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Well, I completely rebuilt the front suspension on my '92 960 over the weekend. I replaced the inner and outer tie rods, balljoints, struts, all bushings, swaybars, and did a front brake job at the same time. All total it probably took me a good 15 hours or so. Definately not a fun job, but boy was it worth it. I ended up going with the Boge Turbo gas struts b/c the stock struts feel like they're filled with Jello. I was worried that they'd be too stiff, but the car actually has a MORE compliant ride than it did before...I guess because the the bushings were so far gone. Plus it handles infinately better (thanks also in part to the new swaybars). There is no more suspension crash-through like there was before and it tracks PERFECTLY straight. Road irregularities don't even upset its course any more.
The one hickup I ran into was after it was all apart I found that one of my wheel bearings was "bad." I put it in quotations b/c after I had already bought and installed a replacement (at nearly $300...ouch!) I found that these hubs ARE serviceable. They easily come apart and you can repack them with grease just like the old Timken style on the pre-'88 models. I found that mine was just dry and dirty...and thus making grinding noises. I could have just repacked the bearings and saved myself a ton of money. The bearings and races were fine...just needed lubrication. It's probably a good idea to repack these bearings once in a while, even though you're not "supposed" to be able to. It'll save you a ton of money down the road.
For some reason, though, an intermitant problem I've been having with the power steering was aggravated by my recent work. Since I've owned the car, every once in a while at very low speeds (like below 5mph), in tight turning maneuvers, the steering vibrates really bad. Since I rebuilt the front end, it does it during all turns at low speeds (again below 5mph). The belt isn't slipping, there are no external leaks nor slop in the rack, and the P/S fluid has been flushed recently. Raising the engine speed alleviates the problem but doesn't totally get rid of it. When the car is moving above 5mph or so the steering feels fine. Any thoughts?
Lance
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