Rover 214 & 414 Service and Repair Manual - Rover club

10•12 Suspension and steering
8 Refit the roadwheel, then lower the vehicle
to the ground and tighten the roadwheel
nuts to the specified torque.
9 With the vehicle standing on its wheels,
rock the vehicle to settle the disturbed
components in position then tighten the lower
lateral link pivot bolts and the lower
suspension strut mounting bolt to the
specified torque.
14 Rear suspension strut -
dismantling, inspection and
reassembly
3
Note: Before attempting to dismantle the rear
suspension strut, a suitable tool to hold the
coil spring in compression must be obtained.
Adjustable coil spring compressors are readily
available and are recommended for this
operation. Any attempt to dismantle the strut
without such a tool is likely to result in damage
or personal injury.
Dismantling
1 With the strut removed from the vehicle,
clean away all external dirt then mount it
upright in a vice.
2 Fit the spring compressor and compress
the coil spring until all tension is relieved from
the upper mounting plate.
3 Slacken the upper mounting retaining nut
whilst retaining the strut piston with an Allen
key.
4 Remove the nut and washer followed by the
mounting plate assembly, noting the correct
fitted positions of the mounting rubbers and
spacer, and the upper spring rubber damper.
Remove the coil spring then lift the dust seal
and cover off the damper and slide the
damper stop plate and rubber stop off the
strut piston.
Inspection
5 Examine all the rear suspension strut
components, using the information given for
the front suspension strut.
Reassembly
6 Reassembly is a reversal of the removal
procedure. Ensure that the spring ends are
correctly located in the upper and lower seats
and that the upper mounting plate retaining
nut is tightened to the specified torque
setting.
15 Rear suspension lateral links
- removal, inspection and
refitting
5
Removal
1 Chock the front wheels, then jack up the
rear of the vehicle and support it on axle
stands. Remove the appropriate rear
roadwheel.
Front link
2 Mark the position of the lateral link body
pivot bolt in relation to the body. This mark
can then be used as a guide on refitting.
3 Slacken and remove both the pivot bolts
securing the front lateral link to the body and
trailing arm and remove the link from the
vehicle (see illustration).
Rear upper link
4 Slacken and remove the pivot bolt securing
the rear upper lateral link to the trailing arm
assembly (see illustration).
5 Undo the two bolts securing the inner
mounting to the vehicle body and remove the
link assembly from the vehicle.
Rear lower link
6 Slacken and remove both the pivot bolts
securing the lower rear lateral link to the body
and trailing arm. On models equipped with
ABS, undo the bolts securing the wheel
sensor wiring lead bracket to the lower arm
and release the wiring. On all models, undo
the lower suspension mounting bolt and
remove the rear lower lateral link (see
illustration).
Inspection
7 Examine the lateral link for signs of cracking
and check the mounting bushes for signs of
wear or deterioration, renewing as necessary
(see illustration).
8 The bushes are a press fit in the link and
can be pressed out and in using a vice and
15.3 Front lateral link to body mounting
bolt (arrowed) is slotted to permit rear
wheel alignment
15.6 Removing rear lower lateral link
1689 Rover 214 & 414 Updated Version 09/97
two suitable-sized tubular drifts, such as
sockets (one bearing on the hard outer edge
of the bush and another bearing against the
edge of the lateral link).
9 When renewing the inner bush on the rear
upper lateral link, mark the position of the
bush mounting plate in relation to the lateral
link before removing the worn bush. Fit the
new bush so that the mounting plate is in the
same position in relation to the lateral link.
This avoids placing any undue strain on the
rubber bush when the link is refitted to the
vehicle.
10 Examine the pivot bolt shanks for signs of
wear or damage such as scoring and renew
as necessary.
Refitting
11 Refitting is the reverse of removal, noting
the following:
a) Refit the pivot bolts and tighten them
loosely.
b) When refitting the front lateral link, align
the inner pivot bolt using the marks made
on dismantling.
c) With the vehicle standing on its wheels,
rock the suspension to settle all disturbed
components in position then tighten all
the disturbed pivot bolts to the specified
torque.
d) On completion, check and, if necessary,
adjust rear wheel alignment.
15.4 Rear upper lateral link to body
bolts (A) and trailing arm pivot bolt (B)
15.7 Examine lateral link bushes for signs
of wear and renew if necessary