Lucky sod

I'm not convinced it's ARB bushes myself, but will try anything. I'm not sure which bolts you mean? Are they highlight-able in any of the pictures on http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/92625-fabia-wishbone-bush-replacement-diy-guide/?

Can't quite see the ARB bush in pics.

Look at the driveshaft..follow the ARB bar next to it...there is a saddle clamp over a rubber bush holding this bar to the alu console unit...two bolts for each saddle clamp..

Edited 23 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

The bolts are the ones which have been taken out in photo 5 of the thread you attached. Its probably the one in the 4th photo but its a little dark to be sure. Good luck.

Edited 23 May, 201115 yr by ollymonkeynuts

The bolts are the ones which have been taken out in photo 5 of the thread you attached. Its probably the one in the 4th photo but its a little dark to be sure. Good luck.

The original poster that I was replying to was asking about the ARB bolts which you can only see in the second to last photo!!

This shows the drive shaft with the ARB on the right hand side of the photo....just on the top right hand side of the photo you can see the saddle clamp and bush for the ARB!!

The bolts are the ones which have been taken out in photo 5 of the thread you attached. Its probably the one in the 4th photo but its a little dark to be sure. Good luck.

Awesome, thanks. Will check they are nice and tight too then.

Had a scare after the ball joints at the weekend - the passenger side upper ARB bolt/nut had worked itself loose somehow. I think maybe because we tightened them up whilst the car was still raised, so there was no load on it. It was making a metallic rattling kind of noise that sounded like the car was about to fall to bits! Found it by bouncing the car on the drivers side, oddly enough. It didn't make the noise when bouncing the car on the passenger side.

I'm now back to the more hollow sounding clunking again, which is "comforting" - the "normal" clunking

The original poster that I was replying to was asking about the ARB bolts which you can only see in the second to last photo!!

This shows the drive shaft with the ARB on the right hand side of the photo....just on the top right hand side of the photo you can see the saddle clamp and bush for the ARB!!

Was asking about the bolt he tightened up, not ARB bushes. I know where them ones be at

Edited 23 May, 201115 yr by mark.r.cullen

Awesome, thanks. Will check they are nice and tight too then.

Had a scare after the ball joints at the weekend - the passenger side upper ARB bolt/nut had worked itself loose somehow. I think maybe because we tightened them up whilst the car was still raised, so there was no load on it.

Look at my post...3rd one down....all the info on how to correctly torque up the bolts etc!!!

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/165720-fabia-nut-and-bolt-tightening-torques/

Edited 23 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

Look at my post...3rd one down....all the info on how to correctly torque up the bolts etc!!!

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/165720-fabia-nut-and-bolt-tightening-torques/

Good info, thanks.

I do remember reading that the drop links should only be fully tightened when the car was back on the ground. It was that very post!

"ARB saddle clamp over bush = 20Nm (15lbf ft)+ 1/4 turn. The lower bolt on the drivers side cannot be reached with the wheels in the air as the angle of the drive-shaft covers the bolt, so do this bolt first when undoing, and last when tightening, and jack the wishbone up on this side under the ball-joint to raise the drive-shaft out of the way!!"

Did also notice this!

Good info, thanks.

I do remember reading that the drop links should only be fully tightened when the car was back on the ground. It was that very post!

The lower bolt on the drivers side cannot be reached with the wheels in the air as the angle of the drive-shaft covers the bolt, and jack the wishbone up on this side under the ball-joint to raise the drive-shaft out of the way!!"

Did also notice this!

It's allways best to try to write down or print the info off BEFORE attacking the poor car!!!

Sorry - father reckons need one of http://www.binbin.net/photos/sealey-power-tools/sea/sealey-trx-star-double-end-flexi-socket-spanner-set-5pc.jpg to do it easily looking at it, and we don't have them. Any idea on the size of the ARB bolts??

It could be the bearings on the strut tops that are knackered ?

I'm going to replace mine when I do the ARB bushes.

Nope. Replaced those :(

This was all done in the past couple of months:

- Koni FSD all round

- Eibach ProKit all round

- New rear top mounts

- New rear 67mm bump stops (shorter than OE, from Ibiza something or other)

- New front top mount and bearings

- New trimmed front bump stops

- New Meyles ball joints

- New Meyles HD drop links

- New track rod ends

- New "dog bone" engine mount

- New gearbox engine mount

Other things tried:

- Have SS FMIC fitted, so remove bumper and checked pipe work was secure.

- Checked bonnet bump stops as per Moggys suggestion. Didn't seem to make any difference, but do have a devonutopia bonnet lifter fitted... and that happens to be on the passenger side?

Things on the try list:

- When I first got the car about 2 years a go(???) I had the console bushes replaced with Cupra parts. Maybe these are shot?

- Front ARB bushes - have got new ones of these but keep getting 'side tracked' and trying other bits first.

- Tighten wishbone / console / subframe bolts?

This weekend will hopefully be the ARB bushes and checking over bolts. If that doesn't do it I think I am going to have to give up and take it to a dealer :(

It's been a very expensive noise to try and get rid of...

Edited 23 May, 201115 yr by mark.r.cullen

Sorry - father reckons need one of http://www.binbin.net/photos/sealey-power-tools/sea/sealey-trx-star-double-end-flexi-socket-spanner-set-5pc.jpg to do it easily looking at it, and we don't have them. Any idea on the size of the ARB bolts??

But you can't torque it up with that type.....do it as per my previous post as is the right way to do it for those ARB saddle clamp bolts....!

Looks like you have thought or everything...just keep working down your list......how old is your car again????

Edited 24 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

But you can't torque it up with that type.....do it as per my previous post as is the right way to do it for those ARB saddle clamp bolts....!

Looks like you have thought or everything...just keep working down your list......how old is your car again????

Size? 13mm?

It is an 05 with 123k miles.

I was going to spray stuff with silicone grease this morning, but couldn't remember where I left the can. Clunk clonk. Actually, yeah, it's kind of more like a clonk than a clunk.

Can't remember the bolt head size.....and so your cars an 05 plate...right that's ok..if it was earlier then you would have to upgade the ARB as well (early fabias had a crap ARB and bush...later modified).

Can't remember the bolt head size.....and so your cars an 05 plate...right that's ok..if it was earlier then you would have to upgade the ARB as well (early fabias had a crap ARB and bush...later modified).

I had read about that, with the plastic collars. Mine did seem to have a collar on at least one side, but I guess that was the metal one? No one has ever heard of the revised ARB failing I guess?

Revised ARB dosn't fail like the old one! Revised on has welded/machined collars on the ARB to stop it sliding side to side...the old one didn't have, and relied on glued plastic sleaves to do the same job...thing is rust gets under the paint and seperates the sleave from the ARB!!!

I've noticed with mine when it's been raining and everything has got wet the clunk noise when pulling away is non existent so I'm thinking it must be something needing lubricated ?

Does the noise on yours go away when it's been raining ?

Yeah..wet rubber dosn't squeak as much..So lubricate it with grease!!!.....hhhhmmmmmmmm........that's a bit S&M isn't it????

Edited 25 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

Can't say as I have noticed it being better after raining, but I bought some more silicone grease yesterday and gave the console bushes and ARB bushes a soak as best I could without raising the car.

Couldn't tell you if it's helped at all yet. It might have... but I *have* still heard it clonk.

After a full car yesterday it developed another metallic knocking noise. Both noises seem almost gone at motorway speed (or maybe even >40mph), and are only present at slower speeds over rough (standard british roads).

The new knocking noise also seemed to appear when steering left & right rapidly.

Just had enough of it now and have dropped it off at the dealers this morning :( They're fully booked but will look at it if they can.

Makes me want to sell it. Urgh.

They "looked" at it and I got a diagnosis of ARB bushes and something about a top mount.

Father had a look this morning. ARB drop link loose, but this time on the bottom. They really should have spotted that one!!! That solved the new knocking noise.

Whilst rummaging about he noticed a clunk coming from the steering rack. It seemed like it was the drivers side, but upon closer inspection it is the passenger side. The drivers side has no play at all, where the passenger side does.

Wobbling the wheel you can feel a knocking in the track rod on the passenger side, and wobbling the steering wheel rapidly whilst stationary you can hear a clunking noise! Though not whilst moving... it just clunks over bumps whilst moving.

There doesn't seem to be any play in the ARB at all, so I think I am going to put off changing them once more.

Went back to complain to the dealer this morning, as I feel they really should have easily spotted both of these issues. Especially the loose drop link! They are refunding me for the "diagnosis" yesterday and have said to drop it off with them on Tuesday. It sounds like they still want to have a look - fair enough I guess, that's just how they work.

Here's to hoping it just needs the track rod replacing and I will finally be clunk free......!!

Dealers....sometimes you can trust.......then other times you can't.....Drop links loose nuts.....hhmmmmm had that by a dealers once....only found out after I was getting a clunk sound.....got under car a torqued up every bolt......also found out that they had only "finger tight" done the main pivot bolts for the front wishbone (car had been in for new ARB and bushes, them doing it due to me pulling by back)!!!!

Edited 28 May, 201115 yr by fabdavrav

Yeah. Mixed opinions on that dealers. Sometimes they're really good, other times clearly not so good. The parts department know me well there though and always give me as much discount as they can get away with

Will let you know how it goes on Tuesday.

I hope it's just the track rod and not the steering rack...

Ahh interesting... If I wobble the steering wheel I can hear a rattle also and when going over a speedbump just like you have said but I changed the track rod ends last year when I did the other bits so maybe it's the rods or the actual rack on mine ?

Let me know when you have changed the steering parts if it has solved it

Ahh interesting... If I wobble the steering wheel I can hear a rattle also and when going over a speedbump just like you have said but I changed the track rod ends last year when I did the other bits so maybe it's the rods or the actual rack on mine ?

Let me know when you have changed the steering parts if it has solved it

Yeah - I've also had the ends changed and that didn't sort it, but they did need doing.

It seems to be either the actual track rod (not just the end) or something inside the steering rack? As said, I can hear a hollow clunk when wobbling the steering wheel whilst stationary, or wobbling the wheel side to side whilst it is in the air. Wobbling the steering wheel when the car is moving is fine though - it only seems to clunk over rough road then.

I will let you know what happens! I'll be over the moon if it's just that ... silent suspension