REAR NEARSIDE Shock absorber stretch bolt moving?

F

FANOFDAN

New Member
Hello could anyone advise on my found problem.

My rear nearside shocker absorber was/is making a terrible knocking noise. So after getting underneath the car my investigation found that when I lift up the rear end of the car the shock absorber stretch bolt also moves up.

I can also twist the shocker absorber a fraction with my hand.

My conclusion is where the stretch bolt threads through the beam, this has worn over time and created a bigger hole allowing the stretch bolt to move up and down, does this happen? Or is it something else?

I have bought two new stretch bolts so I can unbolt the old one and have a look at the holes.

Any advice would be gratefully received!

Thanks.

View attachment BE4002C2-E6E0-483A-85F9-3CB6109EE8AE.jpeg
 
Having just changed my rear shocks just last week it’s all pretty fresh in my mind. Mine were all pretty tight in there but with similar amounts of rust on display! It certainly shouldn’t move as you describe and your thinking is sound in terms of if the bottom bolt was in anyway loose over time it could well damage the hole. The only way to be really sure would be to remove the bolt, give it a good clean up with a wire brush and have a look. In terms of remedy if the hole has become oval then that goes beyond my basic mechanical skills. I guess a competent welder could well fabricate a complete replacement mounting point. There are some amazing mechanics and engineers on this forum who will hopefully chip in with some sensible thoughts and suggestion.

Best of luck
 
birtyA2 said:
Having just changed my rear shocks just last week it’s all pretty fresh in my mind. Mine were all pretty tight in there but with similar amounts of rust on display! It certainly shouldn’t move as you describe and your thinking is sound in terms of if the bottom bolt was in anyway loose over time it could well damage the hole. The only way to be really sure would be to remove the bolt, give it a good clean up with a wire brush and have a look. In terms of remedy if the hole has become oval then that goes beyond my basic mechanical skills. I guess a competent welder could well fabricate a complete replacement mounting point. There are some amazing mechanics and engineers on this forum who will hopefully chip in with some sensible thoughts and suggestion.

Best of luck
Click to expand...
Thanks birtyA2 for your reply.
My thoughts are exactly as you describe.
I suspect the hole may have become bigger through wear or corrosion or both.
I also thought along the lines of if the holes have become larger, then maybe having plates welded either side of the mounting point might be a solution or just having to replace the beam.
 
FANOFDAN said:
Thanks birtyA2 for your reply.
My thoughts are exactly as you describe.
I suspect the hole may have become bigger through wear or corrosion or both.
I also thought along the lines of if the holes have become larger, then maybe having plates welded either side of the mounting point might be a solution or just having to replace the beam.
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I would also check, with the bolt out, that the shock absorber is still free to move in and out. It will be/should be easy to move both ways. The damping only kicks in with sudden movements like going over a bump.
Mac.
 
Thank you PlasticMac and birtyA2 for your replies.

I was wondering how do I find out the part number for the rear beam?

Also are all rear beams the same on A2s or did they upgrade them change them over the years?

My thoughts were to get a second hand one and refurb it before swapping it over with the current one.
I’ve read the guide on this site and think I can manage it. I have replaced a rear subframe on a Fiat Panda before so not completely green on its difficulty level.
 
FANOFDAN said:
Thank you PlasticMac and birtyA2 for your replies.

I was wondering how do I find out the part number for the rear beam?

Also are all rear beams the same on A2s or did they upgrade them change them over the years?

My thoughts were to get a second hand one and refurb it before swapping it over with the current one.
I’ve read the guide on this site and think I can manage it. I have replaced a rear subframe on a Fiat Panda before so not completely green on its difficulty level.
Click to expand...
Hi
You could post in the wanted section, someone may well have one ready for refurb ( I seem to remember some coming up quite recently. ) There are plenty of much more knowledgeable people on the forum who should be able to confirm whether there were any variants over time. A quick look at 7zap seems to indicate there might be. Have you been able to confirm the hole is worn?

Rgds

Justin
 
birtyA2 said:
Hi
You could post in the wanted section, someone may well have one ready for refurb ( I seem to remember some coming up quite recently. ) There are plenty of much more knowledgeable people on the forum who should be able to confirm whether there were any variants over time. A quick look at 7zap seems to indicate there might be. Have you been able to confirm the hole is worn?

Rgds

Justin
Click to expand...
If your details are correct and you’ve a tdi 75 then my understanding is your cars rear beam will essentially be the same as all others that have drum breaks (with the exception of the 1.2!) so other 75’s or 1.4 petrols.

90’s and FSI’s has rear disc brakes.
 
Erlingtheyounger said:
If your details are correct and you’ve a tdi 75 then my understanding is your cars rear beam will essentially be the same as all others that have drum breaks (with the exception of the 1.2!) so other 75’s or 1.4 petrols.

90’s and FSI’s has rear disc brakes.
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Thanks Erlingtheyounger,
Yes my A2 is a 1.4TDI 75hp 2005 Special Edition.
 
birtyA2 said:
Hi
You could post in the wanted section, someone may well have one ready for refurb ( I seem to remember some coming up quite recently. ) There are plenty of much more knowledgeable people on the forum who should be able to confirm whether there were any variants over time. A quick look at 7zap seems to indicate there might be. Have you been able to confirm the hole is worn?

Rgds

Justin
Click to expand...
No I have not confirmed the hole is worn yet. I’m off work tomorrow morning so I hope take a look.
 
birtyA2 said:
Hi
You could post in the wanted section, someone may well have one ready for refurb ( I seem to remember some coming up quite recently. ) There are plenty of much more knowledgeable people on the forum who should be able to confirm whether there were any variants over time. A quick look at 7zap seems to indicate there might be. Have you been able to confirm the hole is worn?

Rgds

Justin
Click to expand...
I’ll take a look in the wanted section later, thanks for the heads up.

Do you happen to know the Torque setting of the stretch bolts at the bottom of the rear shock absorbers?

Thanks
 
The disk brake subframe can be used - @Birchall did it. I understand it's more for show (less rusty) than breaking effectiveness which is much the same, as most force is on the front wheels.
 
Alan_uk said:
The disk brake subframe can be used - @Birchall did it. I understand it's more for show (less rusty) than breaking effectiveness which is much the same, as most force is on the front wheels.
Click to expand...
A few people have done the rear disc break conversation but it’s far from a straight bolt on job based on what I’ve read. As you say, it’s mainly for aesthetics rather than performance and not without its maintenance complications as the rear discs don’t get a lot of use.
 
As most will know, final tightening of most suspension fasteners should be with the weight of the car on its wheels.

Cheers Spike
 
I see Spike has recently made the point I was looking for and intending to make. First thing is get some weight on it, one person in the back will do with the car on its wheels. Then tighten up a new bolt, recently still available from Audi, and a new high tensile locking nut.
I only recommend a new bolt because yours could be damaged, I would usually reuse with new lock nuts. Tightened this way your axle shouldn't rattle about on the bolt.
I don't understand why Audi recommends replacement of all used fastners. This part is the same as on my 1980s Golf and are definitely not stretch bolts. Torque on the same part on the Golf is 70Nm compared to 55Nm on A2. If it doesn't stretch on the Golf it definitely won't stretch on the Audi.
 
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I removed the bolt on the offending shocker today and replaced it with a new one as pictured in the photo.

After removing the old bolt I inspected both holes on the beam and nothing seemed untoward.

I fitted the new bolt to the Torque setting of 55nm with the wheels on the ground and with my partner sat in the car over the wheel.

This seems to have fixed the problem although I haven’t taken the car for a test drive yet.
 

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