[urq] another clunk....

[Andrew Finney]

snip-------------------------------
Also watch for 4000/80 quattro front ball joints used
as
front ur-q ball joints (they are about quarter of the
price). 
The ur-q ball joint is bigger - it won't matter if the
nut and 
bolt are in the groove or not, BTST
snip--------------------------------


BTDT. When I first owned my UrQ I had an alignment
done and they told me I needed a new ball joint. OK, I
said. $30 in parts later I was all set. A few weeks
later while driving in NYC I kept hearing this awfull
clunking noise. It would appear on any sort of rough
pavement. When I looked under the car everything
looked fine. When I jacked up the front and pryed on
the wheel housing I found that the housing would move
up and down while the a-arm stayed in place. When I
finally got to the bottom of it, the only thing
holding the ball joint in was the pinch bolt, not in
compression, but simply in the groove. Thank God. I
made them buy me a complete used UrQ A-Arm as well
because they had crushed it when they tightened the
nuts to hold the coupe ball joint into my UrQ.

That was a close call. From then on..... I trusted no
mechanic! I have subsequently spotted stripped rear
tie rods and got a garage to replace those for me
(both actually, when they bought the wrong side the
first time AND fitted it).

Andrew Finney
1983 and 1984 UrQs.

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