Mittelmotor 914 Update!, Had a talk with Ingo on Saturday... Options

[stephenaki]

OK, I went to Cologne this weekend and on the way up stopped by to see Ingo at Mittelmotor to see what the deal was...I was prepared for the worst based on his email.

Well, based on his email, and some information from this forum, it is not near as bad as I feared. Let me summarize this and get to the point and, I will need some input from the group on some issues.

1. Diesel problem, fixed. They changed out 3 of the plugs, one was stubborn so they decided better I break it than them, and fuel filter. Runs fine now.

2. Front axle not a problem, he thinks the shocks should be changed. Otherwise the tierods and A-arms were solid.

3. Brake lines. Fairly well worn and the lines from the metal tubing to the brakes definately need replacing.

4. Engine and Gear Box leak. Need to replace some seals, nothing that requires the engine to be dropped.

5. Lights and wipers. still inop and the lower right fog?driving light? is busted.

6. Engine mounts need replacing. All four are worn and the rubber cracked.

7. Rear axle (this had me worried). It IS attached to the car. What he was refering to was that the trailing arms had lateral play and he said that the pin that runs through it was bad and the entire trailing arm should be replaced on both sides.

So, here are my questions, most serious concern first.

1. Trailing arm lateral play, whats tolerance? Can the pin be replaced or do I have to replace the entire trailing arm? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif) From what I can see, the whole unit must be replaced. This would be the most expensive problem.

2. Lights, what are common problems that people have experienced that would cause the headlights and driving lights to shut down? All the other lights and turn signals work.

Bottom line, not that big a problem, the cost was going to be the labor, they charge A LOT!! Needless to say brakes are PITA and I didn't feel like messing with the seals so I had him fix those two problems. If I had my Mityvac I would have done the brakes but I don't and I hate bleeding brakes!

I go back next Saturday to pick up the car, I will put her on a trailer and bring it back to Stuttgart then drop it off at the on-post auto craft shop and work on it there. Barring any significant issues with the trailing arms, need your input on this one, I should have it up and ready for inspection before the end of March. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Of course this could all come to a screeching halt if they send me on another lovely trip somewhere else for a few weeks but I don't think that is in the cards right now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif)

[Eric_Shea]

Wearing out the pin...wont happen. Its hardened steel that will beat the suspension console both inner and outer apart before it wears a bit.

Well... true, we rarely see "wear" as an issue here but we do see "rust" and "rust pits" on the shaft often. Hardly what I would call indestructable. Roughly 25-30% of the arms I see have this problem. I have the shafts in a pile to prove it.

The point I see is, a rust pit hidden under the bushing rubber would be almost impossible to diagnose. And... it doesn't diagnose as they mentioned, so, I'm not at all convinced of this bizaar diagnosis.

Someone needs to explain "Lateral Play". Lateral play at the shaft is virtually impossible. One end is bolted to the inner suspension ear with a 22mm lock nut. The other is bolted through the outer console mount with another 22mm lock nut, that mount is then bolted to the body with 3 17mm bolts. If the 22mm nuts are tight and the console mount is tight... there can be no lateral play. Worn/rusty shaft or not.

Rich is correct about the wear. If the 22mm nuts are not at spec, the suspension ears have been known to "oval". This, again, would have nothing to do with your control arms.

On rare occasions I have seen suspension shafts where the bushings have crumbled or deteriorated. This could lead to lateral "end play" of the control arm. Still... extremely rare. Youwould know it as you would have major clunking noises coming from there.

I don't like this diagnosis at all... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

I'd be willing to bet your control arms are f-i-n-e, fine. I havent seen very many stock arms that would not drive and drive a good long time. Even with rusted shafts.