Sausage

I havent read this whole thread, but I have a destroyed 085 box off a 1.0 and the bearing behind the clutch casing on the 4th gear shaft is obliterated and then that's taken out 4th gear and a few other bits too ... Anyhoo, that bearing looks to have been splash fed as there's a gallery in the casing to get oil behind the nose of the shaft and the bearing itself. i havent looked that close so there might be an oil gallery in the shaft or something else to help out too, Here's my point: I noticed the oil level plug is about this shafts height, so any drop in oil level will almost certainly starve that bearing. Can anyone confirm this? Where are most failures happening in the box? Pics of the carnage: You can see the bottom of the oil level plug is actually below the shaft.

TDI have the stronger 02J box (well mine does anyway)

I havent done a Lupo, but I'd go with both as a rule of thumb. Get some decent sealant too.

My mistake, i thought it was 1mm difference, it's not it's 0.5mm, (56.6mm vs 57.1mm) so it would be 1/2 that or 0.25mm if using a router. As it is such a small difference you could just try them and see how tight they are.

Ah, lamp outside window, I gets you now LOL

Some use a router with a suitable bit to to this. you need the right bearing on the end of the straight cutting bit to give the correct cut of 0.5mm and if you have little practical skills then i would advise you pay a machine shop to to do it instead. You want the wheels hub centric so it needs to be done carefully and quite accurate.

I doubt you need to take the bumper off to change a bulb, or did i get the wrong end of the stick there?

Tie it to a tree and drive off sharpish. Works like a charm. Otherwise, the longer winded method involves some bolts.... http://forums.clublupo.co.uk/index.php?/topic/68124-removing-rear-bumper/

Thanks. What wheels / tyres have you got? Is it lowered at all or standard?

Yes they are. When i was doing mine up after replacing broken window there was a loud bang that made me almost crap myself,... it was just a bit of broken glass in the metal clamp getting crushed LOL.

Google search brings up some stuff, the tdi club site is down at the mo and probably has the best info, but here's a post on the audi a2 forum about it: http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?12808-Information-on-the-5th-gear-mod-all-in-one-post it's VAG main dealer stuff you need to buy and fit or get fitted.... , possibly the 0.700 ratio is available second hand in some models if i read it right (very brief scan)

Standard bushes are steel jacketed straight sides so the arms being either way up doesnt affect them. The poly bushes use a small diameter on one end for insertion into the hole on the rounded side and out the raised lip. On the left that will be pointing down like yours is. I think this is a design flaw and doesnt take into account that the bush will now be effectively upside down and taking different loads than the one on the right hand side that will be correct way up. That's my opinion, i've never used poly bushes and real life results may make that opinion worth diddly squat. I'd be interested to know how many left hand (upside down) bushes fail compared to right hand side one though.... but factoring in that left hand suspension usually has a harder life than right due to drains and pot holes and kerbs etc might be tricky.

The arms arent handed, so your left hand arm is correct and so is the bush. So ignore my blatherings i was wrong sorry. I'd be inclined strip that arm and bush and clean up the hole with flap wheel or something and then if the bush looks ok refit it exactly the same way it is now with high temp silicon to bond it in the hole, that stuff is slippery when soft and sets like rubber in about an hour. It might be enough to stop it popping off.

OK, some places sell the arms as handed if they have ball joints on (obviously), if it is a bare arm they sell them as left or right, meaning the are either way up. Pic in guide above shows right hand arm, your right hand arm looks the same. But your left hand arm may also be correct IF the arms are not handed. But i bet that bush would last a lot longer the other way up! Sooo, it may be correct after all sorry. You need a pic of a left hand arm and bush to be sure.

Someone with a gti should confirm that for you before you spend hours on it me thinks though.... Which way up is your other arm and bush?

now, bearing in mind i am a total Lupo noob and i probably have this wrong but is your bush or arm upside down? Powerflex fitting instructions: http://www.powerflex.co.uk/i/product_images/5-85-402fi.pdf Small diameter thru the raised section is on top according to that guide. Your raised section is on the bottom so i assume the smaller diameter is on the bottom too which would be why it is popping off.

So the garage doing the tracking as a remedy didnt look for or spot this then...

if it is just the boot locking and unlocking (or attempting to) then it is likely water on the electrics of worn electric wires on the boot usually they wear in the flex tubes and then break from opening and closing the boot. The hazards flashing is odd though unless it is a response to the attempted lock unlock. Pop the panel on the boot lid and have a nose for loose, water logged or damaged wires in the boot lid and also the flex pipes top right and left of the boot lid, not sure which side does the locks, you can work that out once the panel is popped off. Does the rear wiper, demist, all lights work as they should? If not then it is the wiring to or in the boot lid. if they all work then it could just be the central locking is weak or obstructed in the boot.

Just tried again in the engine bay with vernier callipers, joint body near gearbox is 72mm, flange outer diameter is difficult to measure as the callipers arent deep enough to give a nice easy reading on the big flange but it looks like about 102mm after several goes at it. you need someone with a spare shaft to measure ....

Well no idea what body diameter refers to as i just went out and measured my tdi passenger inner joint for you and it's about 70mm on the joint body, the flange didnt seem to match those figures ether unless they are flange pcd figures maybe? I assume you dont have one to measure?

If you have variable steering effort then it's at the front end. Test the rack and track rod ends for play and the rack for smooth operation. I'd have thought loose or broken mounts anywhere would give knocking and clunking and you'd feel it thru the wheel. Not sure if these have a UJ on the column or not but they can go stiff and give variable turn effort, though that will be repeatable and regular. Power steering would be minimal at speed, but could be the issue, but if it's fine at parking speed unlikely.

If you cant find anything at the front then trailing arms at the back sounds like a suspect. I'd have put this on a level area handbrake off and rocked hard each wheel in and out at the top and then quarter to three to try and find play, then try again each wheel in the air. If it "suddenly" came on then why would that be? Wear takes time, so usually gives warning so it sounds like something has broken or changed rapidly like coming undone. It felt like a flat tyre, where at the back? I suspect so if it felt like it was tramlining. If it's suddenly come on then it could be fuel on the tyre.

You need to work out if it is coming from front or back, left or right or near the middle for a start. Get a passenger in to help you work that out, preferably one who knows what to listen for. Turning right loads the left and viceversa, so if your noise eases turning right then it is very likely coming from the right hand side especially if it is a bearing. You dont say if it is worse turning left or not, if it is then it is very likely a right hand side wheel bearing. Front wheel bearings can make a hell of a din when they wear out. Once you have worked out what corner is making the noise then you can look for it easier. If it's near the middle front then gearbox / diff.

Nope. It's going to be reborn.

Mine is by GDW: