Roadster Mk4 IFS Help Needed

[Scott Zackowski]

Roadster Mk4 Complete Kit Build
Following Build Manual
Help needed - struggling and running out of solutions

Problem:
Not able to get the proper torque settings on the Crown Nut attaching the Spindle to the Lower Control Arm (LCA). The LCA ball joint shaft/stem will not seat tight enough into the conical shaped Spindle opening to prevent it from just rotating/spinning when tightening Crown Nut.

Following the Build Manual so Shocks are in place.

What I Have Tried:
1) Degreasing LCA Ball Joint shaft/stem
2) Jacking up and or hand lifting up on the Spindle wheel hub shaft attempting to bind the spindle into the LCA ball joint shaft/stem - helped some. Tried this with & without Upper Control Arm (UCA) attached.
3) Using a large metal C-Clamp to clamp the Spindle to the LCA and force the Spindle down onto the LCA Ball Joint shaft/stem - worked better and seems to be the solution but still not able to anywhere close to the recommended torque setting. Tried this with & without UCA attached. Tried this by clamping on top of the Spindle & on the lower part of the Spindle next to the lower Crown Nut.
4) Tried but not able to get an Impact Wrench/Gun on the Crown Nut - not enough space.

Help!
Scott

[Jim Schenck]

Scott,
Get the jackstand under the arm to support it and give the spindle a good whack downward with a hammer to get the taper to seat some. Also make sure the threads on the ball joint are clean and letting the nut get down far enough to put some pressure on the joint before the ball starts to spin.

[oldguy668]

And make sure you are not running out of threads. Some ball joints need a spacer under the nut.

[rich grsc]

Also make sure the spacer inside diameter is large enough.

[Scott Zackowski]

Guys,

Thanks for the advice!

What about heating the lower taper on the Spindle with a torch to expand it and allow it to seat lower on the ball joint stem/shaft?
Reasonable or not wise?


Scott

[rich grsc]

NO, follow the above advice, its based on previous experience and known issues.

[Brian Z]

Try tapping the spindle onto the ball joint with a hammer first. This should help to get the spindle to grip the ball joint and prevent spinning. You can also hit the ball joint upward to get the same effect. Jim at FFR gave me this advice yesterday for a tech call. Some one else had the same issue. Try it out and let me know how you make out!

Best regards,

Brian @ FFR

[Scott Zackowski]

PROBLEM SOLVED!

Thanks for everyone's advice. The problem and solution is something Jim and Brian will want to pass on to the other FFR Guys and other novice builders.

The problem was NOT that the Spindle would not seat properly onto the LCA Ball Joint. Although placing a jack stand under the LCA to support it and hitting the top of the Spindle does seat the spindle into the Ball Joint shaft, you can seat it even tighter by placing a big metal C-clamp between the top of the spindle and LCA and cranking it on down.

THE PROBLEM: (As alluded to by Rich and Oldguy)
The Spindle was actually seating a little too low on LCA Ball Joint shaft and therefore the SPACER was being prevented from coming into direct contact with the Spindle surface (ever so slightly about 1mm or less - very subtle). The SPACER was resting on the Ball Joint Stem/Shaft just below the threads where the Stem/Shaft starts to widen. As one tightened the Crown Nut the SPACER would grab the lower part of the Ball Joint and not the Spindle making it impossible to ever get the proper torque without the Ball Joint just spinning.

THE SOLUTION:
Make the SPACER's lower inside diameter bigger by beveling it (roughly at 45 degree angle) by grinding it with a Dremol Tool or small Air Grinding Tool until it sits all the way down on the Ball Joint Stem/Shaft and snug against the Spindle surface. Wham-O problem solved. The Crown Nut locked down tight and was easy to torque to the proper settings.

I suspect others will have the same problem. I have the same thing on the other side. The solution is simple but not totally obvious and is a bit of a design issue.

Scott