Lower ball joints, tips needed, any BTDT's?

[blown_vr6]

Camber is adjusted where the balljoint meets the wishbone - you can move them relative to each other.

[LHD_Kid]

If you undo the 3 bolts the ball joint can slide in and out of the wishbone. That is the camber adjustment.

yes, I can see that, that makes perfect sense.... but why do you have to undo them to change the ball joint? I know it is this plate which basically slides in and out to adjust camber, but imagine this was welded solid, like a non adjustable camber wishbone, you would just push out the ball joint, no? So, why undo everything and change the camber angle when you reassemble?
I must be missing something really obvious here, but I do want to understand things...!
Cheers fellas...!

[LHD_Kid]

Just had a thought, the ball joint comes as just the joint, correct? it does not have the plate attatched already....If it came as one unit this would make sense....!

[blown_vr6]

The balljoint has to have a mounting point where it meets the wishbone.
The balljoint is attached to the wishbone by three bolts.
These 3 bolts pass through the end of the wishbone and the casting which surrounds the balljoint which has elongated slots to allow for camber adjustment.
You cannot remove just the balljoint from its mounting plate as its all one casting.

[LHD_Kid]

The balljoint has to have a mounting point where it meets the wishbone.
The balljoint is attached to the wishbone by three bolts.
These 3 bolts pass through the end of the wishbone and the casting which surrounds the balljoint which has elongated slots to allow for camber adjustment.
You cannot remove just the balljoint from its mounting plate as its all one casting.

AHHHHHHHHHH
now we make sense!!!!!!!
I ordered the ball joint from VAG Parts, and was told it didnt come on this plate....
If I knew that it would have been an obvious thing, and I wouldn't have even posted the original question....!
Lets see what arrives and hopefully it is as you say....!
Thanks, and I am not as stupid as I must seem, this is what happens when you try to explain things over the phone...!
Many thanks
Chris

[iain1067]

one thought if the rear wishbones on th s2 are attached to the subframe like 90 20vq, then you are going to need a 17mm cranked ring spanner to get to the nut (nyloc) on the inside of the subframe


iain

[LHD_Kid]

Thats ok, if need be I can heat and bend an old one I have, I can cross that bridge if needed...!
Cheers....!
Chris

[S2central.net]

Correct on the 'swan-neck' 17mm spanner - that job is a ****** without one

[Skull]

LHD_Kid: i posted a pic of the wishbone and the ball joint is on the left side. didnt you see it?

for your pleasure:

[LHD_Kid]

LHD_Kid: i posted a pic of the wishbone and the ball joint is on the left side. didnt you see it?

for your pleasure:

Yes, thanks, I did see it.... It shows the ball joint connected to a plate... It also shows the wishbone with bushes, but if you buy a wishbone it wont come with bushes, and if you want bushes you dont buy them fitted to a new wishbone....
Since the guy who was sending me the part told me it did not come with the plate as shown in the picture, I thought I would find out how to do it...
I now find out I need to loosen the wishbone to subframe mountings too, for whaever reason, I don't know..
I wish I had never mentioned it and just waited to see what I had got sent, and seen it was probably obvious...
anyway, once I have the bits, I am sure I will be able to do it......!

[Jas11n]

Thats a front wishbone, not a rear.

[Jas11n]

@ Chris, my new rear wishbones last year came with bushes already fitted.

HTH's
Jas..