Lower arm removal & replacement

[artois7 21]

Seems we're coming full circle now where the Facebook groups are becoming useless and the forum has sensible advice! 

 

I'm in need of an offside lower arm. I've seen the thread from a year or two ago warning about bad casting but without updates. Now in 2024, has anyone successfully ordered an aftermarket brand and had the correct part? 

 

Also, the rear bolt holding the arm in, how on earth do you get it out? There's no room to drift it out, wondering if someone has put it in backwards at some point as there would be plenty of room if it was the other way. As far as I can see, I will either need to remove the ARB or drop the subframe to get access to the bolt to hit it out.

[welshpug 1,657]

Nut should be on the rear of the bolt.

[artois7 21]

2 hours ago, welshpug said:

Nut should be on the rear of the bolt.

 

It is in the right way then, nut facing the back of the car. No access to get anything on it to knock the bolt through.

[artois7 21]

 

I asked a friend in a factors what they can get and these are their listed options. Febi and Delphi are known to have had the defect, I've gone with a Moog one. Let's see what turns up.

 

Any advice on actually removing the thing would be great!

[welshpug 1,657]

Take the front bolt out first, wiggle the arm.

 

Of that list most are oem suppliers l, f.a.g being highest regarded

[DamirGTI 342]

Yeah but FAG primarily makes bearing material ..

 

Demand for 205 suspension parts is a bit low , hence only a few are still made in EU and the rest being Chinesium repacked crap .

 

Moog on the pictures looks like the rest , aka item defective . Unless you get lucky and they send you an old stock wishbone .

At least be sure you can return it back on the spot if it's bad one .

 

From the lot on offer nowadays (most of them unknown) as said in previous post about it i'd try my luck with Teknorot .

They are in Turkey , and they produce specifically suspension parts thus least chance from the lot it'll be repacked import crap .

 

D

[artois7 21]

2 hours ago, welshpug said:

Take the front bolt out first, wiggle the arm.

 

Of that list most are oem suppliers l, f.a.g being highest regarded

 

If it's that simple I'm going to bang my head on the nearest brick wall. Cheers Mei.

 

27 minutes ago, DamirGTI said:

Yeah but FAG primarily makes bearing material ..

 

Demand for 205 suspension parts is a bit low , hence only a few are still made in EU and the rest being Chinesium repacked crap .

 

Moog on the pictures looks like the rest , aka item defective . Unless you get lucky and they send you an old stock wishbone .

At least be sure you can return it back on the spot if it's bad one .

 

From the lot on offer nowadays (most of them unknown) as said in previous post about it i'd try my luck with Teknorot .

They are in Turkey , and they produce specifically suspension parts thus least chance from the lot it'll be repacked import crap .

 

D

 

I saw your posts about Teknorot, their website doesn't even list the 205 and I couldn't see any 205 suppliers.

 

I'll ask to get a FAG one too and see which is better.

[DamirGTI 342]

Think you've pressed on US based catalogue instead EU variant :

 

https://www.teknorot.com/en/product/p-227/

 

https://www.teknorot.com/en/product/p-226/

 

These even look OK on the pictures ... as they should be .

 

D

[artois7 21]

The FAG part is NLA. The Moog one just arrived to the factors (they ordered both NS and OS), I won't get it til Friday but they shot these photos over

 

 

Looks like NOS with the correct angle (to my eye) so I think I've been lucky.

Edited August 14 by artois7

[chris 417 mi 34 2 Cars]

19 hours ago, artois7 said:

The FAG part is NLA. The Moog one just arrived to the factors (they ordered both NS and OS), I won't get it til Friday but they shot these photos over

 

 

Looks like NOS with the correct angle (to my eye) so I think I've been lucky.

Yep that looks like a good one 

[artois7 21]

On 8/12/2024 at 12:18 PM, welshpug said:

Take the front bolt out first, wiggle the arm.

 

Of that list most are oem suppliers l, f.a.g being highest regarded

 

Struggling like mad to actually get that rear bolt out. The nut came off no problem but the bolt is stuck fast, I managed to shift it about 2mm by rotating the ARB up out of the way, then getting a long extension and a lump hammer on it. At this point I might have to cut the head off of the bolt and try to drift it through from the other direction. 

 

Mental how much of a fight it is putting up. The front came out no problem at all.

 

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Try unwinding it with a spanner or ratchet/socket

[artois7 21]

24 minutes ago, Tom Fenton said:

Try unwinding it with a spanner or ratchet/socket

 

Spent a good while doing that last night, It will rotate separate of the arm now but no outwards movement. 

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Has the bolt seized to the steel sleeve in the bush?

 

For what it takes it might be easier to just drop the subframe off the car, its only 20 min work.

[drj545 4]

Bit of heat with a blowtorch, or failing that cut bolt head off, tap through a bit, cut other end off, tap back in and then and slide out arm. 

Edited August 15 by drj545

[artois7 21]

1 hour ago, Tom Fenton said:

Has the bolt seized to the steel sleeve in the bush?

 

For what it takes it might be easier to just drop the subframe off the car, its only 20 min work.

 

I believe so, yes. 

 

20 minutes work for anyone half competent, I am 99.999% confident one of the subframe captive nuts will end up spinning off and I'll be in a world of hurt. 

 

16 minutes ago, drj545 said:

Bit of heat with a blowtorch, or failing that cut bolt head off, tap through a bit, cut other end off, tap back in and then and slide out arm. 

 

Annoyingly my blowtorch got misplaced during a house move, but cutting off both ends is a solid idea.