Ball joint, positive camber on drivers wheel now sorted

[titch]

Just been on the phone to euro car parts, on their website when i put my reg no in it brings up 3 x lemforder ball joints but not much detail about them.

So they just confirmed for me this morning

PT no 617735035 is 16mm with power steering
PT no 617735065 is 18mm with power steering
PT no 617735115 is 18mm without power steering

So looks like i need to get PT no 617735065 and check the length of it against the delphi one i have got, as the place i went to yesterday only listed one for my car so i had no way of comparing the lengths of them.

[titch]

My mate has a trade account at ECP, so he ordered me both the ball joints 18mm with power steering and 18mm without power steering, there is a difference in length, so I kept the longer one with power steering.
Got the car up on the ramp tonight after work, swapped the ball joint and it made no difference the wheel is still exactly the same and the feeling through the steering is the same to.
Had a good look round and a good going over all the bushes with a Pry bar and there is no play anywhere (wasn’t expecting any) as nearly everything is new the wishbone bushes are powerflex( the new design ones ) and so are the P bushes, nothing looks damaged or bent, the only thing I have not changed since i have owned the car is the strut top mounts, now I know the usual symptom for them is knocking when turning which I don’t have, I did notice that when the car was up in the air and if I turned the wheels from lock to lock by hand it felt quite notchy , but if one was worn or collapsed do you think that could cause the problems I have?
It is difficult to explain how the steering feels but it is similar to if your front tyres are really over inflated and the steering feels light, but only on the drivers side.

Cheers Titch

[Toms306]

Wait, so your BJ was the right one to start with? This is getting confusing lol.

The steering feel will be lighter like that, you're getting less contact patch between the rubber and the road, which is exactly the same as overinflating the tyres.

I can't see it being the top mounts tbh, the breaker I bought had been sitting so long one of the bearings rusted solid... Anyway, it made no difference to camber, just meant the whole bearing was turning inside the mount so was really stiff/jerky.

I really can't see what else it could possibly be if nothings bent and no bushes are knackered.

[Rippthrough]

Bent strut?

[titch]

Wait, so your BJ was the right one to start with? This is getting confusing lol.

The steering feel will be lighter like that, you're getting less contact patch between the rubber and the road, which is exactly the same as overinflating the tyres.

I can't see it being the top mounts tbh, the breaker I bought had been sitting so long one of the bearings rusted solid... Anyway, it made no difference to camber, just meant the whole bearing was turning inside the mount so was really stiff/jerky.

I really can't see what else it could possibly be if nothings bent and no bushes are knackered.

Yeah the ball joint that i recently fitted ( and it's only since then ) that i have noticed the camber is the same length as the new one i got, so something is wrong some where. The steering when moving it from side to side with the car up in the air using the road wheels felt jerky though, but i don't see how the top mounts could cause the camber.
The powereflex bushes on the wishbone have no movement or play in them what so ever, the track rod ends and inner tie bars are new, the drop links are new the struts and springs are less than a year old, the only thing i have not changed is the top mounts.
Looking at the strut on the drivers side it didn't look bent, i think i am going to have to whip the strut out so i can have a better look.
might pop to the scrap yard after work tomorrow as there was a HDI d turbo there last week so might just take the struts, springs and top mounts off and chuck them on mine to see if makes any difference.

[Seb_Ryan]

90% of the time you won't see a strut bent.. It only takes very little on the strut to make you see a wheel not right if ya get me, so just change it with 1 of the hdi ones to see what it's like

[titch]

90% of the time you won't see a strut bent.. It only takes very little on the strut to make you see a wheel not right if ya get me, so just change it with 1 of the hdi ones to see what it's like

Yeah looking at it it was difficult to see if it was bent, think i will just chuck the 2 from the scrappy on and go from there, see if it cures it.

[Piggy]

Is the ride height different for each side?

[titch]

Is the ride height different for each side?

It does seem a little lower on the drivers side, ( the side with the camber )

[zx_volcane]

Looks exactly like you've put a shorter bottom ball joint on, I know you've checked already, but have you compared length to the one the otherside?

[titch]

Looks exactly like you've put a shorter bottom ball joint on, I know you've checked already, but have you compared length to the one the otherside?

Thats what i thought to start with, but they are both the same length, the pass and drivers side.

It has got me stumped as everything looks and feels ok.
Like i said it could of been like that for a while and i didn't notice it, i only noticed recently and the last thing i changed on that side was the ball joint.


Could the arb effect anything if it was bent?

[zx_volcane]

Well like you say then if you've ruled that out the only thing that can affect camber is the strut or the top mount

Easy to pop a 2nd strut on and see how you go

[titch]

Well like you say then if you've ruled that out the only thing that can affect camber is the strut or the top mount

Easy to pop a 2nd strut on and see how you go

Nice one so top mounts can affect the camber, i am off to get some this after noon, so will chuck different shocks and new top mounts on and see what happens.

Thanks Titch

[titch]

managed to get the afternoon of work, so i popped over to the scrap yard and the D turbo hdi i saw last week was still there so i managed to take the front struts off it, also got a rear light as mine was leaking, and the wiper sensor got the lot for a tenner.
Will probably chuck some new top mounts on these and then fit them to mine and see what happens. They dn't look to bad and once i have given them a good clean in the parts washer i am sure they will look a lot better.

[Piggy]

a tenner?? I like your scrappy! I would have to have paid 5 times that at mine!!!

and ARB wont affect camber.

its either lower arm, ball joint, or strut(bearing/bent/fitting)

got me a bit stumped this one too!

[titch]

Are the D turbo shocks and springs different from the HDI i know they fit but are the shocks stiffer or any difference in the springs?

Yeah it is nice and cheap all the cars are in the yard you go and take off what you want, and go through the office on the way out, nothing there is expensive. Been going there for years.

Well i know the ball joint is good, the lower arms are all powerflexed ( that doesn't mean anything after the snags i had with the engine mount ) so will fit the new top mounts and struts and see what happens, if that doesn't sort it, i might chuck my standard wishbones back on just to make sure.
Then i am out of ideas, unless the subframe is bent?

[Piggy]

get some pics of it all when you do the job

Dturbo, think they were slightly stiffer yeah...somewhere between GLX spec and Gti

[Rippthrough]

If the strut is bent it'll only do it right above where the clamp is so 99% of the time you won't see it without taking it out of the clamp or running a straight edge down the back of it.

[titch]

get some pics of it all when you do the job

Dturbo, think they were slightly stiffer yeah...somewhere between GLX spec and Gti

Will do, hopefully get it done early next week.

---

If the strut is bent it'll only do it right above where the clamp is so 99% of the time you won't see it without taking it out of the clamp or running a straight edge down the back of it.

Ok thanks will have a look when i get them out, will be checking the ones i have just got now aswell just to make sure.

[titch]

Well changed the top mounts today, got the ones from ECP.
Think i found the problem, the drivers side top mount bearing was knackered badly corroded and split and the bearing was fitted up side down !!
About 6 months ago the drivers side spring snapped as i was leaving work, i didn't have time to sort it, so put it into a local garage to have 2 new springs fitted, and that was the only time the suspension has been out in the 3 years i have owned the car.
So fitted 2 new top mounts and all is good the drivers wheel now sits correctly and the dodgey feeling through the steering has gone.
Just need to get the tracking checked and adjusted in the next few days and all will be good.

Pic of the top mount bearng from the drivers side.

[zx_volcane]

Ffs, can't believe that mate

Bloody garages!

Glad you've got it sorted

[titch]

Cheers,

Yeah just glad it is sorted now,it was starting to do my head in. Thats why i like to do stuff myself as you know it has been done correctly then.
It was pretty obvious as i had the shock and spring in a Pneumatic compressor and as soon as the sripng was compressed and the nut was off, the mounting plate at the botom that the bearing sits in fell down and the bearing was up the wrong way.

Needless to say i won't be using that garage again!

[titch]

Got the tracking done this morning, and it was miles out as expected after changing the bits.

Just drove 200 miles home for the weekend and it drives spot on, so it is defiantly sorted

[Toms306]

Lol, I've heard of 'DIYers' fitting it upside down as that's how they often come in the box, but not a paid garage!!

At least its sorted now though.

[titch]

Lol, I've heard of 'DIYers' fitting it upside down as that's how they often come in the box, but not a paid garage!!

At least its sorted now though.

I know it is shocking!

But i was stuck at work in Cornwall and didn't have time to do it myself, so used them. Won't be again and i will make sure that everyone on the base doesn't either.

[titch]

Believe me there is 2 types pas and non pas as i had both of them just to make sure, as i thought i had been given the wrong one, the pas one is longer from the bolt holes to the joint, and when they are both side by side it is quite a noticeable difference.