upper front control arms

[DGT]

im in the process of tracking down an annoying knocking noise coming from the osf of my avant. i know these cars eat suspension arm bushes so im putting it down to that.
ive changed the lower arms and drop link and would like to change the uppers.
do you have to disconnect the plate that holds the strut to the inside of the inner wing and lower it in order to remove the bolts on the inboard side of the arm?

cheers

[spartacus 68]

im in the process of tracking down an annoying knocking noise coming from the osf of my avant. i know these cars eat suspension arm bushes so im putting it down to that.
ive changed the lower arms and drop link and would like to change the uppers.
do you have to disconnect the plate that holds the strut to the inside of the inner wing and lower it in order to remove the bolts on the inboard side of the arm?

cheers

Have done this job on a B5 model, and I had to drop the strut down to access bolts.

[DGT]

cheers for that.
are all the bolts accessed from under the bonnet?

thanks again

[spartacus 68]

Yes, you'll need spring compressor, etc. Link here. http://audizine.com/forum/showthread...al-and-Install

[DGT]

nightmare job. bolt on Track control rod end wont come out..looks like its supposed to be captive? also i managed to shear the bolt that goes through the clamp that holds the ball joints of the upper arms in place!

[spartacus 68]

nightmare job. bolt on Track control rod end wont come out..looks like its supposed to be captive? also i managed to shear the bolt that goes through the clamp that holds the ball joints of the upper arms in place!

Aye it's a nightmare of a job. When I did it, I couldn't shift the pinch bolt that holds the upper control arms. After 2 days of banging it with a lump hammer, numerous cups of tea and much swearing - it was still stuck solid. Ended up getting the mechanic at my work to use an oxy/acetylene torch to heat it up and knock it out. Suspect - this is what you'll have to do. Upper arms will be goosed as a result. Audi have a special tool for removing the pinch bolt, bit like a ball joint removal tool.

Regards the tie-rod end, spray Duck Oil penetrating release on it before attempting the job. Still no success, then torch this off too.

Worked on my wife's A2 O/S front coil spring a couple of weeks ago, it was a bleed'n nightmare too. ARB link was siezed and tie-rod bolt refused to budge. Ended up cutting it off. I hate suspension jobs - they always take longer than anticipated.

[DGT]

that makes me feel a wee bit better.

dissimilar metals eh

im gonna attempt to hacksaw out as much of the bolt through the top arm as i can see and hope i get most of the section of the bolt that is holding the ball joint..sounds like a long shot but i dont have access to decent heating gear. Suppose i could get a blow torch on the alloy as it should expand a fair bit quicker than the bolt,,maybe

found this, think its slightly different but it goes to show how much easier the yanks have it with their climate http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel43.shtml

[spartacus 68]

that makes me feel a wee bit better.

dissimilar metals eh

im gonna attempt to hacksaw out as much of the bolt through the top arm as i can see and hope i get most of the section of the bolt that is holding the ball joint..sounds like a long shot but i dont have access to decent heating gear. Suppose i could get a blow torch on the alloy as it should expand a fair bit quicker than the bolt,,maybe

found this, think its slightly different but it goes to show how much easier the yanks have it with their climate http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel43.shtml

Personally I'd just drive it to a local garage and get them to heat it. It's a complete pain - hitting it for hours on end. Because the bolt has probably been there for a number of years, it's effectively fused in position. Get a new pinch bolt from Audi so you can replace it afterwards. Use a little copper ease or marine grease (Duckhams) before reassembling. After the winter we've just had - it's a wonder everything hasn't rusted solid.

[DGT]

blind determination yesterday. i cut off the arms at the ball joint, sop im left with parts of the pinch bolt and the tapered section of the ball joints left to remove. gonna try my blowtorch on it tonight

[spartacus 68]

blind determination yesterday. i cut off the arms at the ball joint, sop im left with parts of the pinch bolt and the tapered section of the ball joints left to remove. gonna try my blowtorch on it tonight

Keep us posted as to your progress.