guide rod mount replacement problems

[surfblau]

Need input on sorting out my guide rod mount replacement.

There has been a popping, bumping, rumbling noise at low speed on the right front and rear of my "new" SDL that I have owned for three weeks. This weekend I replaced the right upper control arm(had lots of play), the guide rod mount(urethane boot was completely destoyed) and both rear sway bar links (boots cracked on both). The good news is that all the rattly noises are now gone. So I took the car to get it alligned.

They said that the guide rod mount needed to be replaced (the one that I just installed). It was "loose and moving all over the place when it was on the rack". Another quote was "whoever installed the guide rod mount forgot to install the rubber bushing", near as I can tell, they were referring to the iron cross looking rubber spacer that is located between the back plate of the mount and the mount itself- this is the rubber that protrudes through a hole in the back of the plate like a nipple, in other words, you can see whether it is there by looking, and it is there. Then they tried to tell me that the guide rod and the guide rod mount were a single unit that do not come apart and are sold only as one unit. They said I also needed a "center link- it is real cheap only a $40 part", though my drag link looks pretty new with its boots completely intact. Then he berated my S rated tires saying that I really needed H rated (like I ever exceed 112 or anything close). In summation, they said that they couldn't align it without replacing the above parts.

Here is where I am now. The car drives exactly the same as it did when I bought it, minus the rattling. It still pulls slightly to the right. The only questions I have are

1. Should the guide rod have any visible deflection in the longitudinal direction when loaded?
2. What is the test to see if the drag link (hopefully aka center link) is bad?

I think I will get attempt to get it aligned somewhere else....


thanks- I feel better now.

Surfblau,

The drag link is pretty cheap (I think I paid less than $30) so if there is any doubt, I'd replace it. I don't understand the issue with the guide rod mount. As I recall, there are just three bolts that fasten it on. They are either tight or not. Could they be talking about the rubber bushings that are used at the other end of the tac rod where it joins the front suspension? To get at that you have to compress the spring (oh joy).

Anyway, the guy sounds sanctimonious so looking for another front end person would be first on my list.

Good luck.

Nic
'85 300CD

[surfblau]

I will go for the drag link.

With regard to the bolting, there are two large 3 or 4 inch bolts to mount the bearing carrier to the subframe, and 4 allen headed bolts to hold the guide mount back into the bearing carrier. All are tight.

I ordered the guide rod repair kit to replace the bushings where they meet the lower control arm. I didn't notice excessive play there, but at this point it seems like a good move to replace.

thanks

[MikeTangas]

The guy might have beefed about the tires, not for the speed aspect but the weight aspect. H rated tires are capable of higher sustained speeds AND capable of carrying a heavier load. The SDL isn't a lightweight.