Dusting off an old thread and breathing some new life into it....
I'm well into stripping down the front end on my TDi. Struts and hubs are off, but I'm really struggling with getting the wishbone (aka control arm) 'pin' out of the rubber bushing in the console. Has anybody ever managed to get the wishbone out of the bushing with the console in place, or should I concede defeat and drop the lot to get it off. It looks to me as though I'm still going to have my work cut out getting the pin out even with it off the car, but at least the steel subframe wouldn't be blocking my path.
If I do drop the consoles, I'll then need to splash out on new bolts and sort out some way of re-aligning them when I come to refit?
These are probably Q's for another thread, but I've noticed that the brake caliper guide pins don't thread very well into the hub upright. My eyes are no longer what they used to be, but it looks as though the tapped holes in the upright have been helicoiled and now the helicoils are losing their threads.
Questions:
- Is it acceptable to helicoil those threads? There doesn't look to be an awful lot of 'meat' around them in the casting.
- If it's ok to helicoil, can I drill/ream out the old helicoil and fit a new one?
3.The outer CV joints are starting to look tired, especially the one on the driver's side, which has noticeable rotational play in it. Apart from a shot OS wheel bearing, there was some transmission shunt rolling on/off the throttle so I'm thinking this may have been the culprit. I've trying using the forum search facility to look for feedback on the J&R joints, but the min. 4 character limit for search terms is conspiring against me. They're listed on ebay at a bargain price; they do the inner ones too. I could replace all 4 for about £60! Are they any good? I've used their joints on other cars before and not had a problem, but not tried the ones for the A2.
I'm trying to get the ABS sensors out of the hubs as I want to get the hubs shotblasted. Will they come out in one piece, or should I just concede defeat now and smack them out in pieces? I've had this problem many times before on other cars and only once have I succeeded in getting them out still in working order. If I buy new, are the Delphi ones any good?
Cheers, Matt