Date: Fri, 7 Mar 97 19:26:48 EST
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: jag@cs.rochester.edu
Subject: Re: Frond end Knocking on 83
Mike Wynn <lmf1@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> writes:
> About 3 weeks ago I noticed that as I went over the crappy roads,
> there was a knocking coming from the front end, mostly on the left side I
> think, but Im biased as I was driving on the left side....go figure eh!
> So....do I finally have to do my CV joints or what?
Maybe the connecting link between the sway bar and the lower
control arm broke. That will produce "thumps" when the now lose
link hits the lower control arm. Look under the van near the
front wheels. I have a picture of the front wheel suspension
on http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/vw/body/westyWheelSusp.jpg.
The link I'm talking about is located on a line with image coordinates:
(167,103) and (171,54). It most often breaks in the lower end
(has happened to several listmembers). See note below by Bill
Kennedy:
/Martin ('82 Westy)
----------------
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 10:53:12 EST
To: jag@cs.rochester.edu
CC: vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu, type2@PRIMENET.COM, kennedy@admin.njit.edu
Message-ID: <009A581F.C78F78D2.41@admin.njit.edu>
Subject: RE: Piece of metal rod stuck in rubber bushing, how remove?
On Vanagon sway bar links, what looks like a rubber bushing on the control
arm is actually two rubber bushings, one above, one below a flat place on
the control arm. The hole in the flat place is the diameter of the metal
sleeve the link goes through (about 1/2") not the diameter of the bushing
(about 1.5"). What's holding the broken piece in is that the broken piece
is rusted to the sleeve and the sleeve is rusted to the hole in the control
arm. Tear the two rubber bushings off and this will be clearer. Heat
and a hammer will then get the sleeve out of the control arm.
When I put it back together, I left out the sleeve since it seems to me to
have rusting to the control arm as its sole purpose. I just put fender
washers above the top bushing and below the bottom bushing to make sure
they stayed there.
If you are able to get the broken piece out, leaving the sleeve rusted in
place on the control arm, do not slide a new link into it. The link needs
to be able to rock a little in the control arm and will break right away
if the sleeve is rusted in place. As jag@cs has found, this rusted connec-
tion is very robust, and can snap $68 links within the first trip after
installation.
Hope this is clear enough for those that have become intimate with their
Vgon front suspensions. Feel free to email questions if not.
B.
Wm Kennedy
kennedy@admin.njit.edu
----------
--
Martin Jagersand email: jag@cs.rochester.edu
Computer Science Department jag@cs.chalmers.se
University of Rochester Fax: (716) 461-2018
Rochester, NY 14627-0226 WWW: http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/
