W209 CLK front suspension arm "setting bolt".

[Droverunner]

Just part way through fitting a new offside lower (rear) arm on the front suspension due to a clonking balljoint and weak bush. The new one is a Febi and near identical to the old one in all respects. The Febi arm came as a kit with new mounting bolt and washers/nut.

The old bolt was quite standard and could only enable the arm at the inner bush end to be mounted in the centre of the elongated hole in the bush. The bolt is held centrally by some "fins" inside the bush.

The new arm is exactly the same with the elongated hole and centralising fins. However the bolt it came with has two grooves machined along its length that enable it to engage with the fins and set the bush about 0.5mm in or out from the central position.

I will fit the arm centrally as the old one but wonder when you would ever need to change the effective arm length with this new bolt?

 

[Oldspanners]

The only time you would need to do that is to alter the camber.
Just ensure when you tighten it up it's at the ride height of your car on level ground.

 

[onefortheroad]

I'd just use the old bolt tbh if the car drove fine and tyres wore evenly. Do keep the camber bolt just in case .

 

[Droverunner]

Thanks guys, the old bolt is fine so will use that centralised and keep the setting bolt in case it was ever needed.

 

[Oldspanners]

This may be of use.

 

[Droverunner]

Cheers OS, confirmed the Haynes torques were correct.

Job completed now. Actually quite easy apart from the faff of dropping the mid section undertray to reach the bolt head... and the slightly tight access to torque the bolt with the car on the ground.

 

[Oldspanners]

Cheers OS, confirmed the Haynes torques were correct.

Job completed now. Actually quite easy apart from the faff of dropping the mid section undertray to reach the bolt head... and the slightly tight access to torque the bolt with the car on the ground.

I measured the wheel centre to the wheel arch (approx. 37cm on mine) when on the level and jacked up the suspension below the ball joint to match this to make it easier. The only problem on the drivers side was to get a socket shallow enough to get access to the nut between the cross member and the steering rack boot with the torque wrench.