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Date:         Sat, 17 Nov 2001 16:19:19 -0700
Reply-To:     Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Martin Jagersand <jag@CS.UALBERTA.CA>
Subject:      Advice on upper control arm bushing wear and R&R.

Dear All,

I'm looking to get some advice on what tolerances are acceptable in the front suspension and to make a prioritized repair list. The vehicle is an '82 Diesel westy (which a put a new 1.9l TD engine into a few years ago, so I intend to keep it for several years).

This weekend I jacked up the front and measured: (In order from bad to good)

Passenger side:

Wear in upper control arm bushing.

When rocking the wheel I measured a 4mm (about 1/8") movement of the tire. This seems to correspond to a 2mm or less movement of the control arm (since it's about halfway down the tire radius).

How many mm is acceptable wear in the upper control arm bushings? Bentley doesn't say anything. Haynes says only "slight" play acceptable. Since these are under load when driving I assume a bit of play has less effect on handling than say a play in the steering linkage. A post to the list (1998) mentions the wear limit of the bushings: * If bolt head or nut/washer comes in contact with supporting ring (arrow), wear limit has been reached and bushing must be replaced. This info is not in my Bentley (1985-ish version) but may be in the newer ones. Can someone please check?

The bus passed NYS inspection with this play (they say up to 1/4" is acceptable on an older car), but now I'm up for the tougher Alberta Out of Province inspection.

Drivers side seems much better. I's just barely possible to move the tire. The tire moves less than 1mm (1/32") when rocked in-out. This should be acceptable, right?

Other than the ball joint (mine has a torn boot), is there any other stuff I should replace when the upper control arm is off?

How good are the aftermarket parts for this? (The bushings are CDN $25 each aftermarket, but $60 at the dealer, upper ball joint also $25 aftermarket and a whopping $145 at the dealer)

My ball joint is actually fine (no play) but I couldn't find a replacement rubber boot for the torn boot. Instead I have kept lubing it and taping up the torn boot with rubber tape for the past several years to keep it going this long.

Any tips, hints on bushing replacement and/or bushing tolerance values would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Martin (now in Edmonton Alberta)


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