I don't have a write up, but have done them recently. Expect you'll have to remove the spindles from the car. You can attempt to do them on the car with a screw style press. In my case I broke mine and ended up taking it to a shop to press out the old ones and press in the new ones. ($50/side) Assuming you're taking the spindles out of the car, here's what you need to deal with.
ABS sensors - It's not necessary to remove them. You can disconnect them from the harness. In my case I ordered new after-market ones for about $20 each. I destroyed the old ones getting them out of the spindle. My 99.5 has the style with the retainer screws. Those were already broken off by a PO. I drilled the holes out and retapped them. Followed by socket cap screws and anti-seize.
Upper mount - The spindle is simply bolted into a bushing on the upper A arm. Mine were all in fine shape after 170k miles and did not require replacement. The bolt came out easily. Use a new nut.
Lower mount - The lower mount has four bushings and an eccentric bolt for adjusting camber. Mine were completely toast with only traces of rubber left. If yours have never been replaced, you will probably need to do them. Symptoms were noticeably high road noise as well as excessive rear camber. There are 4 bushings. I got Lemforder parts from autohausaz.com for about $15 each. As you are in the rust belt, it's likely you will need to replace the eccentric bolts. The eccentric washer is usually reusable. Make note of their orientation as you will want to install them in the same spot.
Track (tie) rod - These will probably be in good shape too. If things go well, you'll be able to pop them out with a tie rod tool. I had bad luck and destroyed the threads on one side. This meant new track rods for me. These are attached to the subframe with eccentric bolts for adjusting toe. On one side my eccentric was seized into the track rod so it had to be cut out. If you need to replace the track rod eccentrics, the PN is 8A0501387D. Make sure you get the D version. I've seen some catalogs supersede it to 8A0501387C. The C part is for the camber eccentrics and the two are not interchangeable.
Alignment - In the best case scenario, the lower bushings are fine and the track rods pop out easily. If you install the camber eccentrics in the same orientation then you should be close enough that you can skip an alignment. I'd recommend an alignment with a lower bushing replacement. If you have to redo the track rods, you will have to have an alignment done. A complication with any job that requires an alignment is the condition of your front end components. Specifically you need to know if the front tie rod adjusters are free. Remember that not all shops can/will adjust the front camber. That requires the front subframe shift which is beyond the scope of what most inexpensive shops will do. I had mine done at a high end shop that was capable of doing it and charged corresponding dealer-level prices. I certainly wouldn't take it there every time I had an alignment done. However since my car had also recently had all the front control arms replaced and I did not know the history of the car I figured it was worth it. (It was.)
If I were to do it all again, here's the approach I'd take.
Before ordering parts, back the car onto a set of ramps. Use ramps so the wheels are in their current loaded position. Spray the eccentric nuts down with PB Blaster or similar. In fact take the opportunity to soak all the fasteners. Inspect the lower bushings. You really can't get a good look at them, but if they look suspect at all then plan on replacement. Alternately if the rear tires already look like the car is taking a squat then that's a good indicator too.
One at a time, check the camber eccentrics.
1. Mark the orientation of the eccentric with paint or a scribe.
2. Loosen the nut out until it protects the tip of the bolt.
3. Tap the nut/bolt with a hammer and see if it moves freely.
4. If not, plan on replacing it.
5. Tighten the nut back up.
One at a time, check the track rod eccentrics
1. Mark the orientation of the eccentric with paint or a scribe.
2. Loosen the nut out a few turns.
3. You will not be able to get a hammer in there to tap it. Instead you'll have to try and rotate it to see if it will move freely. Don't move it more than a few degrees. If it's free, it should rotate somewhat easily and will stay in the new position. If it's seized, then only the rubber bushing is deflecting and the bolt will try to return to the original position. Seizure indicates replacement of the eccentric and track rod.
4. Return the eccentric to it's original orientation and tighten the nut back down.
Inspect everything else while you have it in the air so you know what your "while I'm in there" parts are. Now that you know the condition of all the hardware, you'll be in a better position to assess what you need to buy and the scope of the labor.
Originally Posted by ECS Tuning-Audi
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks