guide rod issues?

[MTUpower]

when my alignment took place I think the shop failed to tighten the guide rod and now I see threads that are compromised. Turning, braking and acceleration may make noises I believe to be thread jumping. Anyone had this same problem?

[JimmyL]

What car rookie??

[MTUpower]

Originally Posted by JimmyL

What car rookie??

w123 300TD. First pic shows the nut they failed to tighten and three worn threads- second pic is the rusty thread of the pass side unmolested. Pass side has about 8 threads showing- driver from 2-5 depending. Now it's three after tighting the guide rod hardware.

[snookwhaler]

Something is wrong there. I'm betting that the mount with no threads showing is shot.

With the car on level ground and the emergency brake off, grab the tire at the 9 and 3 o'clock position and rock the tire very hard in and out. The same way you would check tie rod ends if the car were in the air. Look closely at the mount and see if the "Big threaded rod" pulls in and out of the housing in the mount. 2 people makes this easier. One looking at the mount and the other working the tire.

If the mount is badly worn they may have had to pull the threads all the way in to compensate for the wear.

When I replaced my mounts, the drivers side would move in and out by 1/2". They were completely shot and the car would wander as a result.

I'm betting that mount is toast.



Edit: BTW, 8 threads sounds right. That is where both mine were before I replaced them. That was also the sweet spot when I put them back.

[MTUpower]

The car also pulled hard to the left before the nut tightening, not as much afterwards. Much less "clicking" after the tightening, but I'm now replacing the mount and rod. At the same time I may replace the original "Boge" shocks with Bilstein HD's.... Anyone use these with Vogtlands?

[snookwhaler]

Yes... If that is the case, the mount is shot.

The Guide Rod itself should be ok unless it is bent. Even if they stripped out the tip of the rod, you have got over 2 inches of threads holding it in place.

That shop should have been able to identify the bad mount and specify replacement before trying to adjust the play out. Adjusting the play out is not an option, because as soon as you hit the brakes the rod (inside the mount) will travel to the back of the mount. The play is still there, just not detectable for a while.

Also, the shop should have applied anti-seize and backed the threads out a little before turning them all the way in. I would not take the car there again. If you do decide to take it to the same place, watch them like a hawk.

[MTUpower]

Originally Posted by snookwhaler

Yes... If that is the case, the mount is shot.

The Guide Rod itself should be ok unless it is bent. Even if they stripped out the tip of the rod, you have got over 2 inches of threads holding it in place.

That shop should have been able to identify the bad mount and specify replacement before trying to adjust the play out. Adjusting the play out is not an option, because as soon as you hit the brakes the rod (inside the mount) will travel to the back of the mount. The play is still there, just not detectable for a while.

Also, the shop should have applied anti-seize and backed the threads out a little before turning them all the way in. I would not take the car there again. If you do decide to take it to the same place, watch them like a hawk.

I'm getting a new guide rod as they are cheap.
I've had five cars there and all with the super results. They only do alignments. This is the first issue I've had with them, and it was one time where the tech forgot to tighten one side. All future alignments on a car are free after the first one.