Flowmastered87GL Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 When I was at the tire store today I got to watch the guys pull my car into the bay from the little window in the waiting area... I got to watch my front wheels kinda move when they went from forward to reverse (one guy saw something funny, I saw it too, the whole suspension arm is kind of moving front to rear) I belive both fronts are doing this though I only witnessed the passenger side. What they say is wrong: The rubber bushings that hold the rods that go up to the suspension arm are shot. I think they are called the control rod bushings? The bushings ARE original and have nearly 320K on them Now: I am parting out a FWD sedan on Sunday hopefully. Would I be best to grab the low mileage used bushings off that to save costs or should I buy some new poly bushings? Or just leave it and part out the car instead of sell it in afew months? Keep in mind this is a $750 car at best when selling time comes, but I really love it and dont wanna see it scrapped. I'd rather let someone else enjoy it and see it hit 400K. Are used bushings going to be decent are they just going to fall apart? From a cost point the used ones would be nice, but if they go out in a year then they may not be worth it and then the buyer would be stuck with re-doing the suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 These are the two circular bushings on the rod going from the lower control arm to the rear of the wheel well, yes? I think you should price new ones, they should be quite cheap. If they are too dear, second hand ones will probably be ok, as long the donor car hasn't done too many kms. When you have it off, check the thread on the rod, they can get damaged. If they are damaged the nut can feel as if its tight when its not. If you decide to buy new ones, rest assured that you will notice a huge difference in how the car drives with them. Loose leading rod bushings make for a horrible drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted June 18, 2005 Author Share Posted June 18, 2005 To answer your kind of question, yes they are the ones at the rears of the wheel wells kind of by the frame rail. Ya my car HATES to drive straight and I get all kinds of wheel scrub type tire wear... 70,000 mile tires tend to last like 40K if that on the right front as that bushing seems to be the worst. I will price new ones... though I may grab them off the parts car just in case they cost an arm and a leg. I get all sorts of fun knocking noises off the front suspension when I pull out of driveways or go over speed bumps. I think driving on the dilapadated (sp?) roads of Milwaukie Oregon for 100 miles per day is taking its toll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorManzImpreza Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 those bishings don't seem to last..it could be the tropical conditions down here but I replaced mine with genuine FHI parts about 2 years ago and I can see cracks in the rubber already and sloppiness in the steering..u notice this most when u move off from a stop with full left or right steering lock you'll feel one of the wheels move differently to the other..when I 1st put the new bushings in it was wonderfull..need some stiffer more enduring bushings in that location.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 Glad to hear you have fixed them before... now how hard was it?? Pretty easy 1-2 hour job or like 8 hours of back breaking labor? (for the first timer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorManzImpreza Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 well lol it all depends.. u can get them off easily with the closed end of a combination wrench (17mm if I recall)..well one of em anyway to get the other one one out (2 bushings per leading rod) u need 2 detach the lower control arm/leading rod assembly from the car..it would seem easier just 2 detach the leading rod from the lower control arm and it might be if u've got the right tools..I couldn't get em apart easily in the car the problem lies in the low head height bolts used to hold the assembly together..just couldn't seem to keep the backup wrench in place while applying the torque 2 get 'em apart...so I just removed the assembly..u'll notice when u get the new bushings that the old ones barely look like the new ones..pay attention to the direction the old bushings come out as the new ones go in the same way with the sides that have the cross on them facing each other with the mount bracket in between them..now hold the leading rod/control arm assembly in place with the new bushings so that the leading rod is in the almost exact center of the bushing on the side that has the plate and the nut you might have to rotate the assembly along the leading rod axis to do this..u'll see why as u tighten down the nut compressing the bushings in place as if not centered u'll squeeze part of the bushing between the plate and where the plate seats on the leading rod when fully tightened..after the bushings are fully compressed and the plate seats, mount the inner control arm mount back 2 the chassis and torque the leading rod nut 2 specification while pushing up on the control arm so u'll actually have enough room 2 fit your torque wrench on the nut..once torqued slip the ball joint back into the knuckle then raise the car by the lower control arm so you can remount the sway bar ( the sway bar bolt won't line up otherwise..tighten balljoint pinch nut, inner control arm mount nut and bolt and sway bar nut and bolt 2 torque specs..install wheel repeat on ther side of car lower car off jack stands get realigned if required enjoy the new responsiveness of your steering..untill the cheap rubber wears out again.. hoped that made sense..doesn't take long if your not figuring out your rump roast from your elbow lol good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickOregon Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 Hey Flowmastered87GL, 320K on bushings is not bad. Not bad at all. I notice that autopartsgiant.com has TRW control arm bushings for $10 a side, but I don't know anything about these. Price seems good, though. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 C/S/K refers to them as strut rod bushings. The control arm bushings may be the inner pivot bushing for the control arm (AKA radius rod), and AFAIK are only available for EA81s. C/S/K doesn't want too much for them, at least not compared to having a car that doesn't shake on the highway and doesn't eat tires. Virtually every car with a "modified MacPherson" suspension uses them. My Datsun goes through a set every few years. Just too much rubber and too much abuse heaped upon them. The Legacy went with a different system for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 That would be the leading rob bushings. SuperPro offers a set of poly bushings....but they have to be made and its about a 1~1.5 month wati for those...they are not that expensive...search for my previous threads and you'll find a price. OE SUBARU ones will likely last another 100k+ in a 'normal' climate...more so in a wet-no salt climate. The hot dry or salty areas eat them up and dry them out more so than other areas. A low mileage takeoff from a car in the area would fix the problem for now. R&I of the arm is easy. 1 nut on the rod, then two nuts/bolts on the control arm holding the rod on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 I hear the bolts are hard to get off. But Richie has a lift and impact gun... may make sort work of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Make sure to use a deep well socket for the nuts on the control arms, and a 6 point wrench to hold the 1/2 height bolt heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickOregon Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 And a couple shots of PB Blaster penetrant from NAPA or other automotive stores waiting 10 minutes or so between applications will make the nut/bolt removal go a *lot* easier - that's my experience, anyway... -Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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