I did recently an axle shaft replacement, and took apart the suspension on this car for the first time. After tightening up the suspension components and replacing the outer tie rod end, the handling and steering is just about back to what it was before the axle replacement. The steering and handling aren't exactly where they should be, and this being my first time doing suspension work, I have the following concerns on the suspension setup:

(1) The replacement outer TRE was just a little bit shorter than the one I took out. I installed the TRE by matching the # of turns with the one I pulled out, I'm not going to take it to an alignment shop until I at least do the other axle, but might do a DIY toe alignment.
(2) I couldn't pop the lateral lower control arm ball joint, and just about all the grease was pushed out with the application of the pickle fork.
(3) A lot of the grease is also pushed out of the other (compression control arm) ball joint.
(4) To get the damper fork holes to line up correctly, I loosened the bolt to the shocks and adjusted. So that adjustment is different right now than where it was before the axle installation, and the bolt is also undertorqued at the moment.
(5) The axle nut was installed and tightened with an impact wrench and isn't torqued properly right now.
(6) On both sides, I found the boot on the inner tie rod end to be split so at least these need to be replaced.

So in general the questions/ concerns are about how safe are in the present condition and what absolutely needs to be replaced? I believe it's possible to replace only the ball joints without replacing the suspension component. I've driven about 100 miles so far with this driver's side axle installation, and the steering and handling now seem pretty much as it was before the replacement. There could be some subtle issues on steering control at higher speeds. I'm not planning to do any freeway driving until things are tightened up a bit more and probably not until replacing the other axle.

1) your toe is now off with the shorter tie rod even though you matched the number of turns.
2) you can't replace just the ball joints on the lower arms. You would need a new lower control arm and compression arm if you decide you want to replace them.
3) Are you saying the pinch bolt where the shock goes into the lower fork? The shock should come to a spot where it bottoms out and then tighten the bolt down.
4) As long as you got it right enough and a cotter pin installed it should be ok. Although, You're not supposed to impact the castle nut. It should be properly torqued without using an impact on it. The bearing has a set preload that is applied with proper torque.
5) The inner tie rod bellows should be replaced when you get the chance. Road debris can get in there causing the joint to fail prematurely. Not a huge deal but not a bad idea.
All in all you could get away with tightening the shock mount bolt and doing an alignment.

blkgst97 said:

1) your toe is now off with the shorter tie rod even though you matched the number of turns.
2) you can't replace just the ball joints on the lower arms. You would need a new lower control arm and compression arm if you decide you want to replace them.
3) Are you saying the pinch bolt where the shock goes into the lower fork? The shock should come to a spot where it bottoms out and then tighten the bolt down.
4) As long as you got it right enough and a cotter pin installed it should be ok. Although, You're not supposed to impact the castle nut. It should be properly torqued without using an impact on it. The bearing has a set preload that is applied with proper torque.
5) The inner tie rod bellows should be replaced when you get the chance. Road debris can get in there causing the joint to fail prematurely. Not a huge deal but not a bad idea.
All in all you could get away with tightening the shock mount bolt and doing an alignment.

Click to expand...

OK Thanks.

On (1), Here's a bit more info on the replacement outer TRE:
When I took out the old worn-out TRE, what I counted was 10 turns, actually more like 10-1/2 turns. After threading the new one in and counting 10 turns, there was a gap to the lock nut, which I hadn't moved or turned at all. I guess it could have actually been 9-1/2 turns if it didn't thread in right away. The outer TRE looked like this after the installation: After putting it all back together, the end result was that the steering always turned slightly to the right on a straight road. I went back in, turned the outer TRE one more turn and closed the gap to the lock nut and then the steering straightened out completely. On a straight level smooth stretch of road, it seems to me no different from what it was before the axle job.

On (3), I think we're talking about the same thing. It's actually the nut to the damper fork mounting bolt which is up at the top of the damper fork. When I was putting the suspension back together, there seemed to be no way to line up the holes at the bottom of the damper fork to insert the lower mounting bolt. Once I loosened up that nut at the top of the damper fork, everything fell into place. My manuals say the torque on that bolt is 66-87 ft-lbs (it might be at 30 or 40 right now). What I'm wondering is, is this attachment between the damper fork and the shock also something that affects alignment or handling ? It seems like it might shift a little if on the ground vs up in the air with no wheel/tire attached.

On the whole, the handling on this vehicle has never been that great. It doesn't compare to my previous dsm (1G) which in the right driving conditions was incredibly smooth. After reading up on automotive handling, I'd say the weakest part of the handling right now in this 2G Spyder is "Bump Steer", which is maybe a little worse, not a lot, than what it was before doing the driver's side axle.

One major general problem is worn-out bushings in the rear wheels/suspension, which makes it impossible to get a rear wheel alignment that holds. I've just been replacing the rear tires with used tires from a Mexican tire shop every few hundred or 1K miles, until I can get this bushings work done. The front tires are in pretty much the same condition after 12K miles and are the same ones that were on the vehicle from the P/O. Besides getting the suspension to the point where it seems safe for freeway driving, I'm also looking into ways to improve and upgrade the suspension. I know it's possible to put 3G suspension components into it, though I don't know how that will affect handling.

Outer tie rod ends are different lengths for every aftermarket one out there so you can never count turns.

You can make your own toe measurement tool cheap with parts from Home Depot and adjust toe yourself. See Front Toe Adjustment here: http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/my-alignment-page-attached.338063/#post-151879230.