Noisy Suspension

[seatkid]

Changed a drop link again today. Drivers side - again. The last GSF pattern part (~£15) lasted only a little over a year - very poor. As usual with these drop links, physical inspection showed no play, only giveaway is its easy to turn on the ball joints.

 

Problem this time was its one of the newer designs that dont have the handy flats on the shoulder to hold the ball joint bolt with a spanner, only a 12 point XZN spline in the end of the threaded bolt. So using a hex key (I know...) I start undoing the nuts...

 

What I should have done first is soak the protuding exposed thread in penetrating oil first and clean the rusty threads as best I can - it would have avoided the problem I had of the nut seizing up half way off. Of course the spline just rounded off - they all do that according to local mechanic - XZN is rubbish and only any good on new assembly items.

 

After a little panic I sought advice from my local mechanic who was very familar with this common problem and told me his list of remedies in ascending order. His first solution worked fine - use Molegrips really, really tight on the shoulder at the bottom of the thread (on ball joint side where the flats used to be) - spin the nut back in and clean/oil the rusty threads - then undo.

 

Bought a genuine VAG droplink cheap of ebay - some dealer disposing of old stock with opened packaging. Think it was £8. It also has stupid XZN splined ends - but I know the genuine ones are good for about 50,000 miles or more so hopefully I can forget about it.

 

After fitting it, the knocking/banging are gone and its back to tranquility for now.

 

p.s. my roll bar is in a bit of a state - all that stupid plastic coating has gone brittle so I pulled it all off revealing a highly rusted roll bar.

[sparky Paul]

Ditto here with the anti-roll bar, mines crusty too.

 

I've also just fitted a droplink, and this one doesn't have the flats either. The nuts sieze on so tight that the flats are often useless anyway. Most useful tool I've found to grip the back shoulder of the ball joints are Footprint pliers, or alternatively a smallish pair of Stillsons - the harder you turn the tighter they grip.

[sappers]

Changed drop links, bottom ball joints, track rod ends, top suspension mounts, bearings on the suspension mounts, front shocks, wishbone bushes and checked all over for loose bolts but still getting knocking sound over rough ground. I also replaced front brake pads and it seems to be the pads rattling in the caliper as the noise stops if the brakes are applied. Go figure!

[viperclive]

Had same problem as yourself, did the lot including struts, still had knocking noise, as a last resort changed anti roll bar bushes, noise n knocking now gone!!! Wish I'd done them first would have saved a fortune lol

[sappers]

Oh, cool, have changed them before, will do them again when I get back from my hols. Thanks.

[ali66]

Had knocking sound develop - tried rocking car as suggested and seemed to isolate it to nearside - purchased drop links from ECP - a pair for £18 - quoted £90 from Ford - had a go this afternoon - managed to get top bolt undone but struggled with the bottom one, couldn't get the bloody tyre off to help get more space because the lockable wheel bolt wasn't budging - whipped it down to local tyre garage who sorted the wheel bolt and put it up on hydraulic jack and had the bottom bolt off in seconds and whipped the new drop link on - they also fixed my engine undershield that I'd broke trying to get bottom bolt off! - charged me £15 and I drove off with not a sound from the nearside - chuffed with that - would have liked to have completed it myself but glad its sorted. As always thanks to this site for providing the solutions.

[sparky Paul]

£15 not too painful at all, not worth getting your hands mucky for that! At least it's sorted.