How can I repair my Ford KA, 2000, 1.3cc?

my mot centre failed my ford ka on the top strut mounts both sides i have replaced the top top strut mount on my ford ka but theres still play in it any sugesstions please

harry
December 2008

go to partco or similar and buy a front suspension top mount/bearing and a pair of wishbones as these come with bushes and ball joints. it is easy to do on ramp but can be done on axle stand - one side at a time. wheel off, remove lower ball joint bolt (might be nasty and best to fit new bolt on reassembly). you dont have to dismantle drive shaft to do wishbone but will have to to on the side that needs a top mounting which is what the mot man meant by upper attachment
the wishbones attach to subframe with simple big bolts. pry the old one out and slip the new one in. any mechanic will tell you the difficult bit is lining up these big bolts through new tight bushes. its all in the technique! a garage would charge 2-3 hrs to do this.
best to get the tracking reset afterwards as it may have out in the first place anyway. new nuts and bolts if the old ones are less than perfect. bad news about the top mount change unless you have a spring compressor to take the tension while you change it over so take the whole leg to a good back street garage who'll do that for you for a tenner the you can refit it yourself. hope this helps

jamiestation
September 2008

Forgot to add after you have replaced the items you will need to get the steering alignment checked as you will have disturbed the set-up

nigel
September 2008

Hi Steve, both are relatively easy DIY jobs but you will need some more specialised tools, a ball joint seperator, coil spring compressors and a Torque wrench, you might be able to rent these from a tool hire shop, I suggest you get a copy of a haynes type manual as it will show you the correct methods of removing/replacing and the torque loading to do the bolts up to, try you local library for the manual, if they don't have a KA one, a MK 3/4 fiesta will be an alternative as the suspension set-up is the same

nigel
September 2008