Control Arms

[PeoplesMan]

Hey Folks

I went to get my car Tracked the other day and was told that the Tracking Arms were seized on both sides and to get a Mechanic to sort it and come back to them.

So I rang my mechanic who I have become very friendly with recently due to other reasons with the car and he tells me I have two options.

Spray the arms with WD40 for about two weeks (not getting the brakes) and hope for the love of god that worked otherwise it was a "burn it off job"

Is this a common issue and how likely is WD40 onto the arms going to work ?

[passat 130 tdi]

took me 2 hours for each 1 , i used a gas blow lamp , 2 tins of wd40 and a 4lb hammer. if you mean the pinch bolt that holds the top 2 arms in the hub.


proper tool gets them out in 10 minutes . http://www.klann-online.de/Englisch/...-0250-40_E.htm excuse the poor porn type music and the 1970's tash .

[snapdragon]

Do you mean tie-rods? or track control arms?
The tie rods are what you adjust the length of to adjust the tracking.
Track control arms are another part.

[Crasher]

He means the track rod adjusters. These often seize and freeing them off can mean two new ends, two new boots and a lot of heat, hot spanner rules…

[snapdragon]

I'd just spray them with PlusGas or similar (modern WD40 isn't great) every night for a week (but put a cloth under so you don't spray the tyre or rubber boots. Then take it to the mechanic or tracking place with two new outer track rod ends (unless they are already new.) New ends are £10-25 depending on shop/quality. After finding £25 ones only lasted a couple of years anyway, I went for £10 ones this time.


The tracking man will be undoing the jam nut next to the rubber bellow, and then turning the inner rod by way of flats next to the bellow to the left of the jam nut. The inner rod is hollow and has the threaded outer track rod on the right partially inside it. It must be here that it is seized, put some plus gas around the jam nut, and hope it soaks in after a week or two..

[passat 130 tdi]

oh those , ha , when i did mine i found the whole thing would turn on the rubber innards of the rod end and they would not budge , i ended up turning that locking nut all the way off untill it hit the track rod end , i then popped out the ball joint and kept turning the nut till the whole thing came off.