Apologies, this is a suspension topic, but the list of service information items was interesting:
Item 56 in the 1981 section interests me. I get a lot of vibration noises from what sounds like the heater box, although mine is a 1983 car. The noises quieten down as the car and heater box warm up, but I would like to eliminate the noises if possible. They seem to come from inside the car, rather than the accessible part under the bonnet, where the heater fan is located. Can rattles be sorted out without removing the dashboard to access the heater box behind it?
When I started this topic, it was to inform others about the different rear coil springs, which was not in the workshop manual but came from an update bulletin, and I did ask how I could get hold of a copy of all those bulletins, as I was interested to see what they covered.
This information was duly given, thanks Alain, and that should have ended this particular posting topic.
However, it has been 'hijacked' and strayed into other areas that should have been in a new topic!
PLEASE, PLEASE, will posters not do this! It is easy to start a new topic. The problem with altering a topic is that it gets out of hand and someone reading the latest posting has no idea of the initial topic or reason for it. (I have amended the title to make it clearer)
It has strayed into things like heater box noises, and altering the suspension with different springs, shock absorbers, and ride heights which are entirely different subjects, and altering the suspension is one which I do not agree with. As I've said before, who are any of us to think we know better than the experts at the factory who designed and developed the car originally? I myself don't, although I have made one small change to a 55 profile front tyre, after testing extensively, and with improved results have used and recommended them for many years, and there is a good reason and an explanation behind this, as detailed in my Tyres technical article, which can be downloaded from my website; or in an FAQ answer on wheels and tyres.
There are comments here about using the standard front shock absorbers from a Talbot Horizon or other Talbot front engine, front wheel drive car on the Murena. Yet the Murena has very little weight at the front to need such strong springs or shock absorbers, so they cannot be right. I have driven a Murena with stiffer front shock absorbers that someone else had fitted, and it was certainly far
worse than the original, which is exactly what I expected. Even a passenger in that car who knew little about this, commented how the car was worse than my own which he had been a passenger in many times and therefore knew how a good Murena should really ride and handle.
Those shock absorbers were simply too stiff for the light front end of a Murena, and over bumps in the road, which we all suffer today with such poor road maintenance, means the tyres lose contact as the front bounces and therefore the grip is also worse whereas the softer front would mean the tyres would stay in contact with the road more.
You only have to consider the old ideas of making a 'sports car suspension' harder than the equivalent saloon car, supposedly to make it handle better. Colin Chapman soon shot those ideas down with the Lotus Elite 14 and Elan which had softer suspension and out handled any car on the road at the time, and on a twisty road today can still see off most cars, especially when they only need 155 section tyres compared to the huge 225 section or more of many modern cars!
But to get back to my main point, PLEASE stop hijacking a topic and using it for other topics which should be in a new posting. If what you want to say is not directly relevant to the wording in the original first posting, then start a new topic.
Thank you.
Roy
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