suspension arm replacement 1.9 tdi

[mrchimps]

So i got an MOT failure today on my 1.9 tdi avant, note says nearside front upper (rear) suspension arm excessive play.

they wanted £160 to do so brought it away. Is it a full strut out job or can you replace the rear in place?
Also does anyone know the size of the pinch bolt? so i can have one for when i no doubt destroy the old one when removing?

any help appreciated

 

[pauldazzle]

Last time I had this done a new pinch bolt came with the new Lemforder suspension arm. Really good price from ECP too.
BTW it's pig of a job usually.

 

[vr6gordy]

Lol pinch bolt .. Think I would pay them the 160 to do it for you pinch bolts are such a pain .. Last one I took out took me all day

 

[mrchimps]

Cheers guys. To tell the truth im not looking forward to it. But a bit skint at mo so will probably have to get my **** into gear and do it

 

[pauldazzle]

My mechanic actually removed the whole stut & put it in a large bench vice to bash the pinch bolt out. Still took some serious swearing & a very big hammer to get it out.

 

[vr6gordy]

My mechanic actually removed the whole stut & put it in a large bench vice to bash the pinch bolt out. Still took some serious swearing & a very big hammer to get it out.

That how I did the last one on my old a4

 

[vr6gordy]

You might get lucky and it come out first go maybe try out wd40 on it every night for a week to try free it up

 

[mrchimps]

Thanks. Just gone out and gave it a soaking in wd40. Will keep doing that. Possibly thinking of doing it on saturday

 

[mrchimps]

Can you get into the rear of the arm to remove the bolt in place or is it a strut out job?

 

[mattyb6]

I'd be spraying some penetration fluid in for a few days before hand, then when you do take it out, you need one person turning the bolt whilst someone is hitting the other side.
The engineers at work took 5mins to get a bolt out which I tried all day.
Needs a turning and hitting force on it

 

[vr6gordy]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/434420-DIY-Upper-Control-Arm-Replacement

 

[mrchimps]

Cheers. Jees that looks like a mighty pain in the ***. Ive been reading horror stories all night just about removing the pinch bolt.

 

[vr6gordy]

A cheaper idea for you
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=131406167146

 

[spartacus68]

In my experience it's easier doing this job with the strut out. Consider getting Meyle HD arms which come with a 4 year warranty.

Regards the pinch bolt. Forget WD40. Get Duck Oil penetrating release on it now. Prior to doing the job wire brush it and ensure the bolt is spotless. The nut usually come off without much hassle. Don't remove it all the way, as you're going to hit it. Use an oversized bolt as a make-shift punch and get that on the face of the bolt end. You may need to apply heat which will destroy the balljoints on both arms. No worries as I'd replace them both considering the hassle of this job. Couple of well placed hits with a large lump hammer will shift it.

Grease the new bolt with a decent marine grease and check annually. Incidentally, lower the car before tightening the securing bolts on the arms. If you pre-torque them on the strut they'll fail early.

 

[mattyb6]

I've got an N/S spare hub if you interested
Based in County Durham £45 and it's yours, which is what I paid for it

 

[mrchimps]

Thanks for the replies and offers guys.

Decided to go out, jack up the body and have a look at it. managed to unscrew the pb and believe it or not with a couple of taps with the hammer the bolt started moving out.

So off to ecp to get a new arm and i think ill have a go at getting it done.

 

[Mike.M]

Famous last words LOL

 

[vr6gordy]

Your lucky if it's loose wonder if the arms have been done before ??

 

[mrchimps]

Yeah, thought it would be mega stuck with 180k on the clock. But when i looked the arms seemed very clean compared to the other side.
If I manage to get this side sorted ok. im probably going to do the other side in the summer to avoid this next year in the cold

 

[mrchimps]

all done and MOT'd. Thanks for all the help guys