My sons mark I Fabia failed test on front roll bar bushings and drop links.

Are these easy to do? Also rear shock slightly leaking, How difficult to change?

Thanks in advance.

All easy, basic hand tools and fitting skills, buy new ARB bushings which come with new brackets as these often strip out during removal. You'll need a jack and an axle stand as well, replace both rear shocks since if one is knackered the other will be too.

Appreciate your help, thank you.

It may sound silly to anyone with experience but make sure you remove droplinks with both front corners off the ground otherwise there will be a lot of tension in it and it may be hard to get droplinks off (I know this from experience...) Otherwise, all pretty easy stuff

 

 

2 hours ago, corndog said:

It may sound silly to anyone with experience but make sure you remove droplinks with both front corners off the ground otherwise there will be a lot of tension in it and it may be hard to get droplinks off (I know this from experience...) Otherwise, all pretty easy stuff

 

 

 

You can also do them with only one side on an axle stand and a jack under the hub to release the preload, it's also easier to change the ARB bush once the old drop link is removed before fitting the new drop link.

Edited 7 August, 20187 yr by sepulchrave

going to tackle this on Saturday, weather permitting. Thanks for the suggestions

When you look at the two bolts holding the ARB bush brackets, and think the driveshaft is in the way of  getting a tool on the bottom one, remember that you can move that upwards by jacking under the end of the wishbone.

Drivers side I think (long time since I did mine) is the bar steward as the driveshaft hangs right down where you ned to get the socket in......I have car on axle stands & then jacked under the ball joing to wishbone with a thick pad of paper….& don't catch the disc splash shield...

 

 

Also when to tighten the drop link bolts, only fully tighten the upper one with the car in the air...then car on ground & bounce it a few times to settle the suspension...then do up the bottom nuts.....these makes 100% certain there is no pre-load etc in the system...& is per the book..

Doesn't matter when you tighten the drop link bolts as it's impossible for any pre-load to exist because they are ball joints which are free to articulate.

Edited 10 August, 20187 yr by TMB

7 minutes ago, TMB said:

Doesn't matter when you tighten the drop link bolts as it's impossible for any pre-load to exist because they are ball joints which are free to articulate.

 

I know that the balls joints can rotate...just its recommended practice the same when you do up the rear beam main bush...car on ground bounce it a few times then do up......you are not doing up the nut/bolt when it has load on it......

I agree about rear beam bushes but it's different because they can have torsion in them but ball joints can't.

Here is info I posted from Haynes & verified as correct with Skoda/ERWIN:-

 

"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!!

ARB drop link both ends = 40Nm (30lbf ft) Do not fully tighten top (strut) end until car is fully supported (evenly) on wheels! Always renew the nuts."

Does not make it right, take a look and think about it, new nuts are okay though unless you turn them back into "crushed nuts" by nipping them up in a vice.

15 minutes ago, fabdavrav said:

verified as correct with Skoda/ERWIN

Which document? Nothing I can see about only doing up the 'coupling rod'/droplink fully after messing about for a while, in the 'Chassis' document where I'd expect to find any such info.

Also, in that link you've got the right side engine mount torques swapped over, not sure if you can edit?

These two:

 

Drivers side engine mounting to;

Engine = 20Nm (15lbf ft) + 1/4 turn

Body = 30Nm (22lbf ft) + 1/4 turn

 

Should be t'other way,, see: http://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/fabia-mk1/power_unit/1.4/55;_59;_74_kw_mpi_engine/engine_assycylinder_blockcrankcase/removing_and_installing_engine/install/assembly_bracket/

3 minutes ago, Wino said:

Which document? Nothing I can see about only doing up the 'coupling rod'/droplink fully after messing about for a while, in the 'Chassis' document where I'd expect to find any such info.

Also, in that link you've got the right side engine mount torques swapped over, not sure if you can edit?

These two:

 

Drivers side engine mounting to;

Engine = 20Nm (15lbf ft) + 1/4 turn

Body = 30Nm (22lbf ft) + 1/4 turn

 

Should be t'other way,, see: http://workshop-manuals.com/skoda/fabia-mk1/power_unit/1.4/55;_59;_74_kw_mpi_engine/engine_assycylinder_blockcrankcase/removing_and_installing_engine/install/assembly_bracket/

 

I'll swap those two around....

Good man.

1 minute ago, Wino said:

Good man.

 

Funny thing the VRS ones were correct..just the 16v ones were swapped over..

 

 

Can't find the ERWIN docs ..but I know I quoted verbatim from Haynes...& my Skoda tech suggested it....

 

 

I did know the tech reason...but have forgotten it & I can't find anything like it for the MK7 Golf (I have all the ERWIN docs)……..so feck knows where it came from...…..I think its more to do with seating the ARB when the front is level either in air or on ground...ie don't do it one side in air....

1 hour ago, fabdavrav said:

 

Funny thing the VRS ones were correct..just the 16v ones were swapped over..

 

 

Can't find the ERWIN docs ..but I know I quoted verbatim from Haynes...& my Skoda tech suggested it....

 

 

I did know the tech reason...but have forgotten it & I can't find anything like it for the MK7 Golf (I have all the ERWIN docs)……..so feck knows where it came from...…..I think its more to do with seating the ARB when the front is level either in air or on ground...ie don't do it one side in air....

 

I did both my Fabias one side at a time in the way I described further up the thread and experienced no issues on either car, the ARB can twist in the bushes so it finds its own location once the car is back on its wheels.

One thing though, if Erwin did says it must be done that way, Haynes will mirror that - I have challenged/questioned Haynes in the past over some torques being different on Ibiza than same car same age Polo and it was down to the technical authors from SEAT not taking on board the move to torque to stretch that VW had.

On ‎10‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 15:55, Wino said:

When you look at the two bolts holding the ARB bush brackets, and think the driveshaft is in the way of  getting a tool on the bottom one, remember that you can move that upwards by jacking under the end of the wishbone.

Good tip.

did this job on Saturday and everything went according to plan.

Did the roll bar bushings, drop links and both rear shocks and the car is a pleasure to drive again.

 

Once again thanks for the help, lads. Really is an excellent forum,