3200 suspension actuator and shock

Almichie

Almichie

Junior Member
Messages
799
I changed my offside top ball joint yesterday and while it was all apart I changed the shock top mount too (which was actually ok).

On reassembly I noticed the actuator was broken; nylon assembly in bits inside. I ordered a replace ton and this won't fit onto the damper correctly; it will not fully seat down enough so that the large splines fit into the rim of the actuator allowing the holding pin around the base to keep it all in place. I am loathed to apply any force and risk damage.

Anyone had this before? I wonder if I have damaged the metal dog when removing the shock? It looks ok but it's difficult to see with the header tank in the way.

Any thoughts?

Al
 
davy83

davy83

Member
Messages
2,826
it should just sit nicely on top there sir. i had one of these damaged and it is a little sort of wobbly when fitting, its not the precise fit you would expect. Does the little toothed wheel on the top of the shock turn freely enough? is there any damage around the top of the shock itself? The only thing you might try is David Askew can do a refurbishment of the shock he might be able to get the whole unit and motor looked at? The other thing that might help is removing the good one on the other side very carefully and comparing them you might work out what the problem is?
 
T

timkee330ci

New Member
Messages
122
Really good stuff, heard that the f355 or the f575 use the same kind of actuator.
Why our Italian friends use plastic for such high torque gears??!
 
Almichie

Almichie

Junior Member
Messages
799
All fixed.... I had caught the cog when removing the shock; a needle file between the fingers and it went on with ease.

The old one is working too so this'll go off for repair and kept as a spare
 
bossemaserati

bossemaserati

Junior Member
Messages
160
allandwf said:
Did it not throw up an "error" light with the broken bits?
Click to expand...

i do have an ERROR light on at the moment and the last time the diagnostics tool was connected it said that the front right actuator is at fault. if it is a broken pin or gear inside the actuator then i was wondering if anyone has done the rebuilt with captainzcnc... be good to know!

in any case i will know more tomorrow when i have looked at it in detail.
 
jluis

jluis

Member
Messages
1,703
timkee330ci said:
Really good stuff, heard that the f355 or the f575 use the same kind of actuator.
Why our Italian friends use plastic for such high torque gears??!
Click to expand...

Because the cars are not expensive enough so they make ****** overpriced parts so that when they break (and they always do) you have to buy from them.
That keeps executives and shareholders happy.
 
bossemaserati

bossemaserati

Junior Member
Messages
160
i had the ERROR light on since i bought the car and was quoted around GBP 1000 to have this fixed by installing a new actuator.
finally today i managed to look at the part in question, the front right actuator.

i expected that either the pin or the gear would be broken.

once i got to the actuator (the water coolant tank needed to be removed first) i saw that the previous owner must have done some work to the actuator before:
the top of the part was removed, and one cable was not connected

i soldiered the cable in question back on, and by heating up plastic from a milk container created a new top cap.

then tested the actuator back in the car (turn the ignition not all the way, only to the MAS position when the system check is performed) and it was working again!
i could see the part inside the actuator moving

at this point the ERROR message was still showing in the dashboard
then i tested the actuator in situ and, surprise, the ERROR message was gone!

then fitted the actuator back into position (only to loose the pin for 30 minutes that holds the actuator in place for a short while somewhere deep down under the engine...)

put the water coolant tank back in place and all is working great!!

please see the attached pictures that illustrates the work i did, but the bottom-line is that i guess sometimes it is not the pin or gear that is at fault, but the cables inside the actuator!
now having a drink to celebrate no more ERROR message!

have a nice evening all!

image.jpg

image-2.jpg

image-4.jpg

image-5.jpg

image-3.jpg
 
BennyD

BennyD

Sea Urchin Pate
Messages
15,006
Good improvisation and a great fix. Thanks for the info, you might have saved the next guy a £1000 as well. Good effort!
 
Contigo

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Another great post on these forums. Well done bosse. This just backs up my points made that there are lots of jobs that can be done at home DIY which makes running these cars that little bit easier.
 
Contigo

Contigo

Sponsor
Messages
18,376
Bosse: I have something similar on mine. ERROR light on front right (based on fact that when I spray contact cleaner on it) the light goes off until the engine warms up and then it comes on again. Would you recommend getting the actuator off and opening it up or where you lucky with yours seeing as someone had already attempted a rework previously? I might just bite the bullet and replace with a reconditioned/used one first and then attempt to rework it for a spare.
 
bossemaserati

bossemaserati

Junior Member
Messages
160
hi phil,

yes, i was sort of lucky as someone else before me opened up the actuator, but thats also how i was able to see that the fix was so easy!
therefore, i would definitely recommend to open up the top part of the actuator, if you think it is an electrical problem.

In essence you have nothing to loose and everything to gain. once you open up the top it is such an easy fix so definitely worth it!

let me know how it goes!

bosse
 
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