Top mounts, What apig of a job!!

Oranoco

Oranoco

Registered User
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
4,012
Reaction score
408
Points
83
Location
HertFORDshire
Website
www.passionford.com
Decided to change my top mounts in an attempt to banish the vagueness I've been suffering through the steering. Seeing as Saturday I was helping a mate with his Subaru and yesterday we were... well.. BBQing. It only left today to get my own car straight.

Drivers side came apart nice and easy and we dropped the strut down and swapped the rubber and mount over and reassembled. nice and easy I thought as we whipped the passeneger side wheel off. Could we shift the pinch bolt that holds the 2 upper arms? Could we buggery! Ended up dropped the top down and undoing the 2 13mm nuts and seperating the strut from the mount leaving the arms etc in situ. What an absolute pig of a job. Got it done though, it took 4 of us, some bad language and a few grazed knuckles. The car feels different, not sure if it's sorted it or not yet as I'm so pooped I can't be bothered to take it out for a pasting.

Hope everybody elses bank holiday went a bit better. lol
 
Those pinch bolts are a complete ****.

I hope you took the opportunity to free it off when you had it all out?

And greased it lots when refitting?
 
The drivers side one yes, Cleaned it all up and gave it a covering of copper grease. Passenger side wouldn't shift so I'm dreading doing the top arms on that side
 
i took the entire upright out, with the arms still attached, beat lumps out of it on the floor, beat more lumps out of it on the bench in a vice, roasted it and beat it some more, then ended up drilling it out on the pillar drill....

Fun!
 
I though the pinch bolt was now officially called the
a)B**tard bolt
b)C*nt Bolt
c)F^ck you ya c*nting piece of sh&t ba$t&rd bolt.... (personally my fav).

sorry if it's a bit spikey mods..... couldn' resist.
 
dieselfitter251 said:
I though the pinch bolt was now officially called the
a)B**tard bolt
b)C*nt Bolt
c)F^ck you ya c*nting piece of sh&t ba$t&rd bolt.... (personally my fav).

sorry if it's a bit spikey mods..... couldn' resist.
Click to expand...

Nah it's cool, you missed a few letters out, we all know what you mean, without the need for actual swear words.

PS i Fecking agree with all of the above
 
CV boot split on mine, had to accept defeat on O/S top bolt after wearing skin off knuckles an nearly knockin myself out with an adjustable.

Someone else's problem now, took it to local workshop today, face's dropped when I told them what issue was, think bill will probably reflect joys of job.

Whilst I was fanning around wheel arch noticed front springs gone, few inch of metal flappin round shock.

Medic !
 
Morning All, I've just joined up and noticed this thread. Tell me about how hard they are to do. I've now done both sides on my 1998 A4. Drivers side I managed to convince the bolt to come out with a 6lb hammer, passenger side had to be heated up until it was glowing and still drill out.
I've heard the problem is that the two sides move even when they are tightened up and causes the bolt to bow slightly. Which is why it is a pig to get out. Mind you my A4 is now on 215,000 miles and I think I was the first one to change them, so I should never have to do it again.
 
CV boots done, they couldn't get pinch bolt to budge, an drive shaft was seized in hub, so they've fitted a flexible type of CV boot instead of the audi one I'd bought. Cost £70 inc vat.

Have to invest in a heat gun, prefer to do work myself if I can!
 
Did the garage remove the strut?

If its siezed you really need it on a bench to properly beat it with a hammer, beating at it with it still fitted to the car will only wreck the rest of the ball joints or the steering rack etc.
 
audi upgrades
Wierd the passenger side was a complete cnut on my A4, drivers side was sweet. Must be something to do with most hard cornering in the UK being righthanders (roundabouts etc). Also noticed passenger side tyre wear is greater on the front, especially on the outside. Still haven't got round to replacing the cheapo ebay suspension kit I foolishly bought last year, though it should be an easiy enough job as I copper greased everything last time round.
All the visible rubber has already perished, anyone know if this is an MOT fail as that's looming this month? there's no play in them yet as far as I can tell, and even the creaking seems to have stopped.
 
Last edited:
aragorn said:
Did the garage remove the strut?

If its siezed you really need it on a bench to properly beat it with a hammer, beating at it with it still fitted to the car will only wreck the rest of the ball joints or the steering rack etc.
Click to expand...

Don't think they did, most how2s I've read all seem to have bolts you attach a socket or spanner to, mines got a splined head bolt thats badly rusted, the head disintegrates when you use a spline bit or try an mole grip the head. Not 100% but I think they removed the drive shaft from gearbox side to get the flexible CV boot on?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

colinurquhart
Top Mounts
Replies
17
Views
4K
Nez
N
Oranoco
Top mounts??
Replies
5
Views
1K
olds_kool
olds_kool
T
Suspension Top Mounts
Replies
6
Views
1K
THE MONSTER
T
Oranoco
Changing top mounts???
Replies
3
Views
911
adamss24
A
jbh
avant rear top mounts
Replies
0
Views
554
jbh
jbh
Top
Back