General rear arm/bushes quickie

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General rear arm/bushes quickie

yeah im expecting to take at least the whole sat and prob onto the sun anything quicker then i'll be laughing

think i'll just order myself a new bolt and cut the old one off prob be easier and quicker i guess eh
 
hello

did autoparts ask u about the abs diameter? they did with me i aint ordered mine yet but they did tell me it would be a guaranted next day delivery tho

Yes they did and mine is 10mm.

I know this as I had to drill it out.

Even though it is made from plastic it was in solid and was not going to move without breaking or at least spending a great deal of time on it.

Autoparts also guaranteed me next day delivery but after much harrying them it was a week!

You do get the main pivot bolt with the radius arm.

Radius arm coil spring is released when shock absorber is undone.

It may be better to disconnect the (fluid) brake pipe at the beam axle as you will have to get the back plate of the brake assembly over the stub axle and could possibly fracture something in trying to finangle the assembly over the stub axle.

Peat
 
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hello

im ordering mine tomorro ( wed ). hopefully i have a 10mm hole so dont have to do any drilling.

do u have to compress the spring at all or does it just drop out?? ( dont wanna take my eye out with a flying spring )
 
No you do not need to compress spring, it will almost fallout when the arm is lowered.

Now getting it back in is another matter . . . . . just kidding!
 
Further to the radius arm bought from AUTOPARTS in B'ham after fitting and re-assembling the various parts, drove 20 yards and the ABS warning comes on.

The long and short of it is - Autoparts have drilled the ABS sensor hole (10mm type) in the wrong place OR it's a bad copy of the original arm as the ABS sensor is not close enough to the wheelhub magnetic strip (it does not protrude through the backplate sufficiently) it's approx 5mm short of the strip AND the gap is about 5mm too wide!

And they are not answering their phone!
 
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hello

did u manage to get a hold of them??? take it that u will have to take arm back off the car then as the ABS light will fail mats etc? lucky i read this as i was away to phone and order the arm today think i may just spend the extra and get the genuine one from shop4parts although it may have to wait till friday now.

did u fit it yourself? how long did it take u?
 
No, have not contacted them so far. They are not answering the phone at any time.

You are right in assuming the arm may have to be replaced again unless I can find a work around. I have a spare ABS sensor (£50+) that I may whittle down until it is in the correct position especially as it looks like I'm stuck with this arm.

It will probably be better to get a new arm from elsewhere ot try fitting the bearing kit.

The backplate screws had to be drilled off as they were ceased and it took just under two hours with all the garage kit (lift, air tools, etc.) at hand, possibly take longer without it.
 
Wonder what the cost of the proper Fiat part might be.I had mine done under warranty so it does not say on the reciept:confused:
 
Sure its that? sometimes when you have the rear end in the air if you turn the ignition on it can confuse the abs but usually resets itself after a couple of starts.
 
do u think it would be wise just to purchase the genuine fiat part at £100 its over double the price of the other one but obviously dont wanna be left with abs probs or having to replace the arm again. has anyone else had this problem
 
I would buy the Fiat part and save the hassle and worry of having the abs light on.I allways buy the genuine parts because I feel they last longer and in the long term tend to work out better value for money.There are plenty of people on here who would not agree but you get what you pay for.If the abs light is on I don't think it would pass a MOT at most testing stations(n)
 
Sure its that? sometimes when you have the rear end in the air if you turn the ignition on it can confuse the abs but usually resets itself after a couple of starts.

Did I say or not say in my previous post that the sensor did not protrude from the back plate sufficiently and that the sensor/magnetic strip gap was too big.

The sensor hole was drilled in the wrong place!

If you have no significant information to impart do not make insignificant and what amounts to disparaging comments.


Peat
 
Wow who's throwing their dummy out the pram then, if your being like that would it not of been easier to compare both arms before fitting:bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:;).
I know i would have , you may have say a punto arm:confused:.
 
if the sensor hole was in the wrong place would it have just not lined up? i prob would have compared them before fitting ( new and old just to double checK ) as i thought it was funny they were asking what size of hole ( apparently 10 and 18mm ) however shop4 parts just sell a standard arm.

now if shop4parts offer a standard fitting for any make of multipla with ABS why do autoparts ask what size, and how come fiat only do the one size of ABS sensor but autoparts have come up with 2 dif sizes? puzzles me thats why ive hung off for as long as poss b4 attemting this job
 
The latest in the tale is that I have made a work around and got the ABS to function by -

removing the fitting lug of the sensor and paring back the body such that it protrudes a further 6mm through the backplate and also angling it slightly downward in order to reduce the gap between sensor and magnetic strip. It's held securely in place by covering the whole lot with Mastik.

Meanwhile I have finally got through to Autoparts via email and have sent photos of the offending part.

To answer the question of whether the holes would line up- no they didn't but because of the 6mm difference in depth between backplate and the r.arm surface there was sufficient room to angle the sensor downward and through the backplate hole when shaped.

As for comparision when off the car. I would defy anyone noticing the 6mm thickness difference and poor alignment of the sensor hole between a shiny new arm supplied by what you assume to be a reputable engineering firm and an old rusty arm removed from the car.
 
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just to add i have just bought a rear arm repair kit in which you get a new bolt, spindle bearings and seals, for a small sum of £20 quid this way you can use your old arm, not too bad of a job to do either, 2hrs it took me on a trolly jack
 
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