Front Control Arm bushing install

[djdawson2]

OK... so I've been searching for an elusive "clunk" coming from the front end over ripple or washboard type bumps. Unable to find anything obvious after removing the entire strut, and replacing the ball joints for good measure... I decided I would replace the control arm bushings.

After checking around on this forum, and looking at the various products, I decided to order Elephant Racing's OE style rubber bushings. While $225 strikes me as an un-Godly price for 4 rubber bushings, I guess it pales in comparison to a pair of $800+ control arms... and hey, it includes a couple of helpful tools as well.

So, I cleaned 20 years of crud off the arms, and placed one in a vice:





The instructions tell you to use an angle measuring level. Since I didn't have one, I elected to use this adjustable device, set on the centerline of the 2 stamped halves of the control arm. Both arms had exactly the same angle:





Then I fired up the little MAP gas torch, and lightly heated the housing that holds the bushing. Inserting a screwdriver into the mounting hole and twisting, the housing *easily* spun off the bushing... then I pried the bushing off of the arm. This was very easy to accomplish on the rear bushings... more heat was required on the front ones... obviously due to the fact that the rear bushings handle the bulk of the work, and were pretty trashed, hence loose:





A little soapy tire goop allowed me push the busing into the housing by hand. Then I soaped up the control arm and the inside of the bushing, and pressed it onto the arm using the handly little tools provided in the kit:





The front mounts I indexed for proper alignment, referencing the seam of the stamped halves:





...and pressed in place w/handy tools:





All in all, this job was very easy, taking about 1 hour to clean up the arms and remove/replace the bushings. I have high hopes that this will cure my noise and tighten things up a bit. I was actually stunned at how soft the OE bushing were... perhaps due to all the years of service.

This surely isn't scientific, but here is one of the old bushings being squeezed in my hand:





Now, I don't milk cows for a living, and it wasn't hard for me to compress this bushing flat. I couldn't come close to doing this with the new bushings... so I am very excited to see how this improves the cars handling and noise issues.

Adios,

Dave

[A930Rocket]

Great write up. The new bushings should make a world of difference. I went with urethane bushings years ago (about all that was offered back then) and they have worked well.

[djdawson2]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Great write up. The new bushings should make a world of difference. I went with urethane bushings years ago (about all that was offered back then) and they have worked well.

I am hoping they will make a difference... particularly my "clunk." After experiencing how soft these front bushings were, it makes me wonder about what is going on in the rear...

[A930Rocket]

If your fronts were that soft and original, then the rear end bushings will likely need replacement as well. It can affect alignment when pushed hard. Good time to install the adj spring plate to make ride height and corner weighting easier.

Originally Posted by djdawson2

I am hoping they will make a difference... particularly my "clunk." After experiencing how soft these front bushings were, it makes me wonder about what is going on in the rear...

[djdawson2]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

If your fronts were that soft and original, then the rear end bushings will likely need replacement as well. It can affect alignment when pushed hard. Good time to install the adj spring plate to make ride height and corner weighting easier.

Sorry... I'm new. Can you point me to the adjustable spring plate you are referring to?

tks

[djdawson2]

Also... where might I find the torque specs for the control arm and subframe mounting points?

Thanks

[A930Rocket]

I've been using the Sway-a-Way type for about 15 years on two car without problems. One thing I would do is weld a tab on the bottom of the torsion tube cap so that you can place a jack stand there and not worry about it slipping off. I've several people do it without, but I'd feel better if there was something there just in case.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911M/POR_911M_SUSshk_pg15.htm#item69

Originally Posted by djdawson2

Sorry... I'm new. Can you point me to the adjustable spring plate you are referring to?

tks

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by djdawson2

Also... where might I find the torque specs for the control arm and subframe mounting points?

Thanks

[djdawson2]

Thanks for the info.

I've put it all back together and taken a test ride. While the steering feel is remarkable more crisp, my clunking noise REMAINS!!!

WTF? I don't know where else to look. I have analyzed the underside of this car for hours (on a lift) looking for ANY possible defect. I simply can not find a thing. The noise sounds like it is right under the passenger's feet... only occurring when the right front wheel encounters a sharp bump.

I am out of ideas. Could it be something in the front storage area/trunk?

[Flieger]

strut dust cover? broken rear sway bar mount?

[djdawson2]

Originally Posted by Flieger

strut dust cover? broken rear sway bar mount?

Nope... all good. I had to look over everything to do with the sway bar mount when I pulled the front end to do the bushings...

[bkreigsr]

Is the passenger side strut tightened all the way?
It's possible to install it and not cinch the top nut all the way down, leaving some play the the top of the insert.

Every time you hit a bump - thump - is the loose insert banging the top body mount. - just a thought, and my mistake from a Maxima install several years ago.

Bill K

[djdawson2]

I've actually removed the strut to inspect the upper mount... everything was good, and the upper mount was tight.

Is there anything that secures the shock other than that roll pin?

[JFairman]

I replied on your other thread about the clunking over bumps.
I'd suggest you drive out the roll pin in the bottom of the strut that secures the bottom of the shock rod there.

You will see a slightly reformed or bent worn spot on the roll pin where it went through the groove in the end of the shock rod. The roll pins holds the shock rod in place in the bottom of the strut. The rollpin is softer steel than the hardened and chromed shock rod so the shock rod shouldn't have any wear from the looseness and clunking.

You can rotate the roll pin 180 degrees so the worn spot faces away from the groove in the shock rod and reinstall it or get a new roll pin and install it. Might be hard finding the right one though..

Just put a floor jack under the wheel or bottom of the strut to support it while removing and reinstalling the roll pin.

If you've eliminated all other possible reasons for the cluck this is probably it. Mine was doiing the same thing and rotating the roll pin fixed it.

[djdawson2]

JF...
Got it... that will be the next thing I try. Car is up on a lift now anyway, and that pin is easy to get at. I've got nothing to lose at this point!!

Thanks

[JFairman]

Originally Posted by djdawson2

I've actually removed the strut to inspect the upper mount... everything was good, and the upper mount was tight.

Is there anything that secures the shock other than that roll pin?

Nope, at the bottom that's it.

[JFairman]

Originally Posted by djdawson2

JF...
Got it... that will be the next thing I try. Car is up on a lift now anyway, and that pin is easy to get at. I've got nothing to lose at this point!!

Thanks

Put something under the tire, or rotor, or the bottom of the strut to support the weight while driving out that pin...

[bkreigsr]

Bilstein will mail you new roll pins for about .80 each + s & h
just give them a call