Suspension mountings

[alexk]

Hi, for some time now we've had a problem with the steering in that it makes a terrible noise when at full turn in car parks and occasionally sticks when turning a corner at slow speed. The mechanic says it is the mountings and that they are a pig to get out. Does anyone have experience with these? Thanks

[alexk]

To be precise it's the shock mountings under the windscreen that are suspect. With the car jacked up and front wheels hanging loose there is vertical up and down play in the wheel.

[bigdave982]

There is suppose to be movement with it jacked up,  that's why you drive with the wheels on the ground
Search for top mounts for more info
But he is correct, they are a bugger to remove,  if I do mine again the cups will be just cut off and replaced as only a few quid each

[alexk]

Hi, thanks for that. What do you mean about cutting off the top cups? Does that mean they have to be welded back on?

[alexk]

Can't seem to find any posts on the subject which is a surprise as I gather it is a common problem with the gal

[Chrispb]

There will always be up and down play when the weight is off the wheels, the noise you have is probably the top bearings which will require removal of the shock absorber, obviously fitting a new rubber mount will reduce the amount of lift but not eliminate all.

[Chrispb]

The cups Dave is talking about is the dished washer directly under the securing nut.

[bigdave982]

Chris is correct that what I meant
It's the nut that is a bas@@@@@d to remove cos the rust on
Cut the cups off the whole leg can be removed then work on it in a vice

Trust me wasted a whole morning once, angle grinder out nd job done in an hour

[insanitybeard]

For all their usual sense and ingenuity in design, those mounts are one thing the VW designers cocked up on...... their shape and position means they gather water which is not readily able to drain, causing the locknut to rust solid to the strut damper rod, and the space isn't exactly ideal for working on them in situ! Surprising they didn't notice the flaw during testing and either fit a cap to the top of the mount or just manufacture them with a drain hole!

[alexk]

Thanks for all that guys. Is it likely that the top bearings are also responsible for the jamming if the steering while on the road? I don't really want to go at this job if all if does is clear up the noisy manoeuvres in car parks (which I can live with) only to find that I still have the more serious steering fault.

[insanitybeard]

For the kind of fault you are describing there can't be that many other potential causes, if you want to be sure you could jack up the front of the car so that both front wheels are clear of the ground and test the operation of the steering with no load on the front wheels, make sure it rotates smoothly from lock to lock, look at the condition of the ball joint gaiters where the suspension lower arms meet the wheel knuckles, if they split and water/dirt gets in the joint could either get sloppy or bind, might be worth checking the track rod end gaiters as well for the same reason. The only other likely potential cause I can think of could be a power steering pump on it's way out, but the top bearings would be favourite if the steering action is noisy and rough, as those bearings support the full weight of the front end of the vehicle so any binding/ roughness is likely to be noticeable through the steering. Here's the parts diagram, I think number 16 is the actual bearing and number 14 is the rubber suspension top mounting.

[Chrispb]

I can say from my own experience that I suspected my top bearings as I had odd noises and stiffness.
Managed to get the top nuts off without too much hassle, (had soaked them in penetrating fluid a week before)
The top bearings are just ball bearings in a plastic case which I managed to prise apart, the grease had completely gone just a dried up mess left behind.
I repacked mine with grease and refitted that was about six years ago and still going without problems but you can replace the bearing and mount.

[alexk]

Many thanks. That's a great help. I will double check the steering and gaiters but evidence does seen to point to the bearings alright. I'll get squirting with the wd40 in preparation....

[Chrispb]

The old fashioned penetrating fluid is a better releasing fluid than WD40, fill the cups leave them for a week before attempting to undo.

[alexk]

Hi, whereabouts do I need to put the penetrating fluid? Mechanics says I have to jack it up but I thought it was needed from above, under the bonnet...

[insanitybeard]

It's the strut top mount and locknut (accessed from under the bonnet) you need to marinate in penetrating oil- items 12 & 13 on the parts diagram link I posted previously, the reason for this is that water tends to gather in the mounts and not drain causing it all to corrode solid. If you're removing the strut from the wheel knuckle (item 2 on that parts diagram) you may also want to give the clamping bolt (number 18) a spray too.