tj90

I completed an oil change and lowered the car. F*!@$ - there was a safety jackstand under the car. Quickly raise car. RR control arm bent - !@4!4!!!! - I should not have been working on the car when I was tired.

With all the car in wall stories - Im not driving the car with the control arm bent. Who knows how safe it is.

Need advice - what else do I need to change / should change with a new control arm? I guess alignment will be out of wack once I replace arm. I understnad that bushings are not serviceable so I presume that comes part of the arm.

Im so pissed at myself - cant wait to find out how much thats going to cost. Im going to cry myself to sleep....

Mike J

Why don't you pickup a used one from some of the good wreckers in your area...that could save you lots ot bucks and they are long lasting.

You will need a rear wheel alignment for sure.

Sorry about the news but at least you will take care of it before it bites you!

Cheers,

Mike

FLYT993

Holy Sh*t!!!! TJ....sorry to hear that!...Chris Walrod to the RL board please! On Pelican the rear control arms are $716 (F***k!!! these suspension components are expensive!!!) Check Sunset..they might be better. I haven't purchased anything yet, but several other RL'ers recommend them because of the value they provide.

Again, sorry to hear you hurt your baby...it's safe for the PT turbos to come out now... Hope you get her back on the road soon...since they need to be driven hard

FLYT993

Atta boy! Mike J. Good show.

geolab

Sorry to hear about that, it happens to the most averted as well I think.
Could you please give me the part number you had bent, I will try to check in this part of the woods,
for a replacement for you.

tj90

Thanks for the mental support guys. I took a shower and now not pissed just numb!

Thanks for the advice and Geolab for your help. The PN is 993-331-042-02-M100 right lower control (A-arm) arm.

I will be making some calls tomorrow as well, a quick google found a couple used part places that I can try.

If you guys have any other ideas or leads please let me know!

Regards,
TJ

Geoffrey

I think someone is giving you some incorrect information. I just (last month) bought all of the suspension parts to update a 1995 993 to the improved 96 and later suspension. The track control arm (A arm) lists for 552.09 from the dealer and you should be able to get a healthy discount if you shop around. If you are a PCA member they'll generally give you a 10% discount. I would not even consider looking at a used arm since it contains the lower ball joint.

Garth S

TJ,
I have one in perfect condition ( re boot, ball stud tightness, etc) if you haven't yet sourced one. Matter of fact, if anything else got bent, see the pic ...
Replacing the A-arm does not directly influence alignment, as it is of fixed dimension; however, a post install check is always good.

EDIT: Geoffrey, I see we posted at ~ the same time ( I'm slow on the keyboard ) - good advice on new parts!
Question - what are the notable differences between the '95 - 96 rear suspensions? .... the one below is '96.

g_murray

You've made a small mistake that anyone of us could easily have made. I'm just glad you HAD jackstands! Shop around the local dismantling yards - something is gonna crop up, it always does.

And, yes, I clicked on and signed the Border Guards petition too.

Gerry

Geoffrey

The 1995 is a one year only suspension design and if you've ever driven one hard over a bumpy corner, you'll feel the back end of the car moving back and forth. This has resulted in a number of track related accidents. For additional information, see Joel Reiser, the PCA Tech chair for 993. I believe it has been documented on the PCA Tech Q&A website a number of times. An updated 993 drives fine.

The differences are in the track control arm, camber links, kinematic links, and the subframe arches, although the latter isn't part of the problem, but rather, just an updated part. Of the parts, only the track control arm is different side-to-side, the other arms have a single part number for both sides.

The subframe arches basically require removing the engine to change, although I have known someone who replaced them with the engine in place. I'd wait to change the subframe until the engine was out. Again, it isn't critical to the handling issue.

1- 993.331.041.02 Track Control arm L
1- 993.331.042.02 Track Control arm R
2- 993.331.045.03 Kinematic link L&R
2- 993.331.047.03 Camber link L&R
2- 993.331.131.06 Subframe arch L&R

FotoVeloce

This is very interesting information. I'm about to do suspension on my 993. Perhaps since it will be apart I should update my '95. It is just a tad squirly in the rear, IMHO. When doing the update, is it just the lower track arms on the rear? I guess I'll google for some info too. Thanks for posting the point about the '95

As far as bending the control arm during maint. I've done work when tired on my cars and made some mistakes due to fatigue. Sorry to hear about it, but you are not alone.

EDIT: Sheesh.. talk about tired.. I just finished heading that post and you DID post the PN's and description. OK. Back to sleep for me.

tj90

In the PET the RR control arm for 95 is 993.331.042.01. For 96 its .02. Of course, Ive got a 95. So Im wondering if I can mix control arms or if I update to 96+ will I need both sides? Also, does the 96+ control arm work with the other 95 suspension parts?

As far as used - what is typical lifetime of the arm? How long do the ball joints typically last?

Martin S.

The control arm lasts forever. I just replaced my left rear, a casualty of a broken drop link thrashing around, about $500 for the part plus labor. You do get a new ball joint as part of the deal.

It sounds like a great "opportunity" to upgrade the rear suspension to 96 and later specs....but then again there is the cash.

Yesterday, a mechanics helper was about to jack up the rear of my 993 which was parked on a slight hill, with a Porsche car parked directly behind it...the mechanic came out and put a stop to that...as you can imagine, once off the ground, the jack and the car were going to go backwards , directly into the Porsche car parked behind it...one little disaster prevented.

Geoffrey

The 993.331.042.01 is not available, it has been supersceeded to 993.331.042.02. I don't know if you can substitute it. You may want to check with Joel Reiser who would know.

tj90

Thanks for the info on PCA tech Q&A site. Looks like Joel fielded a question about weird suspension behavior. The owner had 95 control arm on one side and upgraded 96 control arm on the other. Joel stated that they probably should not be mixed and may be the cause for the problems. He stated that the toe of the 95 and 96 rear suspension is completely different - so much for minor suspension change....