Hope this makes sense...is so much simpler with a picture! I am trying to get the RH guide rod mount (front suspension) changed. The guide rod is attached to the lower wheel suspension arm, and the rear end of it terminates with a rubber and metal ball-joint/mount enclosed in a "box" that is part of a V-shaped suspension part (which has two mounts of its own on each end). (sorry, don't know the name of this suspension part) I removed the two bolts from the mounts at each end of this, then pulled this assy. down and out some. I then unscrewed the threaded end of the guide rod mount from the guide rod, which released the entire assembly to work on it ouside the car. I got the new guide rod mount installed OK into the v-shaped suspension assy. Now the problem is that the guide rod doesn't swing outward--- away from the suspension & cross-member--- enough to allow me to get the threaded end of the guide rod mount started *back* into the rear end of the guide rod. The rear end of the guide rod doesn't swing out very much. It looks impossible to do except by taking the guide rod out after detaching its' front end from the lower suspension arm. Once the guide rod is screwed back onto the guide rod mount and suspension part it's housed in, then it will be easy to re-install the whole thing back on the car. Problem is, the front end of the rod has a rubber mount with a bolt, and the coil spring is right next to the hex head of this bolt on one side (I think it is actually touching the bolt head), while the wheel/brake assy is very close on the other side, plus there is no space to be able to rotate a open-end wrench. No way to get a socket on it, either, that I can see, and there still wouldn't be rotation clearance even if you could. Apparently this bolt is *threaded* through the lower suspension arm, as I tried hitting the bottom of the bolt with a mallet after removing the nut, and it didn't budge. So how can I get the guide rod detached? There would be plenty of clearance with the wheel/brake assy removed...but what a nightmare to remove that! Life will be so much easier once my MB shop manual CDs arrive! ;-)
- posted
20 years ago