Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 00:24:01 -0600
Reply-To: Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Al and Sue Brase <albeeee@MCHSI.COM>
Subject: Re: installation of lower control arm bushings
In-Reply-To: <20050201204541.51262.qmail@web60210.mail.yahoo.com>
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Roger:
It is really hard to tell if the lower bushings are bad!
It SEEMS like I asked the list a few months back before I did the ones
in my 91. I got no response. This cars was from Pennsylvania and though
Ziebarted and not very rusty in most places was REALLY rusty in some,
including the metal of these bushings. Since the majority of this front
end is really nice, I saw no need to take the whole damn thing apart
.I'm lucky enough to have a high quality old coil spring compressor. I
took the shocks out, installed the spring compressor and compressed a
spring, then took out the bolt that holds the inner end of the lower
control arm. Then, laying under the car, used a combination of 1/2" all
thread, big washers, pieces of pipe and some big sockets to pull the old
bushing out and the new one in. Oh, a ratcheting box end wrench, too.
lots and lots of turns. It seems like I pulled the old one INTO a big
socket, maybe the same size as the rear wheel nuts, 1-7/16"? It really
should have been a bit deeper. It seems like I used a 1-1/2" EMT conduit
coupling to funnel the new rubber into the arm. I lubed it with liquid
dish soap. A long tapered punch helped get things aligned to get the
bolt back in.
Funny thing, when I got done, the Vanagon drove TERRIBLE. It seems like
previous alignments had compensated for the wear/ rust buildup and now I
had 0 degrees caster.
It's great now that it got realigned.
I really wonder if more Vanagons don't need these replaced.
Oh, BTW, the local shop wanted 4.5 hours EACH to replace these. IOW 9 hr
X $80/ hr= $720!!!
I did them about 2hours each. If I had a lift and a bit more practice,
maybe less!
And what about the rears?
The only reason mine went bad was the salt environment they were in, but
rears are probably in as much salt.
Anybody ever take their rear arms out? Were the bushings shot?
Al Brase
roger sisler wrote:
>Hello, Nowhere in the archives can I find any information on lower control arm bushing installiation, I know people have done this,but I will submitt to the archives how I did itNot much to it really..First, that VW special tool is not needed.I had to completely dissamble my front suspension to get to this gem.I included its' replacement w/all that other stuff usually replaced at this time.I guess it could be pressed out w/a ball joint press,but why do that?I just included this operation with the pressing in of the new bushing($20).I removed the through bolt that holds the lower control arm on.Only slight effort was then needed to remove the control arm from the vehicle.Even less effort to reinstall it.Thats it!
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