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Knuckle Joint Dust Covers 
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On the Road

Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:11 pm
Posts: 604
Post Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
Can anyone recommend a source for some decent quality knuckle joint rubber dust covers please - the ones at the bottom of the A series suspension trumpets? I'm utterly fed up with the rubbish bought from MiniSpares and Minisport which I have had to change every year since I got my car on the road and it's a pig of a job to do when you can't use the compression tool made for the job. In July last year I changed two of them before the MOT and on checking the car today before it goes back on the road tomorrow ( :D :D :D ) I found that one of them (ex MiniSpares ) has started to split already :cry: :cry: :cry: . The car has done less than 300 miles since I changed it and has been sitting in the garage for the last 6 months. Suspension is at the correct height so it's not as if the covers are distorted out of shape. Any recommendations gratefully received because I'm getting far too old to do this every year :roll:

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Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:41 pm
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Admin, and Coupe Nutter
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Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:34 pm
Posts: 1762
Location: In the workshop
GTM: Cox/Coupe
Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
That is strange, I have Minispares Knuckles one on mine and the rubbers have been OK. Will have to keep an eye on the latest ones I replaced, Replaced due to wearing out the rubber dust covers were OK.

Neil

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Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:49 am
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Looking like a GTM

Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:12 am
Posts: 183
Location: Derbyshire
GTM: Libra
Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
I have the same problem with my top balljoints on my libra i am very slowly building all four are badly cracked will 0 miles the worst 2 are the ones nearest to garage door so i think its due to being exposed to sunlight as there is no bodywork on to keep them in the dark


Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:14 pm
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Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:47 am
Posts: 967
Location: Kano north Nigeria
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Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
I have had the same problem with zero miles tie rod end covers exposed to our strong sunlight.
John


Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:31 am
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On the Road

Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:11 pm
Posts: 604
Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
I'm afraid that we don't do strong sunlight in bonny Scotland guys :? Maybe extreme cold and strong rain has the same effect? :lol: Seriously, my car spends it's time in the garage when it's not actually being driven (so approx 95% of the time then :roll: ) so sunlight ain't the problem. I haven't jacked the car up since I fitted these last two covers but I know that when I do they are both going to tear. The first ones I fitted during the build all perished before I even got on the road and since then I've been replacing the covers and nylon cups and putting them back on keeping a spare pair 'overhauled' ready to go on which raises another question - the covers are made of some sort of polyurethane material rather than rubber and I have been using a grey coloured grease (molybdenum? ) meant for cv joints in them . I'm just beginning to wonder if that grease is compatible with the cover. Back in the day I had Minis for 12 years giving them all sorts of abuse auto testing and so on and the only time I ever had to touch these joints was once when a front one broke. Them was the days :mrgreen:

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Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:55 pm
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Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 10:10 pm
Posts: 1136
Location: Bristol
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Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
"Additives sometimes cause a lubricant to react with plastic. For example, solid additives, such as graphite or molybdenum disulfide (moly), can penetrate and weaken a plastic component and should generally be avoided."
http://www.machinedesign.com/mechanical-drives/engineering-essentials-lubrication-tips-plastic-gears-and-more-part-2

Got me thinking so googled this and found the above but this was amongst other articles recommending molybdenum for lubricating plastic bearings and gears.

The purpose of moly greases is for high temperature applications which I guess isn't the case for your knuckles so ordinary low temperature grease might solve the problem?


Wed Apr 04, 2018 7:34 am
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On the Road

Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:11 pm
Posts: 604
Post Re: Knuckle Joint Dust Covers
Thanks for that. I used the moly grease because it was meant for slow moving parts according to the tin so it seemed appropriate in a kind of way and I also had a good big tin of it :roll: I think I'll clean it out of my spare pair of joints and replace it with ordinary grease to see if that helps although the first joints that I fitted and had to replace before the car went on the road were brand new and straight out of the Minispares packet.

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Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:57 pm
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