Specified Torque for U-Clip nuts on Rabbit Control Arm

Mar 25, 2006 4 Replies
B

Hi everybody, I'm hoping somebody with access to a Bentley can help me here. I've got an '84 Rabbit in which I'm in the finishing stages of changing the right side control arm. All has gone pretty well, and I'm almost done. However, I've hit a fork in the road. I'm at the stage where I'm ready to tighten the nuts on the u-clip on the rear of the control arm. The Muir manual says to tighten to 22 foot pounds. The Hayes manual says 32 foot pounds. Does anybody know what Bentley specifies? Also, for the Ball joint on the control arm, Hayes says 18 foot pounds, while Muir says 22. I'm pretty sure that Hayes is correct on this torque, but what does Bentley say?



Any help will be a lifesaver! Thanks, Bryan


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T
  • 33 ft-lbs for the control arm rear U-bracket.

  • 37 ft-lbs for the ball joint pinch clamp on the steering spindle

  • 18 ft-lbs for the three bolts that hold the ball joint to the control arm (always use new hardened grade 12 [not standard grade 8] bolts/nuts and new lockwashers)
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B

Thanks.

Wow! Thanks for offering up this spec. I didn't even think about this. Both Hayes and Muir say 22 foot pounds for this one. Talk about being way off! I'll be sure to tighten that one today. Its frustrating when these books seem to get so much vital information wrong.

Here, my three bolts/nuts here are metric grade 10.9 so I think I'm good here. BTW, the 19mm bolt that holds the swing part of the arm to the car, I've tightened to 43 foot pounds with locktite (per the Muir and Hayes manuals). I'm afraid to ask, but is that correct?

Thanks for all of your help! Bryan

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T

Bentley says the big front bolt is 52 ft-lbs. You just can't win, can you? :(

Oh and grade 10 may be right for the ball joint bolts. I just remember grade 8 wasn't strong enough.

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B

Thanks again Tyler! BTW, I ordered my Bentley manual from Amazon this morning.

Thanks, Bryan

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