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My mechanic was wrapping up a left front control arm replacement when he found the new lower forward arm did not fit flush into the spindle. The ball joint end on the original was not tapered and larger than the new one. The spindle opening is correct for the original arm. When the new one is in it has significant play (appx.quarter inch). The part number 4Z7407151G is the same on both arms and they are both TRW but the ball joints are very different. So someone has replaced the spindle with another model and altered the ball joint or this is a variation in a part with identical number. Audi said there were no such recalls that could explain this. ECS is sending one that is the closest I've seen to possibly fitting. I've ordered and returned four since Monday. Any ideas? Love to here from ECS or other vendor. Will try to attach pic of old arm.
My mechanic was wrapping up a left front control arm replacement when he found the new lower forward arm did not fit flush into the spindle. The ball joint end on the original was not tapered and larger than the new one. The spindle opening is correct for the original arm. When the new one is in it has significant play (appx.quarter inch). The part number 4Z7407151G is the same on both arms and they are both TRW but the ball joints are very different. So someone has replaced the spindle with another model and altered the ball joint or this is a variation in a part with identical number. Audi said there were no such recalls that could explain this. ECS is sending one that is the closest I've seen to possibly fitting. I've ordered and returned four since Monday. Any ideas? Love to here from ECS or other vendor. Will try to attach pic of old arm.
Is this an aluminum upright? If so it looks like he may have pulled the steel sleeve out and it is stuck on the tapered part of the ball joint.
By aluminum upright do you mean the top center piece that attaches to the stabilizer link? I pulled back the damaged boot to look at the ball joint to see if it was screwed in or pressed because I was trying to see if it could be put into the new arm. Both bushings are weak so the arm needs replaced. That ball joint end is what was on there because we did a boot job to get by last year because I got the wrong straight arm then too.
This ball joint end is larger diameter than the ones I've received as aftermarket and as oe.
Is this an aluminum upright? If so it looks like he may have pulled the steel sleeve out and it is stuck on the tapered part of the ball joint.
By aluminum upright do you mean the top center piece that attaches to the stabilizer link? I pulled back the damaged boot to look at the ball joint to see if it was screwed in or pressed because I was trying to see if it could be put into the new arm. Both bushings are weak so the arm needs replaced. That ball joint end is what was on there because we did a boot job to get by last year because I got the wrong straight arm then too.
This ball joint end is larger diameter than the ones I've received as aftermarket and as oe.
Yes the upright that the ball joint goes into, the aluminum uprights have steel sleeves to accept the steel tapered part of the ball joint. I would think if you clean both parts really well (the upright and the sleeve) you could use some grren loctice bearing retainer to hold the sleeve in the upright.
I have lower front control arms on my car that have a skinny long stud for the ball joint, the new ones I purchased are short and fat. Seems like the same issue the OP is talking about.
05-03-2018, 10:20 PM
Control arms
