roomabuzzy

So I'm almost done putting the suspension back on my 88 90Q and I'm starting to worry that I've screwed up somewhere. The thing that worries me is that, when I raise the suspension, the strut compresses, but before compressing, it actually raises up a bit (see pics). I don't actually have an offset 22mm wrench to go in there and tighten it so it's been sortof hard, but I'm sure it's as tight as it'll go, so I don't know why the gap is there. Could it be because of my lowering springs? That's really my only guess.

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/mount1.jpg">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/mount2.jpg">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/mount3.jpg">

2nd question is about my axle shaft. When I got to putting the front axles back into the steering knuckles, I noticed that the front right INNER CV joint seems to have a good amount of "in/out" play. It comes out a good 2-3 inches.. is this normal? I never noticed it before, but I haven't done any work on that axle, so I would be tempted to believe that it was like that before.

Any help is appreciated as I hope to finish this project ASAP. Oh and I've also attached a couple of pics of the suspension for those who are curious. The pics are a from last week, so the car is a little more complete now, but it gives you an idea..... and yes I've fixed the tie rod end... that was a blonde moment. lol

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/imag0037.jpg">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/imag0039.jpg">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/imag0040.jpg">


<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/imag0041.jpg">

iProDrive

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/136064/imag0037.jpg">

520

You say you raise the suspensiona nd it compresses then??

As fo rthe axle - yes, it will move in/out. It has to do that for when your suspension travels during movement.

Good that you fixed that tie rod, I was gonna comment as I 1st browsed through your pics;-)

Lastly, please tell me you didn't buy all new hardware from the dealer??

quattro.pilot

excessive. I would square up the CVjoint and then flex it around in normal movement, feeling for roughness or slop or gaps etc. Since it has an exposed end you'll be able to see the different sections of the CV joint move back &amp; forth on the ball bearings... so ya, now that I think about it I'd say "typical" movement is around 2inches, maybe a bit more maybe a bit less... you sound fine, I'd just put it back on.

As for the strut gap... you're positive you got all the "top end" strut pieces back together in the proper order? Stupid question, but is the strut mount on the correct way? Usually there's more gap than people expect when they revitalize their suspension (because the new strut mount is "holding" the body of the car up higher). It's when there's absolutely no gap that there's cause for concern.

If you can't buy the 22mm offset wrench right at this moment, and are willing to sacrifice a 22mm socket, you can modify it -the socket- as a makeshift strut nut tool. Use a grinder to cut the upper sides of the socket square so as to fit the open end of a large wrench (might have to be 1" or 1-1/8"). You could also grind down the top of the socket so as to make it shorter. This procedure will allow you to put the socket on the nut, hold it with the wrench, and then to finish you put the appropriate Hex/Alan key down the center and into the top of the shock. You may have to use grippers or some other form of snipe on the alan key in order to have enough leverage force to hold the rig in place while you tighten the 22mm nut.

rggpa2

what you are seeing is the "floor" of the mount flexing upward with the weight of the car. After repetitive cycles of this, they will fail.

That is why any of the VAP mounts (Mount-Savers, Pro-Mounts) are worth it.

Haven't heard a user report on the 034 Density Line mounts yet, but they look like they should work better than the various Chinese knock-offs.

'Fess up, what mounts did you finally get?

dtompsett

the axle movement is normal.

I would remove the front tie-rods and flip them over. I think it's been discussed, and I know I've always done mine from the bottom up. Especially if you've got lowering springs on them... they will be in better alignment if they're coming in from the bottom.

The strut cap doesn't look right... I can see your concern. Is it physically the same as the piece you took off? Looks like you ordered replacements and aren't using the originals. Is the slotted nut tightened down all the way? With brand new OEM mounts there shouldn't be that much gap... and I hope you've ordered OEM mounts from the stealership and Mountsavers from Mance, or those strut mounts are gonna be toast pretty quickly.

Hybrid_Hatch

I recently did. It worked, it wasn't however the highest quality tool in the world. but like I said, it got the job done.<ul><li><a href="http://www.zdmak.com/wbstore/main.asp?action=PROD&amp;PROD=MK-4491SET3&amp;CTMP=1&amp;LowCt=0">strut tool set</a></li></ul>

roomabuzzy

Ok, let's start with the easy stuff.

- B&amp;G 1.4" drop springs
- KYB shocks (yes I know, but my budget is limited, for now I just want anything better than broken)
- Air filter/Fuel filter
- 1L Pentosin
- 2 bottles of techron fuel system cleaner
- Front tie rods assemblies, rear tie rod assemblies
- Front and rear ball joints
- 2 strut insert caps (had to cut the front ones)
- 034 strut mounts (hope they're good.. ppl keep talking about how 034's stuff is great)
- CA Bushings

And well the rest is just stuff like nuts, bolts, washers, etc... all the little stuff..

And for those who are wondering, I wasn't crazy enough to spend an arm and a leg @ the stealership for this stuff. Most of it comes from AutohausAZ and GenuineVWAudiParts.

roomabuzzy

It's hard to tell from the images in Bentley/ETKA, but they should be on properly. I can't really imagine the mount being upside down. It seems to only go in one way (so that the slotted nut fits into the little dip in the mount)

roomabuzzy

I didn't put any mount-savers on though. For the moment, they're a little out of my budget and since the strut inserts I put in are cheap, I figure that, within the next year, I'll want to upgrade them, so I'll put in mount-savers at that time.