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what would you replace? (lupo GTi)


dirk1978
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For the last week or so I've been driving around my Lupo TDI with no power steering, its not especially heavy even for parking maneuvers, as the GTI is lighter and has the battery in the boot anyway, a small gain in vehicle weight balance between the axles? 

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Just got the nuts off the top of the dampers. Bit of a ****er. Spent an hour making up the equipment and an hour punching the top edge of the wing and trying to crush my finger off between a big spanner and the metal spring clip in the air intake. Seems like every possible fixing on this car is untouched and seized. Is there anything I shouldn't grease so next times less of a mare?

Edited by Joshhert
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Unless you live somewhere very nautical I wouldn't bother greasing the top mount.

Every time I tried doing these by the book with spanners or open sockets etc. it never went well. rounding off the hex in the top off the shock was a favourite fail, or shearing the allen key in the shock another. I could usually get the strut off, but doing it up would be where the problems came.

Invest in an impact gun-

I have found the best option is with the car still on the ground - with the Impact gun buzz off the nut holding the limit plate & then the actual strut mount bolt.

re-installation is just reversal, initially loose fit the strut in the tower, drop the weight back on an buzz the nuts reasonably tight - if you go mad you can crush the bearing, so don't go mad

Edited by LR5V
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Assuming its a drive bearing, afraid it is more tools required. There is a bearing tool that removes and re-installs with hub on car, buy it either to keep or sell on used and get most of the money back. Or are you talking about drive shaft? - hub puller needed

Depends if you are keeping or replacing the ball joints, if they are being replaced you dont need to worry about damaging the rubber grease caps -use a joint splitter / pickle fork and go to town with a club hammer.

If keeping -there are tools to split them hooking around the hub & putting pressure on the top of the thread, there is a technique with a hammer on the hub, but its not the easiest to master.

Lower ball joints are easier to remove with the hub off the car, you can see what you are doing and there is a bit more space - just unbolt from control arm

 

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Thanks guys! 

All done for now and problem solved.

Replaced the top mount bushes and bearings with powerflex blacks, wishbone rear bushes with psb's, swapped the ball joints over and replaced a boot, replaced a track rod end and adjusted camber and tracking. (Not mentioning ****ing around with replacing a wheel bearing badly and ending up having to replace the nuckle and hub)

In short: worn top mount bushes and bearings along with wishbone rear bush and wrong way round lower ball joints for my fourteens, compounded by tracking and camber adjustments causing a lot of dodginess.

Thanks, rich and lr5v for your excellent advise, and mk2 for his very direct post on sdi camber!

Next time I'll make my own thread rather than hijacking someone else's!

Joshhert

Edited by Joshhert
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