re:Control Arm Bushings

["steve powers" <spowers@spdg.COM>]

>- -- [ From: Dariusz Leszko * EMC.Ver #2.10P ] --

>I need to replace all the Control Arm Bushings in my 87 4000csQ.
>I am going to be doing this myself since it doesnt look like a big job.
>I have a few Questions:
>Do I really need all those special tools like VW 401, VW 415a, etc.
>like the Bentley Manual says?
>Can I just remove the Control Arm without taking out the balljoint?
>Where would be the cheapest place to purchase the bushings, and are
>thay all the same?
>Any Special things I should know beforehand?
>Thanks for the help, Will let you guys know how it goes.
>D.Leszko    1987 4000CS Quattro

Having just replaced all of the control arm bushings in my 85 4000sq,
I can absolutely state that special tools aren't necessary to remove
the bushings. You will need a ball joint press to keep the ball joint
tight whilst you remove the holding nut. Beware destroying the balljoints
on the rear - they are a dealer only item at $150 a pop from Carlsen.
(don't ask).

The front ball joints are bolted to the control arms and are held into
the strut housing with a bolt. The bolt isn't attached to the balljoint,
the balljoint has a stepped shaft where the bolt crosses it at a right
angle. Remove the bolt and pry the control arm down. It gives way rather
suddenly, so be careful.

The rear ball joints have a threaded shaft and are bolted into the strut
housing at the base. The shaft is both threaded _and_ tapered. The trick
is to press the tapered shaft firmly into the housing so you can remove
the nut without spinning the balljoint. You can rent a balljoint press
from a rental tool house. Check the size of the tool, though. The Audi
balljoints are on the small size.

Once the front and rear ball joints are removed, you need to remove the
fixing bolts from the control arms. The nuts are only accessable through
very tight openings. A Craftsman 17/19mm open end wrench works, but a
17mm only (open and closed) won't. Once the bolts are removed, the arms
come right out.

I used liquid nitrogen to remove my bushings. The problem is that they
are rubber isolated and you can effectively press on the rubber. This
is compounded by the small lip on the control arm where the bushing
presses in. Fill a metal bucket with liquid nitrogen, dip the bushing
into the bucket and remove. A sharp rap with a hammer removes all of
the rubber and the inner metal bushing. Do all eight ends before going
to the next step.

Now you have to remove the outer sleeve of the bushing. A vise and a cold
chisel work very well. You only have access to about 300 degrees of the
circumference of the sleeve. Use a cold chisel to "fold-in" the sleeve
towards the center of the hole about the entire circumference. You will
develop about a 1-2mm "lip" once you've folded in all that you can.

Once folded in, take the chisel and make 3 cuts. The first cut is at
what I call the 6:00 position. If you stand the control arm up on a flat
surface against the bushing end, 6:00 is the bottom. Make two more cuts
at 3:00 and 9:00 respectively. As you make cuts, you can "fold" more of
the sleeve towards the center. It takes about 5 minutes per bushing once
you develop the technique. Take care not to score the control arm bushing
sleeve.

For install, I put my bushings in the freezer for several hours. Liquid
nitrogen is too cold and will crack the bushings. You can use a hair
dryer or a heat gun to heat the control arm. If you grease both components,
you can use a large socket and a rubber mallet to drive in the bushings.
I also used a large vise on the stubborn ones.

Someone else on the list suggested using a holesaw to remove the rubber
from the bushings. While I'm sure this works, it certainly doesn't have
the same poseur value as liquid nitrogen. With the remaining LN, wait
until dark and pour the rest out on your driveway. It creates a fog
at ground level which rises to about 4 feet and disperses. =8)

The job should be do-able in a weekend unless you run into problems.
Good luck.

- steve