Control Arm Headaches

"NinetyQ" (NinetyQ) 10/02/2013 at 16:30 • Filed to: A90Q20V

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Progress on the Audi has been stymied by this. I'm trying to get my control arms off, and fortunately, the bolt spins freely. The problem is that the other end and the nut holding it on is inside the subframe. There is an access hole which you can see here, but it's not directly under the nut, and it's not wide enough to really fit a socket wrench in there. How am I supposed to get that off?

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:33

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Maybe an offset wrench?

dogisbadob > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:33

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Hi

505Turbeaux > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:37

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I have a short socket that I sneak in there. Looks like it would be rusted into place. Cut the whole damn thing off and put a new bolt in there. Dont think twice, just do it

505Turbeaux > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:38

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sawzall

corvairsomeday2 > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:40

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Wow. I wasn't aware that the Titanic had automotive control arms. There be serious rust.

TSLA > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 16:41

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Is this Audi pre-war?... Thats alot of rust, man.

NinetyQ > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 10/02/2013 at 16:46

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:O How did I not think of that? I don't have one though, but I do have access to a set.

NinetyQ > TSLA 10/02/2013 at 16:48

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Yeah.... it's pre-Iraq war! It's a '91. I am not happy about the amount of rust. I bought the car when I was a much less experienced Jalop and didn't give much thought to potential rust. Things are still solid, but yeah... quite a bit of rust. Floors are solid though! :D

NinetyQ > corvairsomeday2 10/02/2013 at 16:49

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Yeah, no kidding. I have no idea what happened to this thing during the last 22 years, but I hate whoever did it. At least it's reasonably solid. Just very rusty.

Sethersm > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 17:05

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Looks about the same as my '98 chevy's frame. Road salt will do that.

Sethersm > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 17:07

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This is the job that convinced me to buy one of these:

and cutoff wheels for it.

NinetyQ > Sethersm 10/02/2013 at 17:07

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And yet none of our other cars are like this, despite two of them being close in age to this. I think it was just neglected at some point. Nobody else seems to have rust this bad of the cars I've seen on forums.

Bird > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 17:31

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Cut the bolt. DON'T CUT THE FRAME OF THE CAR! I know other people are suggesting it but don't do it. That little lip is providing a lot of strength to that section. Especially considering the corrosion. If you cut the whole opening bigger, I can just about guarantee you'll end up ripping the mount.

They put the access hole there for a reason, and a tool must exist to fit in there...If not, make a new tool. Cutting the body/chassis of a car to do mechanical work is bad.

NinetyQ > Bird 10/02/2013 at 19:48

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I wasn't even considering cutting it myself. Maybe the bolt if it comes to that, but I don't have a tool for it. Might have to take it to my cousin's shop and see if he can squeeze me into a stall so I can use his air tools.

Bird > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 19:56

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Good. I've got a hole in the fender well of a miata that I can't figure out if someone 'punched' out for some reason, or if some piece of debris became a missle...

While slow, a hacksaw blade with a single ended holder would take care of that bolt.

NinetyQ > Bird 10/02/2013 at 20:09

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True, but my worry with cutting the bolt is how am I going to get the nut back on the replacement bolt when it comes time to reassemble it? Either way, I need something that will get a good grip on the nut. If I can do that and it still won't budge off the bolt, then I'll think about cutting it.

Bird > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 20:27

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Do you know if the factory/dealers use a special tool?

I'm guessing you don't have a welder, but one option is to take a deep well socket, chop off the end the attaches to the ratchet leaving it the perfect length to slip through the opening. then weld a handle to the side of it, making your own 'deep-well box end wrench'. If you're still having problems fitting it in, cut out one side of the socket to create a flare nut style wrench.

Bird > Bird 10/02/2013 at 20:28

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That is, if you can't get the offset wrench to fit.

NinetyQ > Bird 10/02/2013 at 20:54

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Yeah, I don't have a welder. I also don't know if the dealers use a special tool, but a prominent guy on the Audi forums directed me to an offset wrench set that should work. Hopefully that's how it goes.

TSLA > NinetyQ 10/02/2013 at 21:10

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Glad to hear its solid. Great car btw.

Sethersm > NinetyQ 10/03/2013 at 11:01

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Well, where are you and where is the car from? I'm in MN, lots of salt gets used here. My brother is in CO, says they use more sand than salt there, cars don't rust nearly as badly.

NinetyQ > Sethersm 10/03/2013 at 12:02

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I'm in Indiana. The car is from Ohio. We get plenty of snow, but our winters aren't as harsh as MN.