Subject: [s-cars] Control arm/Ball joint

[Igor Kessel]

Mike,
I have just done this on my car. A few comments below.


Mike Platt wrote:

> 1) Undo the sway bar mounts under the engine bay. This
> need to be done with the car on its wheels, on ramps.
Didn't have to do those.

> 2) Remove wheel. Undo the ball joint nut and bolt and
> extract from strut. Lots of PB blaster here. Clean up
> hole and put anti seize in for the next time.
This was Step #3 for me.

> 3) Loosen the sway bar nuts and pry the ball joint out
> of strut and take the control arm/swaybar nuts off of
> bar now.
This was Step #2 for me.

> 4) Remove large bolt holding control arm to subframe.
> 
> 5) You will need an extractor to remove the small
> sleeve inside the bushing before you can take out arm.
> Without this extractor, expect to take a lot of time
> getting that sleeve out.
The sleeves came out easily with a help of a hook and were reused. The 
key is to do the Steps 2,3 the way I did, AND twist the control arm 
parallel to the ground. This way you relive the torsional stress on the 
big bushing and the sleeve.

> 6) Remove arm. Clean up sleeve, coat with anti seize
> and reassemble everything.
> 
> 7) Install arm, sleeve and bolt. Leave bolt loose.
> 
> 8) Pry down on arm and slide ball joint into strut.
> 
> 9) put new bushings on control arm, sway bar mounting
> point. They're cheap and cause tire wear problem when
> they get old. I lubed them up with silicone grease
> too.
Mine came with the new control arms for $89/ea side.

> 10) Put on inner sway bar mounts. Pry bar needed here.
No need to do these if you follow my sequence.

> 11) tighten everything back to spec.
On the ground!!!

-- 
Igor Kessel
two turbo quattros