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When you replace a knuckle joint plastic
cup, make sure that you check the bottom of the hole
in the suspension arm.
It is fairly common to find that, at
sometime in the past, the knuckle ball has worn right
through the plastic cup, and has re-shaped the bottom
of the hole in the arm. If this is no longer a conical
shape, but has evidence of rounding (see diagrams),
then just renewing the cup will result in premature
collapse of the new cup, and a consequent lowering of
the car’s ride height.
The only
correct solution is to replace the affected arm (but
please note that this damaged item will not be allowable
for reconditioning). However, if the wear is only minor,
here is a trick that might work.
Clean out
the hole carefully, ensuring that the little drain hole
at the bottom is clear. Mix up some epoxy glue (Araldite
or similar), and fill the bottom of the hole. Press
in the new plastic cup. The excess adhesive will squeeze
out through the drain hole. Leave to set (24 hours?),
then reinstall on the car.
Hopefully
the epoxy will be strong enough to support the new cup
and stop it distorting into the worn area.
Please
note that we have not actually tried this ourselves,
and would welcome feedback from anyone who decides to
give it a go.
It is worth
stressing that this is only applicable when the wear
in the arm is minimal. We have seen suspension arms
where the knuckle joint has worn right through, resulting
in complete suspension collapse. This tip will not help
those arms!
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