Hi all...anybody has advices about how to replace the swinging arms of a Panda?I located all the nuts and bolts, but I don't know if it's only an unscrew/screw job :idea: !

Here's a view of the bits:





The pin held on with the nut "3" is a pig to separate -
the last time I was there I broke the joint splitter :-(

ISTR SteveYensen had similar problems too.

If the parts are cheap enough, it might be worth replacing the whole of part "1" as well, especially if there is any hint of wear in the ball joint.

That way you wouldn't need to split the joint as you are replacing both bits...

Not only the pillar's pin is a critical point, but the union with the push-rod too :bang: !What do you think about the use of an high precion instrument as the HAMMER to separate the bits :devil: ?I can't see any point to use a long lever as splitter, hence my question

I think you mean is what I call a tie-rod.. goes to the front of the car and is fastened with a huge nut there, which compresses a pair of rubber(?) bushes.

If it's that, at the "swinging arm" end, I'd undo the locating nuts until the threads of the locating bolts are covered (nut flush with the end) and hit the nut with a large hammer.

You might need to remove them together and brace the "swinging arm" against an immoveable onject when you hit the nut.


Mind your fingers


Found it... 2 of 2.



the part "13" on here.

Regarding the prices of those components I paid the arms 9€ each, which doesn't sound bad...I decided to do the job as I noticed the bushes are visibly worn and affect the car's stability at "high" speeds !The nut number 6 in the 2nd picture seems to be eaten by the spanner and will be replaced...I remember a mechanic in huge difficulty when doing the inner driveshaft boots and the resulting was a bent tie-rod, then adjusted with a good hammering by the tyre repairer .I hope not to break anything using the brute force, but these joints seem really siezed after 12 years.

P.S. we're writing about "ball joints", but after taking a look at the new arm I noticed all the holes on it are "rectilinear",so they only allow the pins to pass through...so how can they sieze so spectacularly???

9? each - about 6UKP...

They are a lot more than that here.


Regarding the difficulty - I guess corrosion.
It kind of welds the bits together.

I though about buying this Ebay item to do the job, as levers and hammers didn't help at all:


do you think it can be useful

Ones like this a better as there is less liklyhood of damaging the joint.

That looks a nice splitter for the ball-joint: a size up from the one I broke.

Regarding the end of the tie-rod - I vaguely recall some difficulty with undoing the bolts "15" and "16"... when doing the driveshaft boot, I think I gave up and undid the two bolts which fasten to the shock absorber, and the inboard end of the leg you're thinking of replacing.

I'm sure there are pictures of that somewhere on this site
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=5029
but the pictures haven't survived.

this is it



And the track-rod end too.

Something like this in "Haynes"



for the ball-joint.

The orientation is much the same as the picture a couple of posts up.