Aprilia/Ardea servicing

[simonandjuliet]

For the studs, I used them on the worst of the Ardea wheels to "get somewhere near" and then added traditional weights for more "delicate" balancing. I must admit that wheel has gone on the back ......

I have seen chunks of lead used , just making a hole in the lead

[simonandjuliet]

I will include this here because it is a service item in many ways .....they often leak !

Originally the impeller shaft seal was created by graphite (greased) rope around the shaft and was under compression - occasionally it needs to be repacked or replaced

My water pump was set up like this and when I rebuilt the pump during the renovation, I decided to stay original. However since it has been seeping, I have decided to replace the rope seal with standard lip seals

I am not the first to do this, but I've not seen it written up for a while so here goes !

Dismantling is pretty straight forward:

Remove the pulley (NB LH thread !!)
Undo the 6 screws
Remove the cover
Separate the cone/impeller block from the base unit - gentle teasing apart
Remove the impeller
Use a drift down the impeller shaft hole and gently tap out the bearing and upper 'slotted drive'

Using the special tool or some kind of circlip pliers to undo the inside nut
Remove the spring, coned washer and graphite rope

Clean everything !!

I replaced the rope with 2 lip seals - the bottom one with a single lip seal and a second double lip seal above it - I would be delighted to hear what others think about this ! My thinking was that 2 seals would take up the space of the rope, so I could re-use the spring, washer etc
And 2 must be better than one !

The seal size is 9x17x5 (double lip) and 9x17x4,5 (single)

I have also used a sealed bearing instead of the original open cage, so no longer needs regular greasing. The sealed bearing is 6302.2RS for the sealed version or SKF 6302 for open

Size is 15x42x13 mm

Re-assembly is just the reverse

A couple of comments:
The "slot drive" often wears very badly, so may need to be replaced, you can tell before dismantling if there is a lot back-lash when you rotate the pulley back and forth
Make sure that the impeller doesn't catch the main body - this is regulated by tapping the bush in the main body, back or forward
Make sure that the impeller doesn't catch the coned casting - regulated by tapping the bush back & forward as required
Make sure that the pulley is correctly lined up with the dowel before tightening
NB ensure that the drain holes are lined up and at the bottom !

Please do comment if you have done this , or have any thoughts on it !

I will see next week if it works when I refit the rad ......

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW
 

[simonandjuliet]

Photos ....

[simonandjuliet]

More photos ......

[simonandjuliet]

If you are following this thread, it may be worth reacquainting yourself with David Wheeler's excellent collection of technical tips, along with Paul Mayo's rewritten Lancia England notes, info from Noel in Australia etc etc

There's a wealth of stuff there !

[simonandjuliet]

Cheating a bit here, but thought I'd share it ..... not an Aprilia but I liked it anyway !!

Removing an oil seal can sometimes be a pain, so good old Mr Google helped with this one.

Drill a hole in the metal frame of the seal, screw in a self tapper and pull out with a slide hammer. V cheap slide hammer bought for 10€ on Amazon attached to a self-grip pliers (nut welded to the adjuster) and "Bob's your uncle"

[simonandjuliet]

If you are seeing the charging/ignition light flickering, it could be the brushes on the dynamo. An easy job to do/check

Take the grill off - see previous
Remove the central screw on the cover (photo)
Lift the spring holding the brush in place using a small screwdriver, move to the side
This allows you to withdraw the brush
Check the wear and condition of the brush - clean/replace as required - sometimes if they have become stuck on the guide they just need to be cleaned and refitted
Loosen & rotate the dynamo and check the other one...... easier than doing from underneath !
Put it back together and tighten the fanbelt - see above

Hopefully the light has stopped flickering. If not further investigation required ......

To check charging, easiest way is to put a voltmeter across the battery - engine off , you should see 12+ volts
Start the engine and it should be about the same
Then raise the revs as you look at the voltmeter - it should rise to 13-14v
I am being a bit vague on actual values but, most important is to see a flick up as you rev the engine

If the dynamo needs to come out, this can be a pain depending how tight the fan is bolted to the dynamo !

For those lucky enough to have the "captive" nut still present (see photo for explanation) it is easier:
With the dynamo in place, undo the central nut (27mm) until you feel a good amount of pressure on the spanner, ie it feels as if the nut is blocked
Undo the dynamo clamp bolt
Slide the dynamo as far forward (towards engine) and sharply pull back so that the weight/movement of the dynamo acts like a slide hammer !
Try a couple of times, if not then it's radiator-out time ....

If you don't have the captive nut, undo and remove the nut and do the slide hammer thing
Again if it doesn't pop off after a couple of goes, then as above, radiator out

Be very careful removing the fan with pullers, they are very fragile !

[simonandjuliet]

Coming back with an update on this one because I had to revisit the waterpump - there was a very slight seep/drip

Not done a full post mortem yet, but I suspect that the seal was either not tight enough in the housing - maybe needed to be glued in with torque seal. Or possibly the seal was just too small and not up to the job - I'll report back once I know !

I have a number of housings and parts and in amongst them was a casting that had been turned up to take a 22mm seal, so I fitted 2 of those seals instead - photo shows the difference in size

Interestingly, I fitted an S2 pulley (with holes) and it meant that the fan belt was a fraction too long so I had to find a new fanbelt. It suggests that there may be a very small difference between the pulleys.

As a slight aside, I was at a vide-grenier (car boot sale) this weekend and found this card system, I have put it up on the wall with a list of jobs for some of the cars - let's see how long it takes before I get bored of it !!

[simonandjuliet]

Quick note on the waterpump, the second effort has been 100% successful, no water drip after 3 months and occasional use !

[simonandjuliet]

Whilst looking into a modern oil filter option, it reminded me to do a short note about changing the oil and cleaning the traditional filter

The sump capacity is  8 pints or 4.5L approximately and is drained via the large nut on the sump. These can be tight so make sure that you have the correct Allen key (22mm) - hopefully you still have this in the original toolkit !

While the oil is draining it is worth removing and cleaning the vane filter. 4 x 10mm nuts and then lift out the unit. If it's not been out for a while they may need some careful tapping. The mazak and aluminium units can be fragile so care needed !

There will be some build up where the vanes mesh (see photo)

The unit should then be cleaned in petrol, rotating the ratchet as you go, gentle blowing with compressed air afterwards

You should also remove the 17mm brass nut on the outside of the crankcase, at the base of the unit (see photo) - this allows any additional sludge to be removed

Replace both the nut and vane and refit (with new washer/annealed washer) the sump nut

Fill with your preferred oil via the rocker cover filler. I use 20w60 Penrite, but we all have our preferences, so I won't cover that in any more detail !!

Check the level - then turn the engine over without the ignition on until you have oil pressure, check the level again and should be OK for another 5000 miles

NB if you are filling an empty engine for the first time in a while, you may wish to prime the engine via the vane filter hole before you refit the filter unit

Finally a copy of the relevant page from the Instruction book

[simonandjuliet]

As part of the front suspension refurb the front brakes came apart, this is something that you'd do if you had brake judder, squealing, graunching or just checking etc

Having jacked the car up (axle stands etc) and removed the road wheel (NB LH thread on passenger side !), lock the drum using 14mm spanner on one or both of the adjusters (photo)

They lock by moving the spanner from the upright,vertical position towards the outside of the drum - obviously in opposite directions on opposite sides of the drum

This enables you to remove the aluminium cover over the wheel bearing nut. Many have been butchered over the years, but normally a drift and gentle tap should remove this. There should be a large spring washer behind it

Back off both brake adjusters all the way - reverse of above

Remove the split pin and undo the central nut - 27mm

Remove the drum - Try and use a proper puller if you can, it's a worthwhile investment if you can find one, otherwise a good quality 3 point puller will work with care.

DO NOT HIT THE DRUM WITH A HAMMER - SOFT OR HARD HAMMER !! The aluminium breaks .....

To remove the shoes, insert the end of a long screwdriver into the coils of the spring and lever against the stub axle and either pull or push the pin that holds the spring in place (See photo of re-assembly) and remove the bottom pivot plate

List of things to check/do:

Wheel cylinder for leaks
Sticking shoes/weak return springs
Excessive wear on lower pivots
Worn/detached linings
Lubricate adjuster cams
etc etc

Putting it back together is essentially the reverse. Except a couple of tricks to help re-assembly !

Find a large clamp to hold the shoes/wheel cylinder pistons in place (photo) and then a 2-step process for fitting the pin.

Step 1 - using the long screwdriver and either insert between 2 coils the curved spring end to tease the spring eye into the hole in the shoe, then use a small screwdriver to catch it. Now relax & breathe !

Step 2 - reposition the long screwdriver into the now extended coils and lever the eye forward so you can slot in the peg.

It is the easiest method I have found, because the spring often slips off the screwdriver. There may be a fancy tool or method someone else uses - so please share !!

Then it's a case of re-fitting the lower pivot plate, refitting the drum and adjusting the shoes. I don't use a torque-wrench for the nut but tighten it with a decent socket and 12-18" bar so it's tight, but not excessively so !

See where the split pin hole is and then tighten/slacken the nut accordingly

To adjust the shoes - lock the drum with the adjusters (see above) and then back off each adjuster by 16th turn - check it spins freely.

[simonandjuliet]

more photos - new phone is higher resolution !!

[simonandjuliet]

The rear brakes are , unsurprisingly, similar to the fronts. Indeed they share the same shoes, so removing/fitting is very similar

Biggest difference is getting the drums off.

Because they are inboard, you need to remove the inner end of the drive shaft and let it hang. Don't let the cup bearing fall off so consider taping them up

Purists please close your eyes/ears now because I don't split pin my drive shaft bolts, it takes forever and can put you off doing necessary jobs to my mind. I have the bolts in a box on the shelf. I also use nylocks on the prop shaft for the same reasons

Once the drive shaft is off, block the drum with the adjusters (or handbrake if it is good enough), remove the split pin and central nut (30mm) and remove the spider. Should slide off easily, but if not use a simple puller

NB the adjusters and rear diff top up dip stick are accessed via the rectangular plate under the spare wheel

Now the potentially difficult bit ..... back off the adjusters as far as possible and disconnect the handbrake cable - this allows the shoes to come back a touch further and helps remove the drum more easily

If you are lucky, you can get hold of the drum and pull it off by hand. If not you'll need a very big puller. Later drums have a thread (M35x1.75) on the central "tube" - presumably for a puller, but I've never seen one and I haven't made one because I can't find anything with this thread to modify and make a puller .... yet !

DO NOT HIT THEM WITH A HAMMER - HARD OR SOFT, like the fronts, they will break

Once the drum is off, dismantle as per the front brakes

Re-assembly is the reverse ! Same 16th of a turn to adjust

A couple of "tricks" - I have a modified 14mm spanner for adjusting the back brakes because the union can get in the way (photo)
When the drum and shoes are off, check that the handbrake mechanism (horizontal bar and rockers) is all free. It may need to be lubricated with WD40 and be "worked" for a few minutes

Because I've all the brakes to pieces, I have had to bleed the system. This is very easy on an Aprilia (and other Lancias of this period) because you close all the bleed nipples, fill up the reservoir and then work you way around the car.

I started with front right because it was closest to the master cylinder and the initial bleed took a big volume of liquid, needing the reservoir to be refilled.

After that I went around the car a couple of times and pressed the brake pedal a few times. Now it's topped up, has a really good pedal and the reservoir plunger stays up.

Early Aprilias don't have this plunger reservoir system so you have to do it "classically" ....

[simonandjuliet]

more photos