How to fit front drop links the easy way. I used my impact wrench and tite-reach extension, along with 16/17 OE spanner and long 16mm ring spanner to crack the original nuts.
Once you have jacked up and supported both sides of the car and removed the wheels you can access the drop links. First thing to do is make sure the replacements are the same length as the ones being removed. It can be very annoying having removed the old link to find the new ones aren't the right ones.
The top nuts are easy to access with the impact wrench directly, all you need to do is locate the flats on the shoulder of the fixing at the back of the mounting bracket. Using the open end spanner you can stop the fixing spinning while turning the fixing nut with the impact wrench.
For the bottom mounting the nuts faces away from you which makes getting the spanner on the flats easier but turning the mounting nut more difficult. This is where the tite-reach extension comes in.
You have to remember that when you have the socket on the nut and the wrench on the same side of the extension you have to put the wrench in "tighten" mode to undo the fixing nut, and vice versa to tighten it back up, also using the spanner to stop the fixing spinning as you to tighten the nut with the wrench.
Mine is the 3/8 " version, and to drive 1/2" sockets you need the 1/2 down to 3/8 adapter for the wrench and 3/8 up to 1/2 for the socket.
I'm changing these drop links because the top boot on the O/S is split and is an MOT failure.
I use a dummy stud to help relocate/align the wheel bolt holes.
After starting the 4 other bolts I run them up on No.1 (lowest power) setting of the impact wrench.
Then remove the stud and fit the remaining wheel bolt and run it up with the wrench. Finally tighten up to the correct torque with my torque wrench when the wheels are back on the ground.
Tony.
Once you have jacked up and supported both sides of the car and removed the wheels you can access the drop links. First thing to do is make sure the replacements are the same length as the ones being removed. It can be very annoying having removed the old link to find the new ones aren't the right ones.
The top nuts are easy to access with the impact wrench directly, all you need to do is locate the flats on the shoulder of the fixing at the back of the mounting bracket. Using the open end spanner you can stop the fixing spinning while turning the fixing nut with the impact wrench.
For the bottom mounting the nuts faces away from you which makes getting the spanner on the flats easier but turning the mounting nut more difficult. This is where the tite-reach extension comes in.
You have to remember that when you have the socket on the nut and the wrench on the same side of the extension you have to put the wrench in "tighten" mode to undo the fixing nut, and vice versa to tighten it back up, also using the spanner to stop the fixing spinning as you to tighten the nut with the wrench.
Mine is the 3/8 " version, and to drive 1/2" sockets you need the 1/2 down to 3/8 adapter for the wrench and 3/8 up to 1/2 for the socket.
I'm changing these drop links because the top boot on the O/S is split and is an MOT failure.
I use a dummy stud to help relocate/align the wheel bolt holes.
After starting the 4 other bolts I run them up on No.1 (lowest power) setting of the impact wrench.
Then remove the stud and fit the remaining wheel bolt and run it up with the wrench. Finally tighten up to the correct torque with my torque wrench when the wheels are back on the ground.
Tony.