Working on the REAR HYDRAULICS on the Rolls Royce Silver Spirit - PART 26 - Can I FIX a Rolls Royce

[@dmcars147]

Vince, I was at a RR club meet in the United States and you were brought up by a few folks. We all love the work. How does it feel to be so famous!! 🙂

[@Mymatevince]

Haha, that is so good. Thank you for letting me know👍👍👍👍 Say hello to the club from me.

[@policewitnesspoplar4865]

Hi, The spheres on the front won't need replacing, unless there is a serious problem with either the brakes, or rear suspension. I see now that your RR has a circuit for brakes, and another for rear suspension. The front spheres are attached to the accumulator/pressure regulator. If the system is working correctly you should hear a click every minute or so, as the pressure regulator releases the excess pressure, when the cars at idle, and the accumulator keeps the height of the vehicle, or pressure in the brake system set. If you hear excess clicking, then that sphere may need to be replaced, however if the system cannot retain pressure, because of a leak, that would lead to excessive clicking. If you have already purchased the spheres, then bear in mind that you are dealing with very high pressure, and you definitely need to remove all pressure from that circuit before beginning work,. DO NOT use a chisel to remove either of these spheres, as the accumulator/pressure regulator are either going to be made from either alloy or cast, and are weak. On replacement, the whole circuit will then need to be primed with LHM before finally connecting the main feed hose to the accumulator/regulator, to prevent the pump running dry. Again, this is in relation to my experience with Citroens. So you should check with your service /Haynes manual, as you could prevent a lot of unnecessary work.

[@anatolbaskak]

as a fellow citroenist, i have to agree - these systems are quite special, and following certain knowledge on diagnostics and repair is way, way better than poking in the dark. in fact, i found the videos a bit cringey in this aspect, albeit fun (indeed vince stands by entertainment, not education). i guess a line should be drawn? very interesting to see how rolls-royce modified citroens solutions, as there's not much about it on the web. i am currently reading the repair manuals available at the rr club of australia website. cheers!

[@Meech_50]

Hey man quick tip keep a bicycle tire inner tube or football on hand to cut and put it around whatever it is you need off and it'll give the chain more to grip onto so you don't need to buy another tool. Helped me alot with oil filters. Bless you and your family King🙏🏽 Love your videos man

[@hamishspencer]

What you're doing is so impressive. Thanks for taking us along for the ride

[@CR7hg]

Loved first 10 minutes of struggling and wrenches breaking. Happens to all of us when easiest thing in theory becomes the most difficult. Also liked the moment of cutting the gas can and sparks coming out haha should have added some explosion effects. I'm sure it would give a proper Halloween scare to everybody 😂

[@colinfielder6695]

I was just waiting to see that it was a left hand thread, well done for perseverance Vince!

[@just-another-guy]

Well done Vince. I had to do the same thing in the 80s on my Citreon GSA. It is very daunting when you look at it, it is really quite easy when you come to do it. I would definitely change the fronts too. At least then, you know it's all done. Maybe mark each one with the date too. Just for the future owner.

[@Doc_Fartens]

With how tight that sphere was I was beginning to wonder if it was a left handed thread.

[@marcellipovsky8222]

Oh Vince, I admire your patience and persistence! If I had the same shoes, I would cuss like a sailor! I am already looking forward to see the next episode.

[@harveyglenn230]

I've a 1994 Bentley Brooklands, same sort of thing. Wild complicated car. Respect for tackling that yourself. I was told that there are 13 bleed points for the suspension system when tackling the high-pressure suspension system. So check that out. Might be the cause of unequal ride hight between sides.

[@djwarren5081]

Snap. I've a 93 reg, 94 model year Brooklands.

[@bobfrankish8883]

Hi Vince. Great video, well done in the end! I have several types of filter removing tools, in my experience, don't waste time and money on the rubber strap ones, there is way more purchase with the chains. Also, one of the highest coefficients of friction in the world is metal to metal, think of a locomotive wheel on a track. Like others have said, all you need to do is stuff some screws between the chain and the smooth body of the sphere and you would have plenty leverage. BTW if you want to get a good chain type tool, get one that uses a steel round bar that accepts a 1/2" socket drive. Keep up the good work.

[@paullonergan6803]

I tried two garages and they couldn’t figure out how to bleed the system.. watching your videos have helped my more than you can ever know ..I have a Bentley eight, which is exactly the same car with a different badge..

[@matthewmaidment8464]

Great fix once again, i take my hat off to you for trying and succeeding to get this old relic up and running.

[@kiphakes]

1:53 - No Context My Mate Vince GOLD there! :)

[@Mymatevince]

😂 I don't disappoint!

[@LostDream3r]

I guess im not the only buffoon who went "that's what she said" when looking at this!

[@gazzebo6768]

You can use old bicycle inner tube under the wrench to get more grip - also the O-ring after being lubed with LHM needs to go into the hole first then the sphere screwed into that otherwise screwing in the sphere can pinch it and dislodge it as you tighten

[@CTCTraining1]

Spot on - old inner tubes can come in handy at times like this 👍

[@matt--mun6797]

Real answer is always in the comments

[@CTCTraining1]

Great progress Vince - maybe save-up some of your underside jobs and treat yourself to a half day in somewhere like Ramp Garage and borrow their hydraulic lift so you can get lots done safely. Keep up the great work 😀👍

[@mr.meseeks2037]

Shocking Vince.i feel your frustration. I bought all the gear to change my oil myself and save a few quid. And the fricking sump nut wont budge 😥

[@euanclouston1841]

Just a few points. You should find at least 5 spheres one on each suspension point and a central one(with RR this could be 2), the central one will be the one that holds the pressure try changing that first. You should have up down control of the suspension in the car somewhere you should try and only work on the suspension with it down. It also means all the fluid is in the reservoir. You can take the wheels off using this up down motion. I agree you don't need to bleed the suspension system, but you do need the engine running to bleed anything. No pump running, no pressure to bleed with. It looks like it cold be worth bleeding the brakes. The reason you struggled to get the sphere off is more than likely it was put on how you put it on. It only needs to be a firm 2 handed tight. Good luck with the RR it's a good series.

[@ironica15031955]

Hi Vince. Interesting watching this. I have just bought a Bentley Eight. It needs both rear spheres changing, along with both shock absorbers. I am still in intensive care after finding the rear shocks are £900…. EACH! Difficult decisions to make

[@Mymatevince]

🤣 Ouch!!! Unfortunately EVERYTHING is so expensive on these cars. I hope your one is in better condition, I've been blessed with neverending faults on my one!

[@ironica15031955]

@@Mymatevince body and interior is very good, no rust anywhere. Engine is sweet but rear suspension and needs discs pads all round. Not really able to do any of these jobs myself anymore. I arrange for the car to be inspected by Bentley High Wycombe - a free service even collected and returned. A video of the inspection showed underneath where I couldn’t see when I bought the car. They charge over £200 an hour for Labour and with the parts quoted 9K for the work! That is more than I paid. Lovely to drive though….

[@Mymatevince]

@@ironica15031955 👍 certainly not cheap, hopefully it will give you years of good service and appreciate in value

[@HavingFunRepairs]

The dremel!!!! 🤣 I was working on replacing two lower control arms on my vehicle. Got one side replaced but the other side there was prior work on it and the previous mechanic cross threaded a few bolts. About tore my hands up trying to slowly back out those bolts. Ended up shearing the head of one bolt regardless. Honestly I gave up and took it to a dealership to have a professional do the replacement. Sucked because it cost me a bit over $2K. Sharing this just to say, I appreciate your persistence. Well done!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Shawn, all I can say is give praise to the Dremel to give me the notch that the cold chisel could catch on. The tool that gives and gives and gives a little more 😂👌

[@martingliddon3085]

The chrome strip under the doors on both sides, if you had them fitted, should line up with the centre of the all wheels, or the R’s on both hub caps on each side. The level is then correct. If not used, the suspension will sag at the rear, but should rise when the engine is started.

[@RetroTechRepair]

I am absolutely loving this Series Vince. I watch every episode beginning to end. Really enjoying the content.

[@Isayso1]

With an old bicycle chain and a piece of rod you can easily weld up your own removal tool for the spheres. Or buy one of these with a 1/2" adapter for a wrench. Or use the chisel method as you would do on a citroen. Getting the spheres in, they should only be hand tight - at least on a Citroen. The rubber seals are designed in a way that they get tighter with rising amount of pressure. Good work. You will pass the MOT, I'm sure.

[@PeteChrichard]

Vince carrying his fist from one side of the car to the other to measure the gap needs to be on the next series of t-shirts 😂

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 Success! Congrats! Very well done again (video and work). Please kindly allow me to make a suggestion: Next time try to use an air chisel or an electric one just to give some vibrations to a not moving screw, bold, nut or object. Usually it helps to loosen threads and rust (as you experienced here yourself). I'm eagerly looking forward to watch the next part. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and health to all of you.

[@rydermike33]

Another, well done Vince. Excellent job indeed. Always enjoy your RR videos.

[@wisher21uk]

Nice work Vince well done good work

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

This one gave you a really hard time but result! It lifts up and down just fine.

[@GadgetUK164]

What a nightmare removing that sphere!!! Amazing to see the suspension raising up at the end =D When you said lets add some more weight (after your dad and brother were already in the boot), I thought you were going to put other family members in there too lol.

[@matt99is]

WOAH! Spoiler alert!

[@GadgetUK164]

@@matt99is Good point LOL!

[@Mymatevince]

Haha 😂👌

[@WorivpuqloDMogh]

Yes. This is Citroën used under license by Rolls. Which honestly makes them even better 😊

[@APSuk2]

I would not replace the accumulators on the front, fix the leaks first and you already know where one leak is from the fluid on the passenger side front tyre. I would then run the system to let it pressurise for at least half an hour and see if you can see any more, your tell tale will be the fluid level dropping. I have not worked on this system before, I would recommend reading up on how to properly bleed the system as this will save you many headaches. I would not use a chisel again if you decide to replace the front accumulators, you need to be 100% sure that the system is depressurised as there is quite some pressure in those accumulators. This is where the workshop manual comes in as you can follow the procedures to ensure you are working safely.

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

Suspension can be a real pain to sort in cars. You've done well there to replace the suspension spheres on both sides as the pressure must have been very high indeed to need such effort and tools to remove.

[@AttilaTheHun333333]

Hi Vince, I guess it’s too late now, but on a Citroen Xantia the way to go was to use a chisel and a hammer. You would make an ident at the biggest circumstance of the sphere (where the welding seam is) and then hammer on it in the right direction. Worked every time even on spheres in very bad condition under the car exposed to the elements. Edit: Sorry, I should have watched further before commenting. 😅 Great job.

[@policewitnesspoplar4865]

No, the citroen pro's do this.. put height setting on high, leave engine running with someone inside. Raise the vehicle on a lift, and crack the spheres lose with a large stillson wrench. LHM will pour out, stop the engine, replace the spheres, drop the car and replace the lost LHM. You should avoid using a chisel, and only as a last resort, as it puts too much force on the ram behind, which on a citroen is made of alloy. Last resort is if you have defective pipework, and cannot retain pressure in the system. However, none of this applies to Vince's RR.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Attila 👍

[@jasonudall8614]

@@policewitnesspoplar4865 plus one for BX driver

[@khaz606]

Good old Dremel. The gift that keeps on giving :) Mine's got me out of many a hole.

[@coolissimo69]

Vince I can relate with those oil containers, as like them I am stuck to this RR fixes videos. Great job mate.

[@Omega_Mark]

1:19 At this moment I was like "Wait! Leftie is the other way." lol

[@uwekall6281]

The classic green spheres are what used to be in Citroen's up to at least the CX and I think the BX, too. The silver ones are only in newer cars..normally, the pressure in the spheres needs to match the car. So DS spheres are less pressure than CX spheres...

[@AndersEngblom]

30:36 - When the Rolls a rocking, don't come a knocking! :)

[@Balthazare69]

Dave always reminds me of Trigger and Rodney 😂😂😂

[@Mymatevince]

😂👌

[@RickyRisnandar]

always waiting for the royce videos

[@deanbolt9375]

A good Citroen specialist will be able to check the spheres to see if they are still holding pressure and the diaphragm is intact. Wheeler Dealers covered this in one of their programs years ago, it might be worth trying to find it, as it'll certainly help you out and give you a better idea on how the system works.

[@RetroComputingReboot]

Hi Vince. My heart sank for you when you first hit it with the hammer and thought it turned. Just for the future, I'd have considered a length of garden hose on the chain wrench. Just a thought...

[@Rony_Hassan]

Victory will be yours vince with this RR war...btw this video has the most impressive thumbnail so far in RR category 👌...loved it 😀

[@daveatchison8603]

Hello. Love this video btw.. I am wondering if you have a video for rear spring replacement? Cheers!

[@sp523]

Great job Vince!

[@bluein2red423]

That squelching plus (bed) spring noise though!

[@RetroComputingReboot]

"When I drop something in this engine, it doesn't come back again." Haha

[@alancluff1115]

I would have dropped a couple of welds on the out side of the sphere for the chain wrench to grip onto

[@ingog.8424]

5:05 Yeah, I have seen that coming. 🤗

[@Mymatevince]

😂👌

[@BlackAdderall]

Another fun video. Thanks to the brother for his help!

[@Tim_3100]

Its vince time 🥰

[@clarkpink1955]

Vince does good work i have one of these old buses , clean as you go Vince put all the dash back have a good clean up and it will look better in the videos but good work .

[@dDoOyYoOuUtTuUbBeE]

Note to self: you have to always have at least two Rolls-Royces to compare brake pressure, etc.

[@pauldavies6037]

Not too bad after all well done Vince

[@raysmancave1]

Your suspention is raising on both front and back, there is not an excessive clicking from the spheres, so they are working, so you needn't replace the front spheres. The car needs a 5 to 10 mile drive to balance the system and pump out any air bubbles, your brakes should charge up happily when everything is ballanced. Go over as many speed bumps as possible to give the system a good work out. RR spheres have a slightly lower gas pressure than the citroen ones. I'll attempt to explain in laymans terms The weight of the RR is almost double than on a citroen, this weight causes extra down forces to occur on the gas within the sphere, your levelling valves are set to work in conjunction with the down/up/weight forces on the suspension, hence the suspension won't be working as designed, possibly why you had the leaks and pipe problems,,,,, yes Citroen spheres do work and are good for a quick MOT repair, but also cause premature ejaculation on your fluid when a pipe blows, or bypass valve jams open. Another good Vid Ray

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Ray, I do look at the front spheres in episode 28. The pressure wasn't staying in the system, so if the car stalled there would be no brakes. I do need to try and get it on the road ASAP as seals and things are going to dry up. I just feel that day is still quite a way off. Getting there slowly though. Cheers for commenting 👍 👌 🙂

[@raysmancave1]

@@Mymatevince It all takes time on a car project. I've only just got an mot after 2 years on my TF, (Severe rot) you get times when you think it's never going to end, finding faults after faults,, then all of a sudden it's all come together and you are looking for jobs to be done on the car, that day will come and you will punch the air and shout YES!!

[@tonycarruthers9556]

I used to work for a company called Husco that produced hydraulic valves that worked at high pressures, ( 8000 psi before things went bang ). You do not want a pressure -puncture wound as it can be fatal, even a small one requires extensive surgery, lots of cuts to let the oil out i was cringing when you got your dremil on a sphere. Love the show, it's nice seeing that piece of British king of the road being brought to life again, riveting viewing.

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

I had those spheres on my Citroën C5 estate and they were a real pain in the onions to get off.

[@Vermilicious]

Congrats on the progress

[@marktriggle2259]

Well done yes you are right about spring it will try to compensate for the spring makrtit higher

[@grayhalf1854]

I would add a few turns of PTFE tape to the sphere threads to help prevent them seizing in the future (since PTFE acts as a lubricant as well as a sealant), help the next guy - or possibly 2040 Vince - out 😁

[@policewitnesspoplar4865]

No, the thread section of the spheres are not what seals, this is done by the rubber seal, which should be lightly smeared with LHM.

[@grayhalf1854]

@@policewitnesspoplar4865 I'm not talking about using PTFE as a sealant but as a thread lubricant which helps stop it seizing over time

[@snik2pl]

No. Just tight by hands no tools like citroen manual tells

[@mitchd949]

Use anti-seize paste or compound for such a thing, not PTFE tape.

[@rockubtzer]

In my Cadillac, there is a delay in the auto leveling to keep the auto leveling from interfering with bumps so the shock absorbers can smooth out bumps in the road. So set your brother in the boot start the car and see if levels after 20 seconds after the load is removed the back of the car will sit too high for a few seconds before dropping. PS. the old O-rings may not come out when you removed the old part. You don't want O-rings on O-rings because it may cause a leak.

[@hayden25795]

What's up Vince :D love your videos dude!!

[@dannywalsh840]

They say with seized nuts and bolts try going tighter first then loosen don’t know if that would apply in this case?

[@paulwalker427]

fantastic work/video

[@bobbybailey9204]

doing well on project rolls keep it up well done

[@TheGeezzer]

All Rolls-Royce cars utilize Citroen suspension and have done so for many decades! Citroen suspension systems are the best in the world. You will also find an American General Motors GM400 torqueflight automatic gearbox on the car when you get round to ti!

[@frothe42]

General Motors called their automatic the Turbo Hydramatic.

[@TheGeezzer]

@@frothe42 Yes you're right! Soon as I read your comment "Ping" thats it! I had an RR about 15 years ago 1980 Shadow II with its GM400 turbo-hydramatic box! Don't know where I got the torqueflite from, maybe a Chrysler box on my Valiant 770 Charger way back that was lol

[@ironica15031955]

Where did you obtain the tube for filling the mineral oil?

[@radoks97]

when you put the seal on the struts thread , is more easy and there is a bleed nippe 11 ot 12mm on the pressure regulator

[@jerryscott6924]

This reminds me of the most important word my dad ever taught me: persistence.

[@MrDjc44]

Great vid Vince loved the way you kept your fist clenched while you walked round the other side,did you think it would be different if you unclenched 😂

[@michaelthomas3646]

A large lead-acid battery on one side of the boot like the drivers side will cause the compression on the drivers side to be lower when the engine is switched off, a broken coil will cause a suspension to drop more on one side than the other. from what I remember of the Citroen BX's, the front suspension would drop to the floor first because of the weight of the engine usually 5-30 seconds, followed by the rear suspension which would take 30 seconds - 1 minute to drop due to the lack of compression without the weight of the engine forcing the fluid out.

[@michaelthomas3646]

maybe the reason the passenger side is still higher is because of the weight of the lead-acid battery being on the drivers side, and if a broken coil on the passenger side it hasn't been stationary without the engine running long enough for all of the fluid to drain back out. But MOT wise, then any vehicle with hydrolics should only be tested for ride height and balance with the engine running, so I wouldn't worry too much about it being off balance while the engine is switched off.

[@richardjones5255]

Good progress, something has to check the level against a datum point, I do not know what that is, but damaged suspension, broken springs, etc., will not help. It looks as though it is working, that is the main thing.

[@MadManMcGirt]

Fluid on the inside of the tire usually indicated a brake cylinder fault.

[@metalman4141]

Excellent 👏

[@rfr653]

Good job mate 👍

[@thefamouseccles1827]

Awesome elbow shot!

[@leenewby2563]

The gap above the tyres ... Could it be the garden that is out of level, and the car body self-leveling?

[@Mymatevince]

That is exactly what my brother and dad said. I'm not sure if the levelling on the back moves both wheels (Rams) at the same time or each individual wheel. Looking at the height valve I think it simply moves fluid to both Rams (wheels) at the same time so even if the garden floor is not level, I'm not sure if the weight difference would change the gap to that extent. Cheers Lee 👌👍

[@daz41262010]

great episode Vince :)

[@shaywhelan1]

I changed these on my Turbo R. To free them, you do whack them with a chisel, and once loose. then they screw out.

[@force4200]

Great channel keep up the work!

[@karenharvey7197]

I was really worried about the threads on that thing being backwards ( I know nothing about cars). I had a similar experience with a wallflower that screwed in backwards. I tore that thing to shreds trying to get it screwed on.🤣🤣🤣

[@gingerdude94]

Nice fix vince

[@bigal6789]

On the front accumulators try using Stilson's/pipe wrench on them, looks like there is a large nipple at the adjacent side of the thread. The Stilson's would then bite into the metal. Keep up the good work.

[@mitchd949]

I thought the same thing!

[@ylw944]

Are the rear tires the same size? The goodyear on the right rear looks taller than the avon on the left.

[@ericthekingthekingtheking4842]

Vince you should put all your patreons in the boot for extra weight 😂

[@AdamScott77]

I laughed way too hard when you broke that tool lol Love the channel.

[@nickwhite4632]

Love the way you carefully 'carried' your clenched fist round from one side of the car to the other - need to keep the measurement accurate Vince!!

[@ironica15031955]

One of the front spheres or maybe both - have a connecting pipe. Mine leaks. Engine out says Bentley! Thought you should know….

[@MrJDNJ]

Dumb question - it looks like these spheres have a nut or fitting for a special tool opposite the thread side?

[@RSFred555]

I would have tried a pipe wrench on the little end bit on the right side, just a thought....

[@mrjsv4935]

Nice progress, wow that right side ball was tight! Sometimes the seal might break if you tighten it a bit and then it might open easier, but sometimes it's just a fight like this no matter what :D

[@mark-grumpy-aged-man2472]

i was thinking i hope they didn't put a left hand thread on that sphere

[@mitchd949]

I would have used a pipe wrench or stillsons wrench as the Brits say on the small “knob” of the sphere instead of grabbing around the equator.

[@TheJensenInterceptor]

Please fantastic video but do not worry so much you make me worry toooo.

[@treinenzo2685]

How I remove spheres on my Citroën: -Keep the the system pressurised! -Give the sphere a few bangs with hammenr and chisel, just till it moves, there will be no oil leaking if it only moves a few millimeters -Now release the pressure of the system -Use the wrench to remove the sphere completely Don't use the wrench to tighten the new sphere, hand-tight is enough!

[@wrathofbod]

are the tires the same size??

[@victor58010]

Perhaps you could use a stopper from a kid's life preserver to cover the hydraulic oil inlet

[@datawasteland2287]

THE ONLY OTHER TOOL SIMILAR TO THE CHAIN OIL FILTER WRENCH BUT MORE HEAVY DUTY IS WHAT PLUMBERS USE FOR PIPE FITTING

[@georgebond6429]

I know that I am silly, but I need to ask didn't I see you go that direction on the other side? not watched the full program yet, so why not try the other direction.

[@Curiosity_Cars]

remember when u had 1000 subs :) bidding on your ebay projects, like that tommy cosworth lol