Front O/S strut / spring behaving badly.

Kleynie said:
So should we lubricate them when replacing?
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Grease would help but I don't believe greasing is intended. The problem is that the mounts have no means of preventing water ingress. A grease nipple would be ideal.

RAB
 
@Kleynie the topmounts come ready greased. The two top mounts I have were used for a whille so will be cleaned up and greased before I fit them.
The problems leading to the failure of this component have been listed:
The bearings are not sealed
The bearings rust (are not manufactured from stainless)
In the absence of seals there is no provision for the periodic flushing through of fresh grease.
 
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Pinkythelabrat said:
Thanks. Now back to Philward’s issue (sorry for the swerve )


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Usefull swerve thank you. I note there are several options for dampers too.
Can’t check OE numbers as originals replaced many years ago.
 
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Gave my VIN to AutoDoc, explained I have a factory tow-bar, and they came back with OE numbers:

Front 8Z0413031AD

Rear 8Z0513025N

I have no way of checking so ordered a set of OEM Monroe shocks compatible with these numbers, looked like a reasonable quality / cost compromise.

Now waiting for a dry day so that I can fit them.
 
It stopped raining for a short while so I got my tools out and fit the rear shocks. Noticeable improvement but hardly earth shattering; I'm expecting bigger benefits at the front.

@Robin_Cox standard car (not sport suspension) with factory tow bar; code on rear springs Blue, Blue, Blue, Orange, Orange
 
Suggests part number 8Z0 511 115 BA ; from what I could tell when I was putting the rear springs table together, this equates probably to a group of similar aftermarket springs with measurements 338mm high, 107mm diameter and 9.75mm wire thickness, equating to Spidan 49546 / Suplex 03172 / Sachs 996648. Actually at the softer end of the spring range if this is the case. I must admit I'm surprised - I would have expected maybe slightly more reinforced spring metal to cope with the towing hitch. Sports are ~305mm high and 10.3-10.8mm thick metal. As you've now done the job I wouldn't expect you to stick a pair of callipers on your spring to see how thick they really are - but if you get a chance at some point that could be really useful as right now I'm just winging it based on other peoples' website listings rather than something more scientific.
 
Robin_Cox said:
Suggests part number 8Z0 511 115 BA ; from what I could tell when I was putting the rear springs table together, this equates probably to a group of similar aftermarket springs with measurements 338mm high, 107mm diameter and 9.75mm wire thickness, equating to Spidan 49546 / Suplex 03172 / Sachs 996648. Actually at the softer end of the spring range if this is the case. I must admit I'm surprised - I would have expected maybe slightly more reinforced spring metal to cope with the towing hitch. Sports are ~305mm high and 10.3-10.8mm thick metal. As you've now done the job I wouldn't expect you to stick a pair of callipers on your spring to see how thick they really are - but if you get a chance at some point that could be really useful as right now I'm just winging it based on other peoples' website listings rather than something more scientific.
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Ill measure the wire when I replace the front dampers. Interesting the spring is soft but the car rides very high, much higher than any other A2 I have seen. Is 338 mm a long spring?
 
338 is the longest of the A2 aftermarket ones specifically designated for the A2 - but effective across standard height cars. Sports are ~30mm shorter in height ; but then if you start delving into the springs available for various combinations of Skoda Roomster, Fabia estates, Polo Caddy van and the like, there are springs of similar rates and overall diameter right up to 350/360/370mm in height, while in the other direction, VW Up / sporty versions are ~290mm. Granted, the very tall or very short ones would probably cause other problems with camber etc.

One thought that comes to mind - don't sport springs come with a different bump stop / spring seat combination? If the wrong set of rubbers was installed with the conventional height springs that could probably add something to the overall height.

Secondly - bear in mind that I don't have actual measurements for the BA spring - I've aligned it with the 338mm springs with available measurements because they were models that were suggested as suitable alternatives to the BA in some of the online resources. It could be that the BA is actually somewhat higher to deal with levelling the car when towing, but without a definitive resource from Audi itself, my hands are tied.
 
Robin_Cox said:
Suggests part number 8Z0 511 115 BA ; from what I could tell when I was putting the rear springs table together, this equates probably to a group of similar aftermarket springs with measurements 338mm high, 107mm diameter and 9.75mm wire thickness, equating to Spidan 49546 / Suplex 03172 / Sachs 996648. Actually at the softer end of the spring range if this is the case. I must admit I'm surprised - I would have expected maybe slightly more reinforced spring metal to cope with the towing hitch. Sports are ~305mm high and 10.3-10.8mm thick metal. As you've now done the job I wouldn't expect you to stick a pair of callipers on your spring to see how thick they really are - but if you get a chance at some point that could be really useful as right now I'm just winging it based on other peoples' website listings rather than something more scientific.
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Checked my invoice, the springs are U8Z0 511 115 BA.
 
yes, your invoice code with the BA suffix confirms what is suggested on the 7zap paint stripe decoder. 2, 3, 4 and 5 bands are quite possible on springs used on A2s - see below for the front springs. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a 1-stripe code for some models.

https://audi.7zap.com/en/rdw/audi+a2/a2/2003-248/4/411-411010/

3 blue, one silver corresponds to the 8Z springs with the last couple of letters AL. I'm certain that's the same as my 1.4tdi front springs - as an "L50" weight range code it's at the heavier end of the weight ranges covered by A2 springs - there are only two heavier-duty ones, but quite a few for lighter-engined cars. I have found a list online of the actual weights covered by the "range" parameter. For VAG essentially the entire range from small hatches right the way up to Touaregs and bigger is broken up into a spectrum of bands, a few kg increment at a time. Depending on options then, given car models have (for arguments' sake using the A2) a few spring options corresponding to a certain number of steps of the range - that may overlap in part with other VAG models, but not all of them (i.e., an A2 and a Touareg will never overlap on the weight ranges, whereas A2s overlap with some Polo models hence certain springs having 6N rather than 8Z codes). Heights are also factored into this for certain options such as sport, eco versions, off-road versions and the like (suspension range codes, i.e. J23).
 
If you are towing with a heavy rear weight you can get spring assists which are rubber shapes which fit between an unladen spring’s coils and then resist compression when re-loaded. It can give a few extra cm of height and reduces bottoming. It probably hardens the ride somewhat as well.


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Pinkythelabrat said:
If you are towing with a heavy rear weight you can get spring assists which are rubber shapes which fit between an unladen spring’s could and then resist compression when re-loaded. It can give a few extra cm of height and reduces bottoming. It probably hardens the ride somewhat as well.


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Thanks for the tip but towing these days tends to be garden rubish to the recycling centre or picking up DIY materials. Nothing excessive.

I’m satsfied I have the correct springs. However I struggled to source them from ECP etc ( too short) so had to pay Audi price for them.

The data @Robin_Cox is compiling hopefully will help others source correct aftermarket springs.
 
Got the struts off and about to compress the springs.

T7NDdfd.jpg


Is that bump stop fitted upside down? The strut top is at the top of the picture.
 
If that's the strut top at the top of the picture, then yes, it is upside down. The hard, black top-hat piece of the bump stop is a (light) press fit into the underside of the turntable bearing.
 
TFG said:
If that's the strut top at the top of the picture, then yes, it is upside down. The hard, black top-hat piece of the bump stop is a (light) press fit into the underside of the turntable bearing.
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Thanks, I thought it didn’t look quite right. Interestingly it is on the strut that locks up (the subject of this thread). Don't think that can be the cause though.

@Pinkythelabrat hit the top of both N/S and O/S struts with a big hammer - no difference ?
 
Pinkythelabrat said:
I bet if felt good though...


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A bit disappointing really; solid suspension over sharp bumps and creaky steering and as yet no a single fault found :rolleyes:.

Except that is; I appear to have been sold the wrong front struts and my springs are badly corroded :mad:. Also one bump stop upside down.
 
@Pinkythelabrat here is what happened, I ordered new struts and bump stops from AutoDoc, correct OE number to OEM reference. Got both front struts off remarkably quickly considering O/S access. Old strut piston rod dia 22 mm new 20 mm ?
AutoDoc agred to take them back; waiting for the replacements.
@RAB I don't have a cause of the creaking steering either, the top mounts have seals and are quite good. Ill post pictures later.
 
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