[s-cars] Help diagnosing suspension issue

[Paul Gailus]

I agree with Dave. You should replace at least the right front control arm.

I suspect that your left sweeper is providing just enough inboard force on the
bottom of the strut to overcome the normal tension on the lower control arm.
So if there's any play in the control arm inner bushing or ball joint, then under these
conditions it won't take much force to shift the bottom of the strut either inward or outward.
Such movement will also cause the strut to rotate since the tie rod is holding the
end of the steering arm on the strut in a fixed position.
So the conditions are ripe for wobbling and oscillation.

Paul

-----Original Message-----
>From: djdawson2 at aol.com
>Sent: May 24, 2006 12:29 AM
>To: urs6turbo at yahoo.ca, S-CAR-List at audifans.com
>Subject: Re: [s-cars] Help diagnosing suspension issue
>
>Replace your front control arms... just do it.  It isn't worth the risk of having one come apart (and they have), and I'll be you money that those are the source of your wobble.
> 
>Dave 
> 
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Graham Hicks <urs6turbo at yahoo.ca>
>To: S-Cars list <S-CAR-List at audifans.com>
>Sent: Tue, 23 May 2006 21:02:07 -0700 (PDT)
>Subject: [s-cars] Help diagnosing suspension issue
>
>
>I've got a '97 S6 and need some advice on what to look for.
>Coming home from work there is a great sweeping left that is slightly down hill 
>and great for running up speeds.  I regularly run 140kph in that stretch, 
>(90mph) but the other night there was a bad vibration.  Bad enough it made me 
>think my front right wheel had come loose!
>    I pulled off and the wheel was tight and the tie rod was tight so I 
>continued home and started jacking up each corner to see if there was something 
>loose.
>Tie rod ends are good, no movement up down or lateral from any corner, and a 2 
>foot pry bar revealled no play in the suspension when jacked up.  Based on my 
>visual inspection the left rear lower, inner control arm bushing looks like it 
>needs to be replaced but still seems solid. The reason I say that is because it 
>looks like the metal sleeve has separated from the rubber part (at least 
>partially). 
>    I have repeated the corner at various speeds and above roughly 120kph and 
>under acceleration the vibration or feeling that the right front is wobbling has 
>been duplicated so there has got to be something wrong.  I swear its in the 
>front passenger but would the the rear control arm give me a wobble feel if when 
>weighted there is actually play in the bushing? (note that the steering wheel 
>translates the vibration and that if I straighten out and lift off the throttle 
>- it stops)  
>    Also, IF the front passenger wheel bearing were gone, would there not be a 
>noise or movement to tell me there was a problem? Does anyone have experience 
>with the control arm bushings to tell me what kind of bill I am looking at to 
>have them replaced?  I believe I could remove the control arms, but I do not 
>have a press and would have to have it re-aligned afterwards right?
> 
>Graham Hicks
>  UrS6Turbo at Yahoo.ca
>  
>
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