Rear End Twitch

[Nick Argue <Nick.Argue@domain.elided>]

I've done the rear end bushes and the shocks, and greased the splines but
the 
twitch is still there. It's most noticeable when accelerating away from a
corner and
changing up from 2nd to 3rd.  I used CV Grease on the splines which I
suspect 
may be too heavy. Anyone have thoughts/suggestion on what the recommended 
lubricated for the splines is. I did wonder about just oiling them
periodically.

Regards

Nick


Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 17:06:07 +0100
From: "Fereday, Chris" <chris.fereday@domain.elided>
Subject: Bushes - Amazing!

Hi All,

I bought my Stag a year ago, and as it was over 150 miles from my home, =
I
drove it back to Peterborough. It was on this trip that I noticed the =
'wishy
washy handling'. I pulled into a petrol station to check the tyre =
pressures
and was horrified to find they ranged between 10 and 14 psi...
Confident that it was now sorted out I set off again. All seemed well, =
until
I started to go negotiate a roundabout. It was here that I first =
experienced
the dreaded 'rear end twitch'. For the rest of the trip, care was taken
whenever a roundabout appeared. My father in law, who was my co-pilot =
on
this trip, was beginning to experience some 'rear end twitch of his =
own' -
if you catch my drift...
Looking around the car, a week or so later, I discovered that two of =
the
tyres were remoulds - with good tread, and the other 2 were HR rated, =
but
balder than Kojak. 4 new tyres (195/70 HR 14) and =A3200 later, the =
handling
appeared much improved until I reached another roundabout. Once again =
the
rear-end twitch appeared, but a little more controllable.
During winter, the car sat in the garage whilst I replaced the steering
rack, attended to several oil leaks, replaced burnt out wiring and =
replaced
missing parts. Spring arrived and at the first sign of good weather I =
took
to the roads. Once more the 'back end' performed its party piece. =
Enough was
enough and I reached for the phone.
I booked the Stag into E.J.Wards in Leicester. They advised me that the
bushes were likely to be the culprit, but would re-work the whole 'rear =
end'
where necessary. Looking at the car, they were surprised to see new =
springs,
dampers and evidence of recent work. They replaced the bushes but used =
the
polyurethane versions from SuperFlex and greased the splined shafts. =
They
also fitted a new seal on the diff nose, replaced the rear brake =
cylinders
(both sides) and fitted new brake shoes. All this for =A3240.=20
I picked up the car and headed for the nearest roundabout. The =
experience
was amazing! I cannot believe how much difference they have made. I =
have
even tried to make the car 'break away' under heavy cornering, but =
there
isn't the slightest hint of rear end twitch. The quality if the work is
excellent too!=20
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this to any Stag owner. The =
ride
does not appear harsh, and in comparison to my previous 12 months of
ownership, the car is a real joy to own and drive. Furthermore, I don't
believe that the extra expense of opting for the BMW rear diff =
arrangement
is totally necessary under a standard setup - i.e. Stag motor and =
gearbox if
you have this work is carried out. Uprated engines are obviously a =
different
matter...
When you consider the conditions under which I first drove the car (and
which the previous owner had been using it), its a wonder I bought the =
car
at all!

BTW - Bit disappointed with SOC. Went to Elton Hall Classic Car show on
Monday only to find that they were only there on the Sunday. The =
organiser
did ask me if I wanted to represent them on their behalf, but I =
declined...

IMHO
Chris


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