oh and i think it's kinda weird, twice now that i've got pissed off and sat down at the computer, the training music from kickboxer has played on my list

 

Tight quarters in there huh? I just kept wacking it with a hammer sideways. Hit it a few hundred times. Try it from different angles.

 

cool, i'll try that, i was told by the dealer not to hit it too hard or the uca will crack. they also are really interested in seeing my car after the airride is done

 

cool, i'll try that, i was told by the dealer not to hit it too hard or the uca will crack. they also are really interested in seeing my car after the airride is done

Dude, you better show us what you do with the air ride!!
I'm highly interested in doing something with an airride suspension for my
wifes A4 avant. :thumbup:

 

Puts some neversieze on them, jack op the lowere control arms(so you dont have to psuh the uppers down so much) then just use a C clamp to press them in to the knuckle, start with the one closest to were the pinch bolt goes it so the when you get it pressed in you can slide the bolt in to hold it, them do the next one. HTH

 

I just use a pry bar on the top of the control arm to push it down. Be sure to line the ball joint up with the hole. You may have to push the knuckle fore or aft to get them to line up.

 

Yes, use a C-clamp they should go in in no time.

 

i find it easier to make sure the end that goes into the knuckle is aligned correctly. yes I know it moves around but if you line it up first it should go in easier.

 

Ditto: ONE remaining Upper Control Arm STUD (PIN) giving me GRIEF!!

Thank God I found a thread, date notwithstanding that underscores my FRUSTRATION:banghead: towards the very end of a nearly completed suspension job.

Not having ever done a front suspension job before the last week and getting near the big 6 (like Jay Leno:lol and doing it SOLO on a COMPLEX one such as we have, and my joints been INFLAMED for the last 6 days, I have been HUNG UP in the last two wee hrs of the morning dealing with getting the last of the 4 STUD (PIN that are the verticals of an H letter into the infamous pinch bolt IN The pinch bolt is the cross section of that H!

The other three studs I got in (DESPERATION and PERSISTENCE)using a 5lb sledgehammer despite the fact that there is sooooooo little space to swing it in. And the spring action of the two upper control arms doesn't help as I'm a slight guy just 5'6" and 150 lbs.

I knew that a BIG C clamp would help but mine are only 2.5 inches (INSUFFICIENT). I've jury rigged this in so many permutations: used old rear bumpstops to wedge between the upper control arm and the "hat" to get the upper control arm DOWN and use a hydraulic jack to moderately squeeze it from the bottom; fooled around with the positioning of the steering wheel: ALL FOR GETTING THE PROPER ALIGNMENT into the Steering Knuckle. Spent an ungodly THREE HOURS playing around with these improvisations for this LAST Stud!! And probably 1.5 hr the previous wee hr day. The other three weren't easy but clearly nothing like this last one.

Everything else for the front suspension is done (3wks ago I installed the PureMS Front Tower Brace-tricky, challenging and really tight that I had to undo for this front suspension job). I did not have issues with the infamous Pinch Bolt thanks to Quality_Sound & NYCForever recommendation to use a centerpunch and big sledge hammer- no rust given temperate climate of SoCal. The Control Arm Studs (Pins) for me and the getting the fork of the shock into the lower control arm have been my PITA ( put one spring compressor into installed strut assembly and unknowingly got a box rachet wrench without a reversible switch STUCK when the springs were compressed from 5" down to 2": SCARED the living daylights out of me and PZ:thumbup:::bowdown: gave me some approaches to utilize and saved my ass.

I'm trying to avoid the Worst case alternative: bum a ride AGAIN from same friend to pickup a much larger C clamp!

So I need some experienced installers advice to cross the finish line here:

I've gone thru a lot of permutations in trying to align the last Stud of the Control Arm so I'm wondering is there a certain technique to finish this last one??? (It's the one with the Rubber Top of the Stud:Right Front.)

TIA:thumbup:
THE EXASPERATED ONE: So close yet seems sooooo FAR!

 

The pich bolt is out, correct?

 

It's probably in too far and stopping the arm from going in.

 

bolt the top of the assembly first (3 bolts)
then put in the ca's
then mount the assembly to the lower ca.

I usually put the jack under the rotor to move the lower ca up and down to align the bolt

 

I've actually done ALL of the above in the same sequence.

The two remaining things to finish up the passenger side is ONE control arm STUD: the one with the rubberized top closest to the firewall; and then put in the pinch bolt WITH anti-seize and then the nut. Everything else (lower control arm is already bolted to the bottom fork of the shock); top three 16mm bolts of the "hat" are torqued in.

 

Update:

CONFIRMED that without touching my setup it is ALIGNED: applying my hand held pressure to get the spring loaded control arm down so that the Stud goes INTO the hole of the steering knuckle - it is IN by about 3/16 inch:thumbup: However unless you are stronger than me in that really tight space (maybe 6" max to swing!!) one needs the PROPER clamp! AND I have tried a couple of times to BANG it in with it aligned- No Luck so it's having the proper tool for this situation: NEED an opening of at least 3.25 inchs and clamping on really small edge of rubber tipped stud with the underside of steering knucle H.

Key Question: what is the RIGHT clamp to use given the tight constraints of SPACE and surface contact to allow for what small hits one could use with a 5lb sledge hammer.

Which clamp WORKS amongst the pages of Harbor Freight clamps listed: please hit up to 2 more pages to find the one you KNOW THAT WORKS: http://search.harborfreight.com/cpi...eValue=&attributeName=&requestedPage=1&resultsPerPage=10&resultsPerPageBottom=0

TIA:thumbup:

 

Put a jack under the rotor and raise it. This way your bring the assembly up rather than trying to force the arm down. You can also swing the assembly left/right to get it to line up better. If the control arm end is off, even just a tiny bit it'll bind and not go in. Once you get it lined up it'll slide right in. I know it seems like a PITA but it WILL go in.

Try the jack first.

 

The jack under the rotor has been in place the last 48 hrs in my long writeup above.

I would have thought that with ALL but one point securely torqued in: the top three upper bolts in the "hat"; the lower NEW bolt in by the fork of the shock; and one of the Stud/Pin secured that the remaining Stud/Pin would NATURALLY fall into line: it seems to: 3/16" into the hole of the steering knuckle. Because of this the ENTIRE steering knuckle assembly has virtually NO either Left or Right mobility issues. Could someone confirm this?

 

Pending and WANTING further inputs, I'll have to assume my recent experience with this and the logic that has hopefully developed in the right manner is? spot on??

TIA

 

pix would help. I've never heard of anyone in a warm weather clime have so much trouble with this.

 

x2 mine went back in with minimal coercion. twice.

 

Pics in bottom of previous post:

You can even BLOW the Pics UP

 

did you bolt up the upper control arms at the correct degree?
did you know they need to be set at a certain degree?
if you didn't then they are dead soldiers before you even finish.
when i did my A4, i spread the gap a little bit on one side to help it in.

 

I followed Herman's instructions and marked off the holes BEFORE I took the "hat off".
Moreover I also marked which is the LEFT and which is the RIGHT and focused on one side at a time till complete.
So I totally finished the driver's side overcoming a potentially unsafe situation which required consultation with none other than PZ:thumbup::bowdown: and other cognescenti.

AND LIKE YOU INDICATED YOU SPREAD ONE OF THE GAPS TO MAKE IT FIT IN: I also DID it logically without any prompting: with a prybar! and NOT with a lot of force that would way too
risky given the unknown large expense of replacing the entire steering knuckle assembly.

The only remaining impedient for finishing up the passenger side is what's been elaborately detailed in the above posts. My analysis and logic indicates that I need to add another tool to my kit: a 3.5 inch minimum opening C clamp with a spring or vise grip to offset the strong spring action of the upper control arm. And as I indicated IF all the other "locking points" are set: meaning "torqued in" how could the "middle point in the schematic overview of the job NOT fall into place. Moreover when as one can see from the picture with my hand on the rubberized tip UCA it fits in the hole of the steering knucle by 3/16" it IMHO refutes the issue of being degrees off.

Despite the unending hours expended I treat it like many journey's I've experienced: one of learning, endurance and moving forward. And having owned close to a dozen foreign vehicles only, I more fully appreciate the sophistication of German engineering especially as it relates to this complex and expensive suspension system.

Regardless of the above, I always keep an open mind on whatever in life.

Thanks Scott:thumbup:
Anson

Note: I will fiddle with it again for the third wee hr rhendezvous!

 

I did not read all of the posts, so this may not be completely pertinent, but yeah, using a 3" c-clamp made getting my control arms back in very, very easy with minimal effort after I tried a bit of baning on them to no avail.

 

I figured with a tape at least 3.5" opening necessary for the C Clamp.
Is yours a Spring Loaded one: like having a Vise Grip?

Thanks Brad for the confirmation: some question as to which one to purchase tomorrow?

 

Yeah, I bought my dad a set of 2 2" ones and two 3" ones for Christmas, haha, and I got to use them when I had to change my CV boots. But yeah, 3" fits, but just barely over the plastic nub thing on the one arm, 3 1/2" would probably be perfect. They aren't spring loaded, its just like a bench vise where spin the arm to tighten it, pretty cheap. I just put the arm in the top of the hole, and put the clamp on top the arm and under the knuckle and tighten it. They went in surpringly easy with no force.

 

Tks Brad,

I think I'll go a little overboard and get a spring loaded one- that's what PZ one of many guru's on PW recommended.

Off I go to do belated tinkering: BANGING

 

My arms went in really easily though, so they may have been sitting further into the knuckle before I started clamping than yours are now. I would go with your measurement. My cheap clamps tightened them in with no resistance though, I was surprised, but good luck.

 

Hey, I'm not sure what you mean by spring loaded ones, but I tried to used the clamps where you squeeze the handle to tighten them first and it did not work at all, just to let you know.

 

Not surprisingly: Same NO Go result.

BAFFLING: Both BradtheBold; Quality_Sound; and even VagGuy do stress that it should go EASILY into the knuckle hole. Yet the three other Studs that I did by banging fairly easily with a 5lb sledgehammer on it's side due to swingspace constraints were sooooo much easier than this last but DIFFICULT fourth Stud of the UCA. Similarily, BlakWag(Mario) described his successful technique as bang it from different sides hundreds of times with a hammer.

Question to PZ given his broad range of exposure doing this on many vehicles let alone his own: Is there such a contrast of variation as described in the preceeding paragraph? If there is this WIDE Diversity is it because of mfr variances and all the sophisticated angles of this front suspension that cause this diversity - is what comes to mind.

All roads in the dated thread (2006 part)lead to getting like I stated way up front: A LARGER C Clamp- buying a few different ones; later returning all except the best one!

 

OK, this just doesn't seem clear to me...the worst part is getting them out. Once they are out its pretty easy to jack the steering knuckle up to the Upper CA's and twist the steering knuckle over so the CA drop in. You might have to tap them in (covered in anti-size) but still should be able to unless your knuckle or CA or ruined. I don't think thats the case and when the others are telling you the Pitch bolt may be in to far....Well when you get the one arm in...you can lead that bolt in the hole to ensure the arm just in...doesn't pop back out while working. You can also turn the wheel to make the knuckle line up better, but jacking it and turning the wheel...should be all that you need.

 

Can you loosen the the inner bolts on the control arms so that you are not fighting against the spring of the rubber bush?
In theory these shouldn't be done up anyway untill the car is on the ground at ride hight otherwise the rubber bushes will be stressed before the car turns a wheel leading to premature failure.

 

here's what I'd do...
loosen the bolts that hold the control arms at the opposite end of the pinch bolt (16 or 18 mm, iirc, on both sides of each bolt - need two wrenches to do it)
get the balljoint parts into the pinchbolt area, tighten down the pinchbolt
put a hydraulic jack under the hub, and lift until it just starts to lift the front end on that side. that'll set the proper angle for the arms.
tighten the control arm bolts loosened in the first step.