[T3] ball joints

[Jim Adney]

On 7 Mar 2012 at 10:54, Chris Sheridan wrote:

> Has anyone changed their ball joints on their type 3 that wants to share
> the following:

I have never managed to get them out, but I've also never run across 
one that had actually reached its wear limit. I suspect that people 
who got theirs out were working on cars that hadn't spent their lives 
in the rust belt. The double flatted stub lets water get all the way 
down into those threads.

> 1) Did anyone damage their nuts removing the ball joints (the ball joint
> nuts) because it appears they need to reused on the new ball joints

I'd expect that to be common, along with broken washers. None of the 
replacements I have came with new nuts or washers. It's nice to hear 
that some do.  

> 2) Was a ball joint removal tool necessary or did people use a pickle
> fork/5 lb sledge to knock them loose?

No. it's a very wide taper.

The very most important thing to do is to make SURE that they are 
actually worn out. If the boots are still good, the ball joints will 
almost certainly be good too. If the boots are torn, you should still 
check the play. Check out the Bentley for the wear limit; it's a bit 
hard to understand and to check, but you can check them in the car.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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