Date:         Mon, 22 Dec 2003 21:57:27 -0800
Reply-To:     Antaki <wrack@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Antaki <wrack@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Upper control arm bushing dilemna
In-Reply-To:  <BAY99-F68S6ijM9VcBL0001ffa5@hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

On my '86 Syncro Westy, I replaced the all the front-end bushings and
ball joints earlier this year, and have less than 3K miles on them.
Now the upper control arm bushings are failing, very hard to move,
leaking grease, off-center, basically shot. I took care to replace them
by pushing on the outer part, rather than the inner sleeve. When bolting
the control arm onto the body, I noticed the bushings were "too short"
to for the inner sleeves to rest against the eccentric washers, and the
insides of them were being pushed out of the center towards the washer.

Bentley manual indicated a max clearance, and these had way too much. I
ordered the thickest eccentric washers, and found that what was
currently installed already were the thickest, so no relief by
"official" means. I found that Orchard Supply Hardware had these
hardened Washers that had the exact inner diameter and proper thickness
to take up the slack if I used one between one of the bushings and it's
associated eccentric washer.

This worked fine up until recently, when the front end groans like
Dracula lifting his coffin lid at night! I traced it to these bushings,
removed the control arm, clamped the bushing in a vice as if it were
normally mounted, and proved it was these bushings causing the noise and
resistance.

What can I do? I remember someone posting a similar problem with the
extra space at the time I was doing my front end, and suggested the fix
I used. Maybe they will see this and report their results? Anyone else
have this problem?The part is made by Meyle, are there different
versions? I saw the same part number listed for two wheel drive and the
Syncro, from the vendor I used. Are there differnt parts?

It would be a shame to have to give up on Syncros and Vanagons over one
simple part, I guess...

Thanks in advance,

Ron Antaki