Seized rear suspension pin: anyone experience this??

[MarkRobinson]

In 14 years playing with 928's, I've never encountered a seized 928 lower suspension pin> I've tried pushing it out (bearing puller & hammer) from both ends: appears to be seized in the main spindle housing: soaked in WD40 from all ends, added heat, left the puller on it, etc. Will not rotate, will not budge from the main aluminum spindle housing.

Thoughts??
Even if I sawzaw this, I still may not be able to get it out.

Mark

[Mrmerlin]

Hi Mark there are a few things you can do.

first get some PB blaster or Kroil and soak the whole pin area.
NOTE WD40 isnt the best chemical for this application.

NOTE also there is an opening under the hub carrier where the pin is visible,
so spray in there as well this soaking part may take a few days to do.

Adding some heat to the pin wouldn't hurt, use a mapp gas torch.

NOTE others have had to cut the pin and or remove the LCA and hub carrier and go to a press to remove the parts.

You will need a new used pin roll it on a flat surface to make sure its straight, use lots of antiseize on the new pin

[MarkRobinson]

yeah pretty much what I was afraid of. I did soak the carrier through the top hole with WD40. WIll buy a new can of PB as well as mine was a small squirt bottle that developed a leak: stinky stuff!

Mark

[Pete R]

I've also had some luck using a impact chisel (but not the chisel end just a flat end) pushing that against the end. As well as an impact wrench, undo teh nut on one side and try tightening the other so it trys to spin. I found that it could be "shocked" loose rather than a steady hard push or pull.

[MarkRobinson]

I'd have to be careful with that approach as to not damage the threads. Keeping the nut at the very end is good for that. Hate this kind of work...no fun.

[Pete R]

Originally Posted by MarkRobinson

I'd have to be careful with that approach as to not damage the threads. Keeping the nut at the very end is good for that. Hate this kind of work...no fun.

yes, definately, it was more of a last resort before cutting it out

[Fixer]

Impact chisel with blunt end is a great idea Pete, i have thought about trying that.
they are readily available and very cheap (i bought one for $20 bucks years ago)
probably Home Depot.
I'm curious if my pins will come out now.

[riber.bentsen]

Had a very similar experience a few days ago. Use a heat gun (MAX setting) on the aluminium hub carrier. Since it's alu and the pin is steel, it will absorb the heat faster, expanding rapidly. Be ready to give it a blow with a sledgehammer. My thread were already ruined from trying to spin the pivot bolt, but keep the nut on there (backwards) to save the threads from the hammer.

Changing rear suspension strut

[Xlot]

I did this a couple of weeks ago.

For those note sure if their pins will come out - its pretty easy to remove them if they're not too badly corroded.. I've had a couple which came out with just a 22mm wrench and pulling by hand as I turned them. They're usually covered nicely in silver antiseize (Optimoly TA per the WSM - I use Loctite Silver Antiseize - which is actually aluminum based). If you can get yours out, its worth doing so just to polish any corrosion and cover them liberally in antiseize and put them back - the WSM originally specified MoS2 grease, but in later years changed to Optimoly TA, so I'd go with that.

IMO, heat isn't very useful except as a means to break the corrosion slightly to help penetrate with a lubricant. The binding in the ones I've taken out (I've owned a few S4's) is due to the corrosion in the middle of the pin making the diameter larger than the ID of the steel conical washers on either side of the hub, or in some cases the steel pin and washers corroding together. The alloy of the hub has a fair bit of clearance and isn't the issue (even on one of my cars which came from the UK and was driven on salty roads for 20 winters).

Here's the steps I recommend:

1. Go buy a couple of regular M14 nuts - put two of them onto the threaded section so you have any load from hammer/pressing spread over a lot more threads.

2. Get a small oil squirt can, and put in a mix of 50/50 ATF/acetone. Squirt liberally at either end and up through the base of the hub. Do this a few times over a 24 hour period to make sure its really soaking in - the acetone will wick the ATF in.

3. I usually start with an air impact gun and a couple of nuts on one end to see if I can spin the pin. If it spins then life gets easier and you can squirt in more lube and spin it more. Just be careful that you don't strip off the threads on the pin with your air tool - if it spins, it'll do so before 140 ftlbs of torque on the gun.

4. Try hitting it each way a few times on the nuts with a small sledgehammer. If it moves, then great. If not, give up with the hammer before you bend the pins.

5. Get some wrenches and use them as spacers to try pressing out the pin with a large washer and the two nuts mentioned in (1) above. This pic on rennlist shows what I mean if its not clear (may require login)

6. If it hasn't moved yet, go back and do 2-5 again the next day.

7. If the bugger is still stuck fast, then weigh up the cost/effort of cutting it and buying new. If you're determined to get it out, its time to remove the whole assembly (Lower Control Arm/Hub/Shock) and put it in the press - its fairly heavy but doable, although you'll need a second pair of hands to help hold it or operate the press The trickiest bit here is removing the e-brake cable from the back side of the hub - the metal tube does come out of the hub, but is usually corroded in badly, so I've had more luck getting the e-brake cable out through the tube with a thin punch.

Lastly - as far as replacements go.. one local 928 owner to me cut his to get them out, and then got a local machine shop to make him some replacements in stainless (out of 25mm bar stock - turned down , although he mentioned that as they didn't have any 20mm might have worked). It worked out way cheaper than replacement factory ones.

[Mrmerlin]

FWIW a used pin will also work here ,
just roll it on a smooth surface to verify its true,
if its bent then throw it away.
use anti seize on the pin

[gampavan]

I used the pin itself as its own puller. I removed the nuts from both ends. At the rear I removed the large thick washer. I then used a suitable sized ring spanner that would allow the pin to pass through it as a spacer. Put it over the threaded portion of pin, added thick washer and nut. The nut should be approximately fully engaged on the thread before it comes up hard and needs to start pulling the pin out to thread on further. I then used air impact wrench to screw nut on which started to pull out pin. You only get about 1/4 to 3/8 inch movement of pin before you have to remove nut and add suitable space to repeat process.

Pin is high tensile with fairly fine thread so huge pulling force can be applied this way without damage to pin.

[MarkRobinson]

I just soaked the entire middle carrier in PB Blaster for 2 days with the bottom drain hole plugged so that it doesn't all drain out: still stuck after a variety of removal techniques were used. Put it all back together AGAIN!. So frustrated.

[Mrmerlin]

well you could loosen both of the pin nuts a few turns and go do some heavy starts and stops that should loosen the connection worth a try

[MarkRobinson]

that's how I had it set for the last two weeks: still seized.