The seat will come off of the original shock and can be re-used. Pay attention to the orientation of the hole in the seat on the shock the hole in the seat needs to be 90º to the bolt holes in the lower part of the shock.

I would also replace the bump stops and upper strut mounts while everything is apart.

 

Pay attention to the orientation of the hole in the seat on the shock the hole in the seat needs to be 90º to the bolt holes in the lower part of the shock.

I'm not sure I did this. What happens if I didn't? I matched the hole up with the cut out that's in the rubber piece. I also matched up the spring where it originally sat in the bushing's.

 

Almost forgot, you should save and reuse the washer on the top of the original shocks.

 

This project is kicking my butt!

Main Comment: VW builds these cars ONCE. "Lifetime" parts. They were not built to be replaced. Nuff said.

Three hours to get the pinch bolt off. Lots of PB Blaster. Novel idea: try tightening the pinch bolt. Hey, it moves!

Used a Harbor Freight Air Hammer with a point chisel tip. Hit the pinch bolt all over. Finally came out in one piece!!

 

So, I'm stuck at the outer tie rod. Looks like VW used lock-tite on the threads. Really?!!

What is the set up to get the outer tie rod off? What wrenches?

 

Are you backing off the nut (on the inner side of the outer tie rod). Then trying to loosen the outer tie rod itself?

 

If you look at ECS Tuning (under their kits) it looks like they are Vaico

Xs 2 with 2002GLXV6 replies. I just replaced all my suspension and I was lucky in not having an issue with the Pinch bolts. Although I didn't replace the upper rubber bushing on the strut because the originals looked like the new ones that came with my Bilstein's. I may change them out when the weather warms. It's easy enough to remove the shock to do so. It looks like you have all that you need to complete the job.

I recommend matching each new nut and bolt with old and they should match up to each other.

2002GLXV6 gave me some solid advice which was to measure from the center of the wheel to the bottom of the front fender before jacking the car up. This get's you your ride height. After installing all the new parts and before tightening anything. Jack that side up till you get it to the measurement you took before starting. That's when you torque it all down.

I haven't a clue as to how you get the outer tie rods off other than heat. I have tried everything and they wouldn't budge. I'm going to try one more time before taking it in to have the mechanic do it.

 

The other issue I've got is the spring compresser went far enough to get the old shock off, but not enough to get the new shock on? Should I just keep on compressing?

 

Make sure you match the old shock with the new to make sure they are the same length. I had to compress the spring a lot more to install the new shock then I did when removing the old one.

I didn't have the special tool to tighten the top nut on the shock so I used a pair of vise grips to hold the appropriately sized deep well socket on the nut. Fit the appropriately sized Allen key down through the top of the socket and torque the nut down (till it stops) with the Allen key while holding the socket still.

I didn't tighten that nut down completely and after getting everything all back together there was a obnoxious knocking while driving. I had to drive it that way for a few weeks but took it off and retightened it so no more noise.

 

I doubt VW used threadlock on the outer TRE. The car's almost certainly been aligned at some point in it's life, and those threads need to be clear, or you can't align the car.

Once you pop it out of the knuckle, use one wrench to hold onto the end of the outer TRE, and the other to loosen the nut used for locking the inner and outer together.

 

I was able to get the lock nut free but I also can not unscrew the OTR. (The short threaded rod) When I try unscrew it doesn't budge. I'm afraid that if I apply too much pressure it's going to break where the threaded rod goes into the ball joint since it's rubber.

Any tricks?

 

Tap the OTRE back in the knuckle, and then turn the end of the ITRE with a wrench. This uses the knuckle itself to hold the OTRE in place while you get it loose. Alternatively, you can of course do the outer and inner as a unit; you'll need to borrow an ITRE removal tool from an auto parts store, and probably replace the boot too.


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Tap the OTRE back in the knuckle, and then turn the end of the ITRE with a wrench. This uses the knuckle itself to hold the OTRE in place while you get it loose. Alternatively, you can of course do the outer and inner as a unit; you'll need to borrow an ITRE removal tool from an auto parts store, and probably replace the boot too.

I tried putting the OTRE back into the knuckle to loosen it. No go I have been spraying the threads with PB Blaster for the last few weeks so this weekend when replacing the drivers axle I will try it again.

Is there a reason this has been such a PIA when everything else (even the Pinch Bolt) has been easy going?

 

I just got a pair of ITRE on Amazon. They'll be here tonite--Prime free same day delivery.

I've wasted enough time and energy trying to take off the OTRE.

Is there a DIY that anyone can point me at?

 

I found this thread of a diy for tie rods inner and outer:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/b...om/forums/b5-information-base/316618-diy-changing-inner-outer-tie-rods-diy.html

Looks like if you turn the rack all the way out, you can get on the inner nut with a big adjustable wrench.

So why would I need a ITRA tool kit?

 

try mixing some acetone and ATF together to make a penetrating fluid and see how that works

 

I had the OTRE break free of the rubber bonding as you mentioned thinking about, so it is a real concern.

I don't remember how I got it off eventually, but I know I removed the inner tie rod from the rack first.

 

I have a BFMW that I use on trailer hitch ball nuts, and also to spin my T4 van's oil filter housing. I tried that and a large monkey wrench on the OTRE again this AM. Nothing. I also put the OTRE back in the knuckle and tried the BFMW on the end nut of the ITRE and got nothing.

I really think that someone put lock tite in the threads, I can see something white-ish around the edge of the ITRE / OTRE joint that's not rust. I scraped it off with a small screwdriver and it sure feels like a dried locking compound. I sure hope they didn't use it on the other end of the ITRE and rack joint. Cuz that's where I'm headed next.

 

It can be extremely hard to remove the Outer from the Inner as the threading from the outer will almost absolutely be seized to the inner. (goes in a couple of inches, thats a lot of rust).

I got my butt kicked because if I turned the outer, it would have play in the rubber part of it and not come loose.

SOLUTION: Use a 14" Pipe Wrench to loosen the Inner Tie rod. Remove the rubber boot, or slice it back a little. Expose the 38mm Nut on the Inner and CRACK IT OPEN! Its seated in a protected non corrosive area. No need for PB Blastering the rack. It will come loose. Many people replace both inner and outer due to the rust. Its what I did.

Good Luck.

ps. Totally purchased the wrench from Lowes and returned it right after the job.
You DO NOT need an Inner Tie Rod Tool. You can rent the SUV Tie rod removal Tool from Advance Auto. (They have 2 kinds, get the SUV one. It comes with the 38.4mm piece.)
THIS WILL ONLY WORK WITH THE SHOCK/SPRING REMOVED.
You do not need to remove shocks for clearance if you just use a 14" Pipe Wrench.

 

Success taking off the ITRE on left side! Yes the whole strut is off.

With the rack turned out full right, it sticks out so far into the well that you have no need of a TRE tool or crows foot. Just need a BFMW. You actually have plenty of room that you don't really need to take off the cover window access panel to the rack thingy. That may only help you when you go to secure the boot to the rack on reassembly, but for disassembly you don't need it out.

The inside boot clamp was a piece of cake to remove. Just slide a long narrow screwdriver into the notch on the band and force it open a bit and then you can rotate the band into a favorable position to quickly overcome the notches that hold the band and off she comes.

I put the whole tie rod into the bench vice and put the BFMW on it to try to super lever it apart. Just to see if I could get it off. Nothing doing. I twisted the OTRE rubber nearly 90 degrees and nothing. I truly believe it's lock tited.

So I took the air cut off wheel to go through the OTRE to get the boot off cleanly.

Also used the bench opportunity to make an accurate measurement of the rod length, 4.5", so reassembling the new arm will be all in position to drop in.

 

Not even loc-tite is THAT tough unless some moron put on the red kind after an alignment. I guarantee the factory didn't do it; the car's not alignable if you can't rotate the ITRE against the OTRE.

 

Just got back from the Pep Boys with my freshly mounted strut for the left side.

My puny set of spring compressors just couldn't get it done. OK so I wimped out. Actually the mechanic was worried about the level of compaction needed, he thought maybe it was the wrong shock And spring combo. I gave him assurance that it was the shock the Boys sold me (yeah I went with Monroe's) and the original spring. So he cranked the spring down really short and when he released the tension the rod came up quite a bit, so it looks pretty much like it did originally.

 

So the next battle is the lower arms. I'm starting on the front arm ball joint.

Between the air hammer pickle fork and this gadget, and whacking with a hammer I've gotten it to move up about 3/16 of an inch, but it just won't let go.

There's not a hidden pinch bolt down there somewhere?

 

That lower ball stud should just pop out of the knuckle.

Sometimes, instead, the lining of the hole in the steering knuckle will come out with the ball stud. Make sure that is not happening.

 

That might be what I'm seeing when I look in there, there does seem to be a "step" on the stud that moved up a little.

Is it a bad thing if the knuckle hole lining comes out along with the ball, assuming it does decide to come out at all from this point?

 

I didn't have any 'Lining' on any of my ball joints and luckily I could either use a fork and hammer or a small sledge to pop mine out. I sprayed everything down with PB Blaster for a few days prior to removing everything.

 

Thanks jjpark, that's good to know about "no liner found". I couldn't think of why something like that would be in the ball joint hole anyway. I've been soaking it in PB now for almost three days. And haven't tried it again.

I ordered one of these on eBay, its supposed to arrive today. It is advertised as specifically for the B5 A4 A5 A6 ball joints. It's a slightly different concept than the lever type separator that I've been trying without success.

Some other threads have mentioned they had success with this unit.

 

All b5.5s have cast steel knuckles except for the w8, ime.
If aluminum, it'd be shiny. My 04 a4 had aluminum and you can tell right away.

 

So, the knuckle is steel, tested it with a magnet.

And the new eBay ball joint separator worked on the front lower arm. Actually, it started splitting and deforming the end of threaded stud on the ball. So I left it under tension and gave the knuckle a couple of love taps with a 5lb hammer and finally heard that sweet "pop!"

I don't think I see something that looks like a steel sleeve, just the ball taper. How about you guys? (I'm holding the new part next to the old part still in situ, so you can compare the tapers.)

 

So, another issue I think I'll have to address on reassembly is the geometry of the strut bracket to the front lower arm attachment point. It looks like it's going to be off by 1 or 1.5 degrees when the strut fork is placed over the lower arm attachment. Now that the top nut of the strut is locked down, can I still twist the strut leg into alignment? Stick a long bar through the fork holes and twist into position?

 

The LCA contains a flat surface that exists precisely to grab a hold of it with a wrench and hold it in place while you get the strut slid into the right place. Unless you are talking about the other axis... That's a job for the long flathead included in every screwdriver set that is never used for driving screws... Yes you can use it to twist the strut end slightly and lever it into position.

Can you post a link to that LCA tool on eBay?


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