[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
On 4 Aug 2005 at 8:27, Park, Keith J (Research) wrote: > I did my lowers about 1990, and used new ones. But Im uncertain if what > they supplied back then was of the quality OEM style or weather the > Brazillian stuff had taken over. There are probably places out there who still have good OEM ones. [I don't know the maker's name, but their logo appears to be a little micrometer. Anyone know who this is?] It's probably been 25 years since I last saw a genuine OEM replacement. > So I jacked it up by the lower torsion arm and put a crowbar under the upper > arm and low and behold, there is 1/8" or so of play in the lower joint!! > Now, if as Jim stated, there is a spring in the OEM style to take up for wear > would I then, in fact, see play in a good joint when checking it this way? You have to compare the play you find with the wear limit in the manual. You'll need to actually measure the play with a caliper, because it needs to be accurate. I believe the wear limit is something like 2.5mm, which is getting pretty close to 1/8" When the lowers are new, the play in them is nearly zero, but as the (nylon?) cups in them wear, the springs advance the cups so that there is no completely free play. Somewhere around 2.5mm later, faces of the plastic cups are about to meet, and that's when the joints start to get "free" play. You're actually fine as long as the joint is still spring loaded, but that is impossible to tell with the joint mounted in the car and under torsion bar tension. I know this is probably not very clear, but it's really hard to describe in typed words. -- Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711-3054 USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~