Bill Ball

I went in for an alignment today to complete my preparation for the Pony Express open road race this weekend. I complained about a wandering sensation while talking about how to set the specs with the tech. He thought toe, but said he would have to jack the car, even though he agreed that would blow the ride height. Anyway, fussing around he found looseness on the right side which we eventually traced to the upper A-arm bushing. If you push/pull in the top and bottom of the wheel, the arm moves maybe a 1/16th of an inch. It isn't wiggly loose, but it moves in and out with modest hand force.

So, no alignment today. Fortunately, I have a set of replacement A-arm bushings at home. I must have been clairvoyant, as I ordered some of Carl's polyurethane bushings a month or two ago for no particular reason.

Any tips on the process of A-arm bushing replacement? I have read Carl's instructions.
ftp://70.226.52.38/installpdf/upperaarm.pdf
I need shortcuts. It's going to be a late night tonight. I must get the car aligned tomorrow.

AO

Step 1: Pull the engine.








j/k!

Bill Ball

Real funny...I do see the issue with getting to the 21mm nuts inside the engine compartment - engine removal would take care of that.

NickT

Can you get at them from below?

Bill Ball

I didn't looks closely at them yet. They are visible from below. The tech said a box end wrench with a big offset. That may be an issue, as I'm not sure what I have in 21 mm.

What type wrench is best to get to these nuts? I have the requisite small arms and hands and a lift.

AO

Hence my suggestion. Good luck.

pmotts

Step 1- Prepare to bleed. I wish I remembered more than that... I think I was able to get a breaker bar in there at some weird angle and get it loose. Not fun.

AO

Maybe a crows foot with a u-joint?

Jim bailey - 928 International

The A/c compressor really limits access on the right front you may wish to drop it down. Do you have a new upper ball joint boot just in case ? # 431 407 377A

the flyin' scotsman

Snap On wrenches are made of good quality material thus have thinner walled box ends than most cheaper brands. I got a 21mm up there, its a tight squeeze but doable. You have the experience of removing most of the parts with the suspension work; you just have to go a little further. The WSM does not a bad job on this project; this is how they get the front coilover out.

SteveG

My mechanic made his own offset for this purpose, heating with a torch, bending in a vice. I offered to buy the wrench from him. He refused, I think he just bent it back later.

Bill51sdr

Bill, will you be doing both sides? Reason I ask is that the driver's side is a mother-f'er, even less clearance than the passenger side. Unless you have special tools. removal of the exhaust manifold is highly recommended. I wish you luck.

hacker-pschorr

I had mine off a few days ago - I also had the cross member off. How old are the motor mounts?

Garth S

With big hands and long arms, I've managed to get them off on a 16v - so you're better equipped to do a S4 ... . As I recall, two open spanners linked together for leverage ( and flexibility) allowed the nuts to be both broken free .... and retorqued.
Once the nut is moderately loose, drop down to 3/8" socket gear: it is much easier to tease the nut off with smaller wrenches. Also, note which A - arm stud has the 4mm spacer and mark it - need I say more ...
Well. I will: use covers on the fenders, for one must lean in to the point of falling. Certain whench angles are only accessable from below, so you know the drill .... and if short of 21mm wrenches, I wouldn't sweat it too much: the nuts on my spare A-arms are 22mm. Maybe they're heavier hung in the north ...

Good luck.

heinrich

I'm pretty far North, and that seems to ring true.