Front ARB bushes replacement

[Brenjacques]

Hi all,
Been having a bit of a knock lately coming from the passenger side front. I was having the wheel allignment done the other week and the bloke checked for me and said it looks to be coming from the front ARB, the bushes joining it to the wishbones are way past it. I've ordered some new ones to replace them on both sides, just wondering how easy if is to replace them?

The old ones will come off without any trouble as they're almost in bits, presumably it's just removal of the U bracket, remove old bushes and push on new ones/refit bracket. Just wondering if I'll be getting into any difficulty fitting the new bushes or if they're an easy fit as once the old ones are off there's no going back should I fade any trouble... Any hints and tips will be appreciated as I'm getting the car ready for a week trip to the seaside in a few weeks time, no doubt it will do approx 1000 miles in that week.

[mark1gls]

Sometimes the U clamps can sheer the bolt off so either replace for new ones or go very carefully undoing the nuts, loosen a little then tighten up and same again to clean out the threads.

New bushes may need a little smear of grease on the ARB to help them slide on, you should be able to push them on by hand.

You will need to Jack up the wishbone as well as the car if you remove the wheel to take the pressure/tension of the bush when removing the clamp.

[mr.brown]

As above I'd reiterate being VERY careful with the U clamps. Clean off all the dirt/rust from the exposed threads before undoing and don't use any kind of power tool.

[RussGLAuto]

This chap covers everything, a great series of vlogs on his 85 Scirocco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJ_bfCStmY

[Brenjacques]

Thanks for the advice all, I'll be sure to go carefully with those bolts. I had the wishbones done a couple of years back but the bushes (although still a bit worn) weren't too bad then, It's done around 10,000 miles since that work which has taken a real toll on them.

[mark1gls]

If you are running on lower suspension it does speed up the wear on the bushes.

[mark1gls]

New ones here if needed
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163789115008 ... XQslhRkQtx

Or here.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362001504463 ... SwKp1ap8TQ

[Brenjacques]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll be doing it some day next week, had a look under today and everything is looking nice and clean so I shouldn't run into any trouble. The suspension is standard on this one, its never been modified so I'd think the replacements will last a long time.

[Brenjacques]

Hi all

Just jacked the car up and thought I'd check the wheel for any play whist it's free off the ground. I noticed some play rocking from 12-6 o'clock position, 9-3 is good with no play. Presumably the play mentioned above is caused by the ball joint, couldn't feel any play elsewhere other than some very slight up/down movement on the inner track rod but that doesn't seem to extend through to the hub. Not done the ARB bushes yet as I'll group this in with that too but they are definitely shot.

[mark1gls]

Yes probably the lower ball joint is shot if just play at 12 and 6 o’clock.

[mark1gls]

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/lemforde ... -617440195

[mark1gls]

Don’t forget the thread lock the nut on the bolt which holds the top of the ball joint to the hub, seen a few come apart on the web and the car hits the ground and makes a right mess.

[Brenjacques]

Thanks for the help, I'll dig out my loctite in preparation. It's had a couple of run ins with pot holes this year (I'm sure there's been more than the usual) I probably know the one that caused it as I hit it once and it sounded expensive

Is it worth removing the brake disc shield or should there be enough room to free it off? Looks like it might foul the shield when removing it.

[mark1gls]

Don’t touch the brake shield as they rust and the fixings are a nightmare to undo, you also need to remove the hub to change it over.

You should just have enough room to get a spanner on the bolt and a socket on an extension bar to undo the nut. Bit of wood on the wishbone and hit it with a hammer downwards to free off the joint to the ball joint.

When fitting the new ball joint don’t go mad doing up the 3 little fixing bolts as you can easily strip the threads as I’ve found out…

[Brenjacques]

Hi all,

Well I tackled the ball joint today and it was very straightforward, had it changed quite fast and nothing was seized which made it all easier.

There is still some movement in the road wheel though and a knock so it looks as though the joint wasn't the cause, it did have more play than the new one so it wasn't a complete waste of time, that said I still have the problem that I started with.

I tried hard to move the wheel between 9-3 and it feels as though there may be very slight movement but certainly not as much as rocking in the 12-6 position which is much looser and also knocks when doing so. I can also see movement on the driveshaft when rocking 12-6 but not much elsewhere. Anyone know what is best to look at next? I'm thinking hub/wheel bearings but I'm not getting any whines or other noises.

The driveshaft is a cheap one from gsf fitted a few years back, I don't know if this could cause any of the above but thought I'd mention it. It's not knocking on turns though so I presume it's still okay.