[T3] Front beam is loose

[Jim Adney]

On 8 Nov 2012 at 18:23, Chris Slaymaker wrote:

> I think it was Keith Parks that implied that if the ears (what the
> rubber stops are mounted on) are rusted through, then water can get
> into the beam.  I looked closely through the rust holes in the "ears"
> and it appears that the beam is solid behind them, so I don't see how
> the elements can get in there if the ears are swiss cheese, as mine
> are.  Am I missing something? 

Rusted out ears won't let water into the beam, but really bad rust 
there usually suggests that there will be bad rust elsewhere, too. 
This usually happens under the rubber cushions that grip the beam. 
That's not immediately fatal, but make sure you lube all FOUR Zerk 
fittings at least once a year.

> Don Robertson's reply (the tiny part that was an actual reply)
> suggested the steering damper as the possible culprit.  All the
> external linkages involved with steering are tight (tie rod ends and
> steering damper). 

The test you did with the steering damper sounds like it was okay.

> The only slop I am finding is in the upper stabilizer bar.  The play
> is axial - the play in the torsion arm is in-and-out of the upper tube
> of the front beam and is about 2-3 millimeters!! 

This tells you that the set screw on the LEFT side of your upper bar 
has come loose. You MUST remove the bar to check it and probably 
repair it.

> If I understand correctly, repair would involve removing the upper bar
> completely and drilling a new, deeper "land" for the right side set
> screw (bolt).  Alternatively, a new land could be drilled on the
> opposite side of the bar (the arms would need to be turned around 180
> degrees). 

The right side is probably fine. You already tried to adjust from 
that side, but that adjustment was pointless because the LEFT side 
had come loose.

Go back to my previous instructions for fixing this. You MUST do 
this. If you put it off, the LU trailing arm will be ruined and 
you'll have a MUCH bigger job ahead of you.


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