Date:         Wed, 4 May 1994 15:26:41 -0500 (CDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Dean Paul Karpowicz <chinaski@csd4.csd.uwm.edu>
Subject:      Upper bushings???

Question for the net-land....  Has anyone had experiance (sp) with failing
upper control arm bushings on an early 80's Vanagon???

I noticed the last time I had the front of the Van jacked up (to bleed
cooling system) that there was a lot of slop up by where the pivot pin goes
through the upper control (A) arm.  I have assumed that this is cause the
bushings have worn out.  The Van has had a reoccuring clunk when turning
hard for the past few years, so I don't think that this has happened
overnight.

I called the three dealers in the Milwaukee area and I got prices around $53
each (I need 4, ouch).  One place even kinda laughed when he looked up the
price and then looked up the price of the whole control arm (nope, doesn't
come with bushings) and that was only like $75.

On a side note.  What has anyone found that works (without breaking) to take
off the rear axle nuts???  Last time we had them off we got a BIG socket and
a BIG breaker bar and put the end of the bar on the ground and used engine
torque to break the suckers loose.  It was hard even then (the back of the
bus would start to raise).  I have to adjust/clean up the rear
brakes/parking mech.


Thanks