When I had my alignment done after purchase we could not reduce the excess negative camber in the right front down to spec. I also have a clunk or pop from the right front suspension. The clunk/pop happens while backing out of a parking space as the steering is being turned. The clunk happens again when the brakes are applied the first time after going forward and coming to a straight line stop. The PO replaced the rack, tie rods, rod ends, and lower ball joints before I bought the car. I have verified that the tie rods and ends are tight by locking the rack with the centering bolt and trying to move the wheels while off the ground. I have since replaced the right upper A-arm with a rebuilt unit from 928 Intl., installed Delrin rack bushings (the rubber ones were oil soaked from a leaking pan gasket), installed new wheel bearings set per the WSM (thrust washer moves with a push from screwdriver) installed new Eibach springs and had the Bilstein shocks rebuilt. After all this I still have these two issues.

In my mind the only thing that would explain the camber problem at this point is that the rubber bushings on the lower arm are worn out allowing the lower arm to be "longer" than spec and producing excess negative camber. If the rubber has sheared loose from the metal of the arm this would also explain the pop/clunk from the right suspension as the lower arm is loaded back and forth during braking/turning. Before I drop the $$ for a new lower arm does anyone have any other ideas?

Mike

 

Inspect the bushings on the lower a-arm, you may find that one has separated from the aluminum arm and has wear.

 

Verify that you have the upper arm for 86.5+

 

Colin,
Bad bushings on the lower arm is the only thing that I can think of that would cause the camber problem short of a twisted frame or a bent spindle. There is no evidence of either.

Dr. Bob,
The new arm matches the old unit perfectly and has been installed for some time. It made no difference to the camber issue but did take most of the wander out of the steering. As funds permit I plan to replace the other upper arm.

 

check for play in the wheel from 6 to 12 O clock ,
you might have a worn spindle,
this will cause a pop as the brake rotor/hub will be moving slightly due to the worn spindle,
look at the lower inner bearing seat for wear.

Also verify that you have the correct eccentrics installed on the Lower ball joint,
its possible that one has been replaced due to being frozen and thus the allen gets stripped out ,
remove each eccentric one at a time clean the seating area then put some anti seize on it,
then clean the other one.
do both sides.

ALSO IIRC we took a sledge to the cross brace,
since the X brace mount was lifted this would indicate that the front end took a good jolt and possibly bent the frame.
Get the WSM out and see if there any measurements you can take for the engine compartment

 

We did drive the X brace mounts back down when I can through last summer. They both seemed to need about the same amount of "whack". There is no play in the wheel bearings as I checked/set them yesterday. I have "new" used eccentrics for both sides. The last time I had it aligned the tech and I cleaned the slots but I didn't have the eccentrics and we did not put any paste in them.

 

Well I cleaned and anti-seized all the eccentrics and checked each for the correct P/N and also to see if there were any flat spots on the eccentric cams. All was good. However, the nuts were not near tight enough and the camber eccentric on the RH side was maxed out in the wrong direction pushing the ball joint AWAY from center line, resulting in max negative camber. I re-set the camber eccentric as close to the position of the LH side as possible. Once I get it settled it will be back to the alignment shop. I also pulled the RH disc and hub and inspected the spindle. There is a very slight amount of spindle wear evidenced by the visible "frosting" of the bottom side of the spindle polished surface. Not enough that I can feel with a fingernail or even the bearing race but visible none the less. I will get new seals in the AM from one of the auto parts chains and re-pack and set the wheel bearings. The bearings look fine. The lower arm bushings are kind of soft and not in the best shape. See the pics below. With the arm clamped in a vise I can rotate the front mounting hub slightly by hand. I can also get it to move off of center radially using both hands. Seems kinda soft to me but I don't have any frame of reference for comparison. I think the alignment issue will be resolved now that the eccentrics are closer to the right position and if I can keep coaching the tech (might have to take some donuts for the shop to get them to let me help him get it right) The popping sound is still up in the air. Other than the spindle wear or lower arm bushings I suppose the loose nuts could be allowing the bottom bracket to move in the lower arm. Are new spindles even available? Has anyone tried to have a worn set repaired via weld or spray metal process, then hardened to match or exceed the bearing race hardness?

Mike

 

It might be time for a new used LCA.

. FWIW the left side is usually the side that fails,
as the power steering fluid leaks onto the bushing and softens them.

the chipped rear bushing doesnt look good

 

Thanks for the help and feedback Stan. Now I need to decide if the extra $125 for a lower arm with new rubber bushings is the way to go.

Mike

 

Mike,
I have a 90 S4 also with 117k on it and it has been my daily driver. I also started having the clunk noise in the front left corner. I have changed the steering rack, inner and outer tie rod ends, motor mounts, all brake rotors and pads, and still have the problem. The clunck is from the front but sometimes it can be felt just under the seat or footwell of the driver side. I have looked and cannot find the offending part.
So I will be very interested in what finally fixes the problem.
Thanks
Bilal

 

mike
I have a used lca it is for a 86+ pm me if your interested
Dean

 

another place to look for a clunk is the motor mount fingers,
sometimes they can use a tap with a hammer and long screwdriver to adjust the finger to get it away from hitting the cross member

 

Mrmerlin,
Can you explain the finger a little more. I had original motor mounts when I started getting the noise. I did all the work and put in the new Volvo mounts from Roger and no difference in the noise. The tab or protusion from the mount is centered in the hole in the crossmember.
Bilal

 

The front bushing on the LCA is bonded between then center shaft and the front mount bracket unless broken. Thus, the mount bracket cannot move, it should only allow flex of the bushing if it is intact.

Your rear LCA bushing is totally compressed. Wait till you see the new one.

 

I recently changed MM/OPG and had the clunk before and after. Thanks for the offer of the used LCA Dean. I am still deciding between used and rebuilt. I'll let you know if I decide on used.

Bill,
The front bracket doesn't appear to be broken loose from the rubber but the rubber is pretty soft as i can twist the bracket like unscrewing a jar lid and like snapping a stick with only my hands. Granted it doesn't move far but more than I'd like.

Mike