20 replies to this topic

[Aussie Ford]

Rear Roll Restrictor repair & replacement – Aussie Ford 6/08

The problem clunking when accelerating and feeling a bump through the shift knob. May cause tranny to pop out of gear:
 Roll_Restrictor.jpg   49.16K   105 downloads

So I looked around and the only sources for a replacement I could find was Ford $75 + SH or a junk yard. Well Ford is real proud of them IMO and jy ones all seem to be as bad as mine, so having grabbed and extra one from the jy ($5) I proceeded to remake my own. ($40)

1) Clean the part.
2) Center the hole in the housing. Make a cardboard template to fit the bottom. It should fit around the inside of the housing, and around the center tight. I used a stiff cardboard that was shinny on one side. Fitting tight will help align the sleeve and keep it in the middle. There are two rubber nubs on the sleeve I decided to save them so I could orient the center.
 Cover.jpg   7.95K   96 downloads

3) Remove the rubber insert. I found that cutting it out with a razor knife worked well. I stretched it with a screwdriver and cut it. Only had to cut about 1/2 of one side out to be able to manipulate the rest out.
 center_out.jpg   16.87K   104 downloads  center_out2.jpg   21.26K   83 downloads

4) I left the rubber on the very ends and cut the rest away with a razor knife and pliers to stretch it.
 cutting.jpg   19.1K   79 downloads

5) Finished by cleaning it up with a wire brush in a drill. Then wiped it down again with some brake cleaner.
 wire_brush.jpg   8.42K   74 downloads

6) Using some 2” wide double sided carpet tape (real sticky stuff) I had laying around I covered the bottom of the housing then trimmed away the extra.
 Tape1.jpg   8.88K   56 downloads  Tape2.jpg   8.62K   51 downloads

7) Then after coating the area that will not be in contact with the tape with silicone grease, install the bottom cover
 Bottom_cover.jpg   6.98K   52 downloads

8) Install the core with the oval in line with the top and bottom of the RR when installed. Tape the bottom to keep it in place and ensure no leaks.
 Core1.jpg   9.18K   72 downloads  Bottom_tape.jpg   8.54K   60 downloads

9) Following the instructions supplied mix the urethane.
 Urethane_kit.jpg   35.74K   67 downloads

10) Fill’er up a 1 lb kit will do the job with a little extra.
 Filler_up.jpg   6.22K   62 downloads

11) After waiting an hour or so past the working time of the urethane check the left over for proper set then remove the bottom cover, and let it cure per directions.
 Remove_cover.jpg   10.84K   77 downloads

12) After proper curing, install your new DIY poly rear roll restrictor. Depending on the hardness of the urethane 94A, 80A, or 60A you will notice vibrations inside the vehicle. However, no matter which one you use there will be a positive difference when compared to the stock RR. So go for a spin and when you get back have an adult beverage.

Observations after install:
I was surprised at the sound that was transmitted to the interior, and can only imagine how much more there is using 94A since I used 80A. I was also surprised at the performance improvement, and the noise is only really at idle and who does much of that anyway... LOL However this is for my DD and I don't do much racing so while the 94A and the 80A would be an excellent improvement for that application they are not ideal for a DD, IMO.

To resolve my issues for a DD, I got another RR and 60A urethane kit, and did it again this weekend. This time however I did not remove the rubber from the RR. Since it has holes in it (see first pic) most go through to the internal void spaces I just cleaned it as best I could, and then following the outline, filled it. During the filling, which I did slowly, I tapped the side of RR with a plastic hammer to help vibrate the air pockets out. I think this worked fairly well, but the only way to be sure would be to cut it open which isn't going to happen. This time it only took half of the 1 LB kit so one could do two easily. I am now in the waiting period for the curing to complete and will update the results when I install it. I suspect since the voids are now filled with a bit softer urethane it will still be more solid overall and an improvement over the stock part without transmitting as much noise to the interior. So perhaps the best of both worlds for a DD, but not a racing application. For the price one could have one of each.....

For your convenience:
 Rear_Rol_Restrictor_repair.doc   451.5K   96 downloads

Regards,
AF

Attached Files

•  finished.jpg   7.7K   62 downloads

[Laminar]

Great how-to, and very timely! I got a spare rear RR in the mail last week and I just ordered some 94A from McMaster-Carr. I'm hoping to have this done before I make a trip back to Iowa next weekend, but we'll see what happens!

[SVTDEMON]

Great how too! You are forgetting traitors like Bush and Cheney in your little political rant!

[KAOS_2.5M]

+1, great write up

something I'll be doing faily shortly.

[Aussie Ford]

Laminar, on Jun 22 2008, 09:57 AM, said:

Great how-to, and very timely! I got a spare rear RR in the mail last week and I just ordered some 94A from McMaster-Carr. I'm hoping to have this done before I make a trip back to Iowa next weekend, but we'll see what happens!

Thanks I got my 60A kit from them and the kit came in this large box that would hold at least ten of them, with no packing..... I'm sure it was plenty shook up by the time I got it...

KAOS_2.5M, on Jun 22 2008, 11:43 AM, said:

+1, great write up

something I'll be doing faily shortly.

It is a lot easier to do than the impression I got from reading the information I found on doing this..... which is why I did this write up. I hope it comes across as simple as it really is.

SVTDEMON, on Jun 22 2008, 10:18 AM, said:

Great how too! You are forgetting traitors like Bush and Cheney in your little political rant!

Young fellow you have no idea what a political rant is. But for your information there are a lot of traitors that I do not include on my list of jackasses that I don't even waste time thinking about, like bill and hillary for example. I don't care about them and just choose to ignor them. They have had a detremental effect on the country as a whole but not so much me personally. fonda and kerry have had an effect on me and while I have killed many people I never killed any babies like kerry and fonda said I did. If you don't like my sig tough I earned it! I have the bullet holes and medals to prove it. You on the other hand have no idea even what it means!

This is a thread about roll restrictors not jackasses.

Now then thanks for the comment about the how to. I will be addressing the front ones soon.

AF

[spridget]

nice job! Pinned.

[Aussie Ford]

Thank you my friend, I hope my revised DD one turns out as well as the first one. I was just messing around with the left overs and that 80A is really hard compaired to the 60A, but the 60A is just a hair tougher than the original rubber. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Hint: waiting for rubber to cure is not quite as much fun as watching paint dry, but only b/c paint is faster.....

AF

[morbid]

spridget, on Jun 22 2008, 06:14 PM, said:

nice job! Pinned.

Since it's pinned, can you clean up the off-topic drivel?

[Aussie Ford]

The rest of the story:
While the performance was there with the 80A urethane I found it a bit hard for a DD in that I didn't care for the transmitted vibrations. Granted after a couple of days it started to just sound normal to me, but I still didn't care for it at idle. I ordered some 60A urethane from McMaster-Carr, and prepped the take off RR I had. This one was bad, but I reasoned that since I was going to fill it that was not an issue.

Using a citrus base degreaser I soaked it for a day then rinsed it good, and cleaned it again with brake cleaner and Q-tips. After drying for a day in the hot sun I figured it was ready.

I did not remove any rubber this time, but made a cover for the bottom and taped it into place. Sealed the center up with duct tape as above.

I further reasoned that the rubber in the part took up about half of the area. You can see there are void areas in the part as well as holes in the outer discs.

I carefully divided the urethane kit into two equal parts and mixed up half of my material.

As I poured it in slowly through the holes, I had the part in a vice, and tapped the side with a plastic faced hammer. This helped remove trapped air. Also just filling slowly should provide plenty of escape routs for air. Watching air bubbles come out as it neared the top indicated that the process worked.

I followed the process waiting awhile then removing the cover and it appeared to be filled well.

After three days I installed it tonight and went for a spin. I am pleased with the results so far, but will wait a week or so before actually claiming victory. IF you have a bad RR on a DD this might just be the way to go...

So what is the difference between the 60A & 80A urethanes? well the rubber that is in the RR is about the same as the 60A, and the 80A is harder than a tire. I can squeeze a 1/4" x 3" disc in half, I can not do that with an 80A similar disc. Only barely compress it.

Regards,
AF

[BuckeyeSVT]

morbid, on Jun 23 2008, 02:35 PM, said:

Since it's pinned, can you clean up the off-topic drivel?

Cleaned up without losing any content (even if it is a little political...).

-Dom

[biminiLX]

Nice write up, thanks for it.
So do you want to sell the 80A RR you didn't care for?
-J

[KAOS_2.5M]

biminiLX, on Jun 30 2008, 02:24 PM, said:

Nice write up, thanks for it.
So do you want to sell the 80A RR you didn't care for?
-J

damn, beat me to it. I was going to ask the same thing.

is it the aluminum RR or the steel one?

[Aussie Ford]

biminiLX, on Jun 30 2008, 11:24 AM, said:

Nice write up, thanks for it.
So do you want to sell the 80A RR you didn't care for?
-J

Yes and there is a guy here in PDX giving it a try if he likes it well..... if not I'll PM you

KAOS_2.5M, on Jun 30 2008, 11:54 AM, said:

damn, beat me to it. I was going to ask the same thing.

is it the aluminum RR or the steel one?

The filled ones are both the steel ones which I think is best for that application. Perhaps I might fill the aluminum one with the 60A stuff. The modification I did to the stock one seems to be working well for my DD application.

AF

[Laminar]

I just got mine installed today, so I thought I'd add a few things to note.

Here's my newly-cast restrictor. I used doubled-sided foam mounting tape on the bottom of the RR to attach the cardboard, and it worked very well at keeping the urethane in. Unfortunately my duct tape over the center tube didn't do a very good job, and it leaked.



Here's my old RR. Just a tad worn out:


Here's the old one partially off of the car. The two smaller bolts had 13mm heads. I hit them with PB blaster a few minutes before beginning work, but I'm not sure how much good that did. The first one (the stud) took a loooot of force with a plain wrench, since I don't have a 13mm deep well socket. The second bolt required my 18"-handled torque wrench to get loose, but I finally got it. The long bolt vertical bolt had a 14mm head, and the bolt through the center was 15mm.


I used a 2x4 between my hydraulic jack and the transaxle. I lifted the whole car up a couple inches, and then found that lifting it a couple more helped get the center bolt out of the RR.


And here's the new one installed. I spent about 10 minutes searching for the center bolt. Turns out it rolled under the lip of my jack and I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm capable of losing pretty much anything.



Old vs. New:




Afterthoughts:
I used the 94A hardness, and wow, what a difference. My high speed and acceleration shudder are gone, but replaced by definite vibrations. It was immediately noticeable when starting the car, and I can definitely tell it's there during idle and acceleration. It's not all bad though - having traction and eliminating that pesky wheel hop is great.

The installation from start to finish took me about an hour (as evidenced by my pictures' time stamps) but it'd be easy to do it in half that time.

Edited by Laminar, 30 June 2008 - 10:43 PM.

[Aussie Ford]

Nice job, but I have to ask a couple of things.... First I wonder if something has been done to your car and your old RR since all of the ones I have seen including my 99 and IIRC I've removed a 95, 98, & 96 they were all held in place by 3 bolts + thru bolt and all had 15mm heads on them no studs like you show. Just a bit strange to me. IF the center on your old RR is oriented in the manner it was when you removed it did you notice that the nubs were up and down not horizontal? that means the soft void space was down and would allow a lot of excessive movement. I wonder if this is the cause of many failures?

In raising the car I used a 2x6 on top of my jack too and placed it on the oil pan to adjust the position of the engine/MTX, but I first raised the car and put it on jack stands. When I was reading your post it just sounded to me that you lifted the car with your jack under the MTX.... I am wrong about that right???

Yes that taping around the center is important and must be done well to keep it from leaking. That urethane runs well into any little opening. The second one I did, I didn't have any leaks.... LOL

Wouldn't you agree the project over all is a fairly easy mod to do?

Thanks for your input and pics.

AF

Edited by Aussie Ford, 01 July 2008 - 08:53 AM.

[Laminar]

Aussie Ford, on Jul 1 2008, 08:51 AM, said:

Nice job, but I have to ask a couple of things.... First I wonder if something has been done to your car and your old RR since all of the ones I have seen including my 99 and IIRC I've removed a 95, 98, & 96 they were all held in place by 3 bolts + thru bolt and all had 15mm heads on them no studs like you show. Just a bit strange to me. IF the center on your old RR is oriented in the manner it was when you removed it did you notice that the nubs were up and down not horizontal? that means the soft void space was down and would allow a lot of excessive movement. I wonder if this is the cause of many failures?

In raising the car I used a 2x6 on top of my jack too and placed it on the oil pan to adjust the position of the engine/MTX, but I first raised the car and put it on jack stands. When I was reading your post it just sounded to me that you lifted the car with your jack under the MTX.... I am wrong about that right???

Yes that taping around the center is important and must be done well to keep it from leaking. That urethane runs well into any little opening. The second one I did, I didn't have any leaks.... LOL

Wouldn't you agree the project over all is a fairly easy mod to do?

Thanks for your input and pics.

AF

Definitely easier than I expected. I can't vouch for the work done by the guy that swapped in my 3.0, I have no idea what he did/used, so that might be where the odd bolts came from.

I glanced at my computer screen right AFTER pouring in the urethane and saw your picture outlining the correct orientation of the nubs. That was an "oops" on my part.

I didn't mention that my car was up on ramps. You can see them in at the fourth picture - they're basically 2x10s stacked gradually so that my front bumper doesn't hit as I drive up them. Each ramp is 4 levels thick, so it raises the car up about 7-8 inches, which is just enough that I can squeeze under.

[spridget]

I made some more last night. This time using '97 V6 mounts. The original mounts were completely toast. I ordered new inserts for the brackets, then filled them with 94A.

[Aussie Ford]

Looks good my friend, but that's going to be one loud ride. no wheel hop though......

BTW I am selling my 80A rear roll restrictor. If anyone is interested PM me.

AF

[00CSVT150]

I had done this a while back on my SVT with 94A to reduce/eliminate wheel hop. It was a very good improvement but there is a bit of added NVH. So, since the Cougar needed new mounts, I figured i'd try some 80A. Still a good bit of NVH but a little less than the 94A's. IMO a bit harsh for a DD unfortunately. However, I filled both my front and rear mount so i'm sure that added a bit too.

I've got an extra set i'm going to try filling with 40A (Yes, I know it's a bit soft but i'm filling both front and rear mounts). Just placed the order so we'll see how that is!

[V6FocusGuy]

spridget, on 06 August 2008 - 05:54 PM, said:

I made some more last night. This time using '97 V6 mounts. The original mounts were completely toast. I ordered new inserts for the brackets, then filled them with 94A.

would you be willing to do a more detailed how-to on that?