Drag link play

[Mark McKibbin]

I have reconditioned the drag link with a kit but there seems to be play when the spring compresses. See video 

[Tony Press]

Mark,

Have you fitted the shaped disc inside the cap and some packing washers to compress the spring (all of which make it difficult to assemble without using a sash cramp).

Tony.

[Mark McKibbin]

Mark,

Have you fitted the shaped disc inside the cap and some packing washers to compress the spring (all of which make it difficult to assemble without using a sash cramp).

Tony.

Yes Tony everything is in there but maybe I need more packing washers. I will have to make some sort of clamp I assume the spring should be almost completely compressed?

[Tony Press]

Yes and a b*gg*r of a job without a long cramp- I have one which fits on a length of water pipe.

[Bob Culver]

If you do not have a die and odd rods two relatively inexpensive threaded rods can be used to fabricate a clamp.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

With that amount of play I think you are missing one of the cups that go around the ball pin.

Has the one that lives in the tube escaped down the tube?

[Mark McKibbin]

With that amount of play I think you are missing one of the cups that go around the ball pin.

Has the one that lives in the tube escaped down the tube?

No the bolt was going through the hole in the tube and the cup so it just had what came in the kit, I have now added a couple of washers between the cup and spring and miraculously the play has gone away!

[Parazine]

I would refer you to Ian Moorcraft's excellent treatise on the subject here:

http://www.ba7c.org/technicalArticles/st...hment.html

This tells you all you need to know on this subject.

[Mark McKibbin]

I would refer you to Ian Moorcraft's excellent treatise on the subject here:

http://www.ba7c.org/technicalArticles/st...hment.html

This tells you all you need to know on this subject.

Thanks for that link, from reading that article I think I have "adjusted" my drag link wrongly as I have put washers between the thrust blocks and the spring relying on the spring getting bound to get the clearance. It looks like I need to make some packing washers like the centre one in the following picture so replying on a hard stop not coil binding to get the clearance (compression) of about 1/32"

[Dave Wortley]

Mark, It is a swearing -inducing job but I use a flat bladed screwdriver just large enough to fit in the end hole, even when the holes in the rod end and rod have only half the holes visible. At that point, push the blade into the half hole and twist through 90 degrees and at the same time push the rod end bolt into the now circular hole. Hope that works for you.