Lower suspension arms...205

sponix · Post by **sponix** » 20 Sep 2004, 20:38

Going to replace the lower suspension arms on the 205D next weekend..
Are there any 'gotchas' I should be aware of? The Haynes book says that there is no need to compress the front coil springs...is this so?

VisaGTi16v · Post by **VisaGTi16v** » 20 Sep 2004, 20:51

If its the double arm type like on the gti its quite simple. Undo both bolts holding it into the subframe. Undo the bolt where it goes into the hub and apply a club hammer onto the arm to knock it out of the hub. Wriggle it out, reverse action, may need to use hammer to knock it back up into the hub. Problem I had before was with one bolt that had kinda bonded to the rubber bush that had broken down and it was impossible to take out as I got the nut off the end but the bolt would just spin with the rubber making it like a spring. You would turn it as far as you could then it would just spring back etc. Tried heating it everything!

No need to compress the springs that I can see, worse case you may need to put a jack under the hub to lift it up a bit and in effect compress them if you cant get the end of the arm into the hub

sponix · Post by **sponix** » 21 Sep 2004, 16:56

It's the single arm type..one rubber bush on the inboard joint, another rubber bush in the middle for the anti roll bar and a ball joint on t'other end.

JohnD · Post by **JohnD** » 22 Sep 2004, 00:34

There's no need to touch the spring. All you'll need is a length of bar or scaffold tube to lever down the anti-roll bar so that the ball joint can be released from the bottom of the hub carrier.

ralph · Post by **ralph** » 23 Sep 2004, 14:08

If the anti-roll bar gets moved you may have to adjust the roll bar's guide bar. Except on mine I couldn't because the nut on the top of the guide bar's clamp bolt was impossible to get a spanner to.
My solution was to hacksaw through the clamp bolt (get your head well clear when it breaks free) and get a replacement cap bolt (with an allen key head) which is easier to work with.
Also, after fitting the new suspension arms and before tightening the various bolts up, roll the car forwards and back a bit, and push up and down on the front to make sure the roll bar etc have settled into alignment. Then tighten everything up.