We've got a '96 aerostar (4x4). The bushing and upper control arm seem to need replacement but the parts seem to be obsolete. Any source for these (other than salvage yards)?
View 14 RepliesAny hints on a easy way to change these.
After I have the wheel off do I need to disconnect the upper ball joint to remove these. It looks like I can just remove the two nuts on each side and use a jack under the rotor to support the weight. It looks like it might shift back and forth enough to get them out/in.
Will this work?
can you replace the upper control arm bushings (pass side) with the arm still in the truck?
View 8 RepliesI have a '92 Aerostar XLT with a rear control arm problem. The bushings have worn out and the rear end floats side to side as much as 1 1/2 inches. Ford says one bushing comes in the arm ( no longer avail ), one is a press in (no longer available), and the other is like a strut bushing and is available but without the other 2 there is no point in replacing the one. How to fix this enormous problem???
View 10 RepliesI have to replace the upper control arm on my 05 f150 4x4. I've been looking around the site and didn't see anything. Is there directions posted anywhere on the procedure? or if the strut assembly has to be removed? If so do I have to compress the spring first?
View 7 RepliesCar has a little over 100K. How to replace the bushings on the suspension arms. Took my car in for the brake switch recall and was told my bushings were cracked. Not sure which ones, but I assume all of them. Looked online for a DIY, but not for the RX330. From some of the DIY's I've seen so far, it looks like a bit$! to replace those rubber bushings.
View 14 RepliesI am replacing the driver side up front control arm as the ball joint has gone bad. Got a febi/bilstein arm and all the necessary bolts from ecs. Lifted up the car, front pinch bolt is seized of course so it is currently soaking in pbblaster. The nut came off fine, which I've read doesn't always happen.
On to my question, I loosened up the rear bolt on the control arm, but it has no room to come out? Ive been searching through old threads both on here and passat world for a diy. I found the one on audi world that many people link to. And it seems to skip over this little part.
As of now the only option I can think of is to cut the head off the bolt, and push force the rest of the bolt out. But then to reinstall the bolt would have to go in on the other side? I have a picture to hopefully better illustrate what I am talking about.
I am in need of new radius arm bushings (both sides). How to be able to just unbolt the sway bar, unbolt the shocks, dismount the coil springs so they fall out to the sides and then drop the rear of the radius arms so they could press out the old bushings and insert the new? This is a 2WD and I think the process would be same for an F250 of the same year (2000 - 2004). The reason I ask is because I really, really don't want to have to get down to the king pin level and completely remove the radius arms if I don't have to.
View 2 RepliesAs a lot of Camry in this world, my rear sway bar bushings went bad. Tried to replace them, I went slowly with the ratchet on the first bolt as I don't want to go with the impact tool, but that damn bolt decided to break anyway...
I called my local dealer and he said he don't have the replacement in stock and he cannot tell me the size of this bolt.
What is the size? My 07 SE have the bracket with only two bolts.
Just got my car back from the shop and it squeaks pretty loudly at low speeds. It seems pretty clearly to be coming from underneath the front seats and it sounds like rubber rubbing against steel so I am guessing its the control arm bushings.
Yesterday I took it to the shop to have the passenger side control arm installed and to have the tie rods done and get an alignment.
This past weekend I installed new drivers side control arm/ball joint, front struts (also installed a new rear hub & wheel bearing). I did not hear any squeaking after I did that.
Is this just something that needs to be broken in?
It wasn't til I got it back from the shop that it started to squeak. I only notice it from 0-20 mph then it seems to go away. Everything else seems fine, suspension, steering and alignment are all great and there's no clunking etc.
Brought the Tig in for an oil change & while it was on the lift the tech noticed that the subject bushings are cracked/separating...Tig has about 43,400 mi...is this a common issue?
View 6 RepliesI'm trying to remove the upper control arm on a 2004 F-150 2WD. I took the wheel off, and it looks like I can't get the bolts off that attach to the frame off without taking out the shock and "coil over"? Is this the case, or is there another way to do this?
View 9 RepliesMy rear control arm bushings are cracking. I was wondering if this is a serious problem and what negative effects it will have if I leave them alone.
View 10 RepliesI bought a used 2007 Lexus RX350, FWD, in December 2012 and had it looked over before I signed the papers by a non-biased mechanic. He said the control arm bushings would need to be replaced in the future.
When I took the car in last month to my mechanic (a private mechanic, not a Lexus dealership), he said the control arm bushings on the right side are worn a lot more than the left side. He said on this Lexus, it would require removing the engine to replace the parts (?) and that because it was such a labor intensive job, and the left will eventually wear, that he advises I get both the left and right replaced at the same time.
MILEAGE: 65,000
Last time I was in, the shop replaced my sway bar links, which had already been diagnosed and the repair scheduled. Then, after replacing the sway bar links, the mechanic told me that the control arm bushings were cracked. They already put new struts on the front, as well. So I asked him what else was going to go wrong with my suspension. He said nothing else should need work. He also said that the car was safe to drive for a couple months but I definitely needed to get it fixed.
QUESTIONS:
Is it normal for a car with 65,000 miles to have cracked bushings? I realize that the car is 11 years old; I just wondered how much a car's mileage plays into cracking the bushings and, if so, after how many miles should one expect before cracking occurs.
Does it sound like they're trying to soak me? Why tell me one thing at a time? Perhaps more revenue from the labor side of things?
Assuming the bushings truly need to be replaced, does the community here think there is anything else that should be checked and taken care of at the same time? It is both costly and annoying to have to take the car back numerous times.
2001 F-150 4x4 5.4L. I am going to replace the upper control arms this weekend. I noticed that there are regular bolts with no cam washer installed. I have read conflicting info on whether the cam washer set up is needed. Do I have to install these or can I just put the old bolts back in just like they are. When I replaced the uppers on my 1997 T-Bird I put in new bolts but there was no mention of a cam washer setup for it anywhere that I saw. What would be the problems if I just reinstalled the old bolts. Right now the truck drives straight as an arrow but the lower ball joint on the driver side is shot so I will be replacing it also.
View 2 RepliesFront lower control arm bushings are completely separated. Looking to upgrade in some way to poly bushings or some other sort of performance setup.
View 4 RepliesPicked up another gti vr6 5 speed for my girlfriend. It needed the control arm bushings replaced. Finished up and went to drive the car. Now when in gear and let of the clutch. Makes a terrible sound and won't move. But speedo goes up .
View 3 RepliesI have a 2008 Honda Pilot less than 80,000 miles on it. was just told by the dealer the control arm bushings need to be replaced. They put it on the lift for me and I saw what looks to be dry rot on the bushings. I am the original owner and it has not been abused .. all required service completed.
View 4 RepliesI have recently replaced both tie rod ends and found out when I took my truck for an alignment the mechanic stated that I had bad driver side ball joints (upper & lower) I confirmed this with SEARS and they stated that it was all the ball joints upper & lowers! the Haynes repair manual (1999-2010) states "ball joints on 1999 through 2013 2WD models were not replaceable".
View 4 RepliesI recently came home to a shattered back window on the lift gate. We were gone on vacation for a week and I didn't notice it for a couple days after we were back. The van was backed up to my second garage door. Not really sure how it happened. Nothing was taken from the van and I live in a pretty decent neighborhood, so I don't think it was vandals. Only thing I can contribute it too is the heat (it had gotten pretty hot in WI while we were gone).
So I'm in the process of replacing it. After a pretty good search I was able to obtain a used window from a junk yard. The glass is in good shape but it is missing 3 of the 'studs' that are imbedded in the rubber molding. I have the 3M Window Weld butyl 'tape' (3/8") to seal/adhere it to the fiberglass. Will the remaining studs plus the tape be enough to permanently keep the window in place?
If not, I can salvage the studs from the old molding but then I have to figure out how to glue it to the new window. I'm not sure what I can use to do this. I've considered JB Weld, Epoxy, super glue or something like rubber cement. It looks like the old studs were ripped straight out leaving kind of a void in the hard rubber molding. The bottom of the void is I believe rubber (not glass).