wait till they let you know they need changing. Also, are you sure what Milner are offering are AHC shocks? They could be, but they could also be conventional shocks that are no use to you unless you ditch the AHC.
Click to expand...

Jon

The nice people at Milner took my chassis number just to make sure that the shocks in question were compatible with AHC system. Your other advice has been duly noted. Yesterday, I took my car to Dave at Herts Tyre and Exhaust for a MOT and service. Not to be too blunt about it , I don't think his MOT guy knows the 1st thing about Land Cruisers. I phoned the MOT guy again this morning (on Jon's advice) to ask him about the condition of the shocks and it was like stirring porridge......

With Greg now out of the picture it seems that us Cruisers who reside in the South East and South West are now well and truly screwed. I'll keep everyone informed about how I get on with Dave at Herts Tyre & Exhaust. Just come off the phone with Dave and he won't touch anything to do with the AHC. Period! You can't say the lad isn't honest.....

BTW: I also popped into Mr T's new Enfield crib on my way home from Hertford. Very nice too. You can smell the "other peoples" money.

John
 
Re: MOT Failure: Update

Well as soon as I get the spheres from Julian, I'll be off to see Martin at Pleiades who will give them the once over and fit them onto my truck. The problem is that Julian doesn't know which spheres in his collection to send me. Does anyone know the part numbers of each of the four spheres attached at the four corners, front and rear?

Otherwise it will mean me breaking my back in the morning.......

Yours painfully!

John
 
Hi DD

I'm looking at my spheres for you today. I am hoping they will have the none T numbers on them.

Frank
 
Thanks uHu !

Just had a brilliant thought. If it fails your test I shall take it back to Toyota as I paid for 12 months warranty. As they don't know what they are doing they will probably change the whole system; spheres :D shocks :D pump :D fluid :D electrics :D

Frank
 
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