Steering rod direction / Build manual rant

[mladen]

Well, I was just about to connect the steering rack to the steering rods, when to my surprise, despite them being unmarked, and not mentioned in the manual, turns out that they are not exactly the same and not interchangeable. I of course, following Murphy's law, installed them in reverse. Then, as I slowly realized that to fix the issue I would have to completely disassemble both front brakes and wheel assemblies, I cried like I didn't when my first child was born.

All the manual tells you is "Bolt the steering arms to the spindles so the tie rod end will mount from the bottom." and a photo showing the steering rod angled outward when mounted. Great. Off we go. What it neglects to mention is that the hole where the connection will be made, is slightly larger on one side, and that side should be pointing downward, so that you can connect it to the steering rod.

How hard is it to call this out in text, or have the tie rods marked L and R? 4-5 hours down the drain (about 30 minutes of which is crying), and I can't say that undoing the hub nuts to remove the spindles was good for my hernia.

Anyway, now that I ranted, are there any threads documenting the documentation issues (pun intended), where we can collect these expensive gotchas?

[JohnK]

The manual definitely has some gaps in it, and this is where this forum becomes invaluable. I just got in the habit of first reading the manual and then reading 3-4 build threads on whatever I was planning to do that day before picking up any tools. This habit will save you much heartache.

[edwardb]

JohnK is right. This topic had been discussed a lot on here. Not giving any slack to the manual, because I agree there is room for improvement. But then we also get questions on here all the time that are fully explained in the manual, and for whatever reason builders don't read or follow it. As someone who used to be responsible for user documentation back in the day, you can't win either way. :(

My other response is mock-up to the max. Don't assume anything. You'll minimize surprises like this.

[Jeff Kleiner]

...the manual tells you is "Bolt the steering arms to the spindles so the tie rod end will mount from the bottom." and a photo showing the steering rod angled outward when mounted.


How hard is it to call this out in text,


Seems to me that they did call it out, and in fact you just said so in the statement above, unfortunately it seems that you didn't comprehend it.

Another one that a lot of folks fail to take note of is that the upper ball joints need to angle outward. This too is addressed in the manual:

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=171452&d=1661382695

You'll need to configure the UCAs into the proper orientation yourself. They are not FFR specific and usually arrive in a different configuration from the vendor.

Another is to check the rebound adjustment on the Koni 30 Series (the red ones) shocks before assembling the coilovers. Usually (note that I said "usually"---but not always) they'll come out of the box on full soft which is correct but you really need to verify it.

Good luck going forward !

Jeff

171452

[mladen]

Thanks everyone. I'll start a Google doc with notes like this and maybe we can crowdsource an unofficial addendum to the build manual.

[egchewy79]

The taper on the steering arms is subtle. Thankfully Jeff K caught it on my build thread before I installed the hub nut. You’re probably past this but you might need to wire wheel the coating off the upper ball joints for them to fit. Check koni settings as Jeff mentioned. Take pics, post them often. Members will look at most things with a microscope and call out anticipated problems. Read other build threads before attempting a part of the build, especially if the manual is not clear. I don’t think there’sa part of this build I haven’t done twice. FYI clutch safety switch wiring in the manual is wrong and reversed

[nucjd19]

In gotcha moments like this I was so thankful for the build threads. As you read them you will start to notice patterns where folks get tripped up and then note that in your progress. Like said above, I would have the manual read and re read and then I would review certain build threads for "gotchas". Then off I would go. Mr. Kleiner nailed some of the hiccups in the area you are working at this point. Good luck!

[Gilmore]

Hub nuts are one time use. Be sure to replace them.

[mladen]

Oh, did not now that. Oredered a replacement set right now!