18 replies to this topic

[Alex]

Ahoy hoy lads.

Cleaning the car today, and noticed my Whiteline Roll Centre Bump-steer adjust kit has failed.





The boot has broken, and in the last couple of days, I've noticed the steering has gone a little funny, biased towards one side.

Just wondering how many more fails the KCA313 has had? I remember the lateral link thread, bobbyjimmy mentioned he's been through four of the KCA313, and was wondering who out there has also gone through this?

My opinion about Whiteline is rapidly dwindling...

Cheers

Alex

[Morgan]

Not good mate.
I agree with your sentiment. Dwindling rapidly.

Have you had any contact with WL since the incident?
Bobbyjimmy has found the right rep to deal with for a replacement.

[Alex]

I only found this today Morgan.

Kinda keen to hear from bobbyjimmy in regards to this.... as he's killed 3 or four of these kits! LOL


Not sure If I'm terribly keen on replacing the failed kit with another under warranty, only to have it fail miserably again.

Common sense is telling me to fit OEM tie rods. Ball joints seem OK for now, but I'm sure they'll fail soon too.

[skillionaire]

Hi,

Sucks. Are items like this a 'replacement' or an 'upgrade' as specified by the WhiteLine crew?

Cheers,
Nik

[buzzda]

No good mate, I'll be checking mine.
Did you read this Product Bulletin

NEW AND IMPROVED HEAVY DUTY SILICON DUST BOOT
“Super high temperature resistant silicon for
serious racing and high brake temperatures.
Tested at 650C rotor temps”

Sounds like they might've had a few come back.

Hopefully Ultrex will start making suspension stuff, Dad just got :these: strut bars and H-brace for $230, they seem decent quality too.

[Hypnotic]

jebus, nice pick up Alex, just aswell you had a good look over your sled.

[Alex]

I reckon. Was going to go for a drive to a carshow an hour and a half away one way (through some sweet twisties... no less!)

[buzzda]

Just had a squiz at mine, been on for bit over 12mths (10K) and they look fine. Your boots looked alot older/dirtier/perished more than mine tho. Mine look almost new.

[Alex]

Having Brembos may have something to do with it, but I still have my colour indicators in situ.

The lowest colour is green, and that changes to white at 458 degrees. Mine's still green.

But keep an eye on them, as over at rexnet, and NASIOC, failure is rampant.

[buzzda]

Yeah, after seeing this and the links (b/jims), I'll be checking all my W/L stuff more regularly from now on.

[Alex]

Fix0red.

Upon closer inspection, the tie rod ends were fine, it was just a split in the boot, and an alignment issue that caused what I thought was a tie rod end fail.

Ripped it all apart today, and also discovered one of my rack boots was starting to crack.

So swapped both boots, and found some rubber boots for the ball joint end of the tie rod ends.

Packed a little more grease into them, and they're all good again.

Counted threads on the tie rod ends, and limped it to my alignment guy. Four wheel alignment, and its all apples again.


New rubber boots. Stupid yellow whiteline raceboy shit. $3.00 a pop.


Rack boots. p/n for generic brand. Fit beautifully. $10 a pop.

Four wheel alignment: $35.

Fixed for a grand total of $61.

Win.

[skillionaire]

Hi,

Good news mate.

Cheers,
Nik

[bobbyjimmy]

Just wondering how many more fails the KCA313 has had? I remember the lateral link thread, bobbyjimmy mentioned he's been through four of the KCA313, and was wondering who out there has also gone through this?

Out of all the kits I had fail, they where all the Ball Joints, and most of the Rexnet/NASIOC complaints are about Ball Joints too.

My first kit was the old style and started to make a clunk noise going up driveways etc - took awhile to pin point it, then a month or so later they started popping up on NASOIC with the same sort of symptoms.
Emailed Whiteline, they sent out another kit to replace them - they lasted a few more months, then the same noise came back, then Whiteline announce the "New and Revised" kits, so email them again.
One of the "new" kits shows up, fit it, and no shit maybe 2 weeks go by and the same noise again, by now I've got the shits in re-installing effing Ball Joints 3 times and after taking this lot out to see if I was actually the one effing it up (I wasn't), turns out the knuckles had started to flog out right where the ball joints seat into the knuckle. Went to a fella at a Subaru specialist/wreckers (shout out http://www.subaroo.com.au/cover.htm - no site, but details to use a phone) who did knuckles and hubs for cheapish, then I thought I'd do bearings and seals at the same time for abit of preventative maintenance and bolt the lot back in in one go.
Email Whiteline again with what I'd found and it turns out the "new" 3rd set they'd sent me was actually one of the old original kits somehow mixed up and sent out to me - hence getting those KTA124 arms on the cheap as I had the shits and they where embarrassed.
Take 4 was an actual real life "New" kit which hasn't made a noise in 12 months or so, might be due to the revision (I haven't looked in the NASIOC thread since) or maybe the newish knuckles?
I've still got a spankers set of the Tie Rod's sitting here for if they do go bad, figured the last set was only on for a few weeks before the ball joints so they'll be right.

C/N's - never tore a tie rod end boot on mine, Ball Joints always failed on me.

[Alex]

Bobbyjimmy (LOL... I just wrote boobyjimmy! Freudian slip?)

Some of my research has taken me to Rexnet of all places. Go through that thread, and you'll find that the updated ball joints had "WHITELINE" laser etched into them, whereas the non update ones didn't.


L-to-R: stock, new WL, old WL:

I discovered my balljoints were updated, and they don't clunk, so I'm not terribly worried about them.....YET.

If they do go, I'll keep the tie rod ends, and go to a Superpro unit.



I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe they further reduce the centre of gravity lower than the Whiteline units. And rubber boots. Not wanky "look at moi" rip-after-a-year yellow!



Back to the tie rod ends, I inspected the intact boot, and that too had a crease where the thickness of the boot is compromised. They were about to crack. The balljoint boots seem to be of a better design, and I suspect that'll last a little longer...

[Soop]

Just read this and checked mine.
Not as bad as yours but are starting to split... Bugger.

[CRUISN]

Mine are the updated ones.

[SAV84C]

Bobbyjimmy (LOL... I just wrote boobyjimmy! Freudian slip?)

If they do go, I'll keep the tie rod ends, and go to a Superpro unit.



I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe they further reduce the centre of gravity lower than the Whiteline units. And rubber boots. Not wanky "look at moi" rip-after-a-year yellow!



Back to the tie rod ends, I inspected the intact boot, and that too had a crease where the thickness of the boot is compromised. They were about to crack. The balljoint boots seem to be of a better design, and I suspect that'll last a little longer...

Alex do you have the part # for the superpro unit? I couldnt find it in the catalogue... My stock ones are worn out!

[bobbyjimmy]

Superpro Ball Joints = FPR-001

[SAV84C]

Thanks bud