Thanks both. The biggest problem is taking the photos as I go along, because my hands get really messed up, and sometimes (like when reaming) it needs absolute concentration.
i) With regard to the grease, I've used LM since I got the Roadster in 2008, but it certainly looks like before that it got Moly. Although I've greased frequently since '08, the damage was already done. It's possible that the wear particles have greyed the grease - like metal polish makes your rag go black..........
ii) There has been talk of premature wear of the factory stainless pins, and this seems to back that up. If you recall my car had updated stubs fitted in '2007'. The kingpins didn't appear on the bill, so they were left alone. But the new stubs must have been reamed - maybe by the factory to a standard size. In all my visits there I haven't seem anybody reaming stub axles, aso maybe that's contracted out. So when the Dealer said there was wear at the bottom of the nearside kingpin, I was sceptical given that history, and only about 8k on the clock.
At the following test at my local garage(last year) I watched the tester and there was noticeable play. Note also that my top grease nipple which was added at the upgrade was blind, so no use. Current MOgs have two per side now which is an improvement, but all the wear takes place at the bottom, because that's where most of the load is.
iii) I believe that LM is OK for this application, but I don't like the fact that the nipple channel exits above the bush. It ought to have been redesigned to emerge in the lower bush. Both bushes have spiral channels cut in the inner face, and I suspect that because the inside of the stub is effectively sealed by the grease, the suspension movement will force grease down through the bush by hydraulic pressure. I gave twenty strokes to the upper nipple and ten to the lower, on reassembly after putting plenty in before I started. None came out.
I think we should be greasing the bottom nipple every few hundred miles, so when touring, maybe daily, and protect the rebound spring as much as possible to keep road dirt out.
iv) Speed bumps won't help at all, but there's not much we can do about that.
I've stripped the offside this morning. Getting the hang of this now, and I'm just about to press the new bushes in. This kingpin is equally scuffed, and most of the wear pattern is vertical. It appears that the 'bronze' bushes are harder that the stainless pins. But now I have the hard chrome pins, they have quite a reputation for longevity.
This job is quite tough - harder to do than MGB kingpins.
The difficult bits are:
Removing the spring and stub from the cross tubes. Compressed springs are scary. Side 2 did go better than side 1 though.
Removing the bushes - Big hammer approach so hard work physically.
Fitting the new bushes - lots of spanner turnung - takes forever.
Replacing the spring & stub on the cross tubes - fiddly and with compressed springs. Probably the scariest part.
No wonder Dealers charge so much for Kingpins........
Anyway - time to press on.
