User 462021

Are these bushings? supposed to move this much? If not, how hard is it to fix? What would they be called, part number?





And I know this one is bad, how difficult is it to replace?

Skip

Your center bushing is toast... the ends look okay, but might as well swap them out at the same time. They will move around quite a bit... that's a function of independant front suspension. The center was oil on it and has swelled and may well be torn on the inside.

Need to know the OD of the bar to provide part #'s (or the suspension option from your trunk area).

User 462021

[quote]Originally posted by Skip:
<strong>Your center bushing is toast... the ends look okay, but might as well swap them out at the same time. They will move around quite a bit... that's a function of independant front suspension. The center was oil on it and has swelled and may well be torn on the inside.

Need to know the OD of the bar to provide part #'s (or the suspension option from your trunk area).</strong><hr></blockquote>

Which number on the sticker indicates the suspension option?

It's an '83 if that helps.

Skip

Stock bar for your car is 20mm, 404 option gave you 21.5mm, could also have been upgraded past that by previous owners... though it does not look larger than 21.5mm from the pictures.

So, if you have option 404 you should have have the 21.5mm... if not, then the standard 20mm. Bar end bushings are the same regardless.

center 20mm = 477.411.053.G
center 21.5mm = 477.411.053.N
end = 171.411.314.A

Good Luck!

Danno

You might want to check the cap on your power-steering resevoir. There should be a gasket underneath it. If not, it'll leak onto your passenger-side sway-bar bushing as shown and mess it up.

User 462021

[quote]Originally posted by Danno:
<strong>You might want to check the cap on your power-steering resevoir. There should be a gasket underneath it. If not, it'll leak onto your passenger-side sway-bar bushing as shown and mess it up.</strong><hr></blockquote>

No power-steering here!

Thanx for the help guys. How tough of a job is this?

tazman

I replaced the bushings on my car it was easy.

adrial

It's not tough..
I replaced all the sway bushings in the front.
The car should be on stands, not up on ramps though...so that the sway bar is "relaxed" and comes out/installs easier.

You wanna unbolt the drop links from the A-arms to remove the front bar...other than its about as obvious as it gets.

I cut the old ones out and then sanded away all the old rubber that was like cemented to the mount.

ribs

Tim...I got you beat on one of those swaybar bushings:



I'm doing *all* of them, front and rear, while my car is apart. Hopefully my car won't leak oil anymore (a closer look at my oilpan gasket revealed 2 sections that were completely missing, not to mention holes and knots around other sections where oil was leaking out of) so my swaybar bushings will hold up for a while...well...I am probably going to get 968 M030 sways when I get my tax return, so at least some of them will need replacing at that time. Tim...the swaybars were by far the easiest things to remove from the car...a close second was the front strut assemblys, despite what others say.

Mongo

if its one thing i don't understand its the bushings on this car...can someone show me where the bushing is bad? is it that solid black part i see????? cuz my car has NEVER had bushings or ball joints replaced

Skip

The bushing pictured has suffered from oil contamination which causes swelling and eventually breaks down the rubber. I'd bet it's actually split inside the clamp. It also looks to be moving too far laterally... this could be a sign of hard driving on poor shocks or other suspension components not up to par. Could simply be the worn bushing not doing their job.

User 462021

Hey, thanks for all the help so far.

I ordered the 4 bushings from Mr. Skip and I ordered tie-rods as well.

Now, two times now leaving work making the same exact turn it makes a loud clunk turning to the right and going up. Could this be from one of these parts? If not, what else could it be? I'm driving around paranoid kuz I don't know what it is. I'm taking it real easy which is no fun.

Thanks for the help!

Skip

Could be... I'd wait until you get those bushings taken care of, then start looking into the noises if they still exist. While you're under there replacing those, it'll give you a good opportunity to stare things down.

Good Luck!

Skip

User 462021

Do you have any tips on replacing the tie-rods? I've never done any kind of suspension work like this before. On a scale from 1-10, 10 being the highest diffuclty, how do they rate? I need to align it after also correct?

Thank you!

Skip

Man, I've got tips for everything... the real question is how useful they are

If I may, I'd rather use my proprietary "Beer Scale" to rate this job:

[quote]For your reference, the effort scale is as follows:

&gt; 1 = beer
&gt; 2 = six-pack
&gt; 3 = case
&gt; 4 = keg
&gt; 5 = vat, or one of those neat trucks with a tap you always see at fairs<hr></blockquote>

Tie-rod (outer) = one beer
Tie-rod (inner) = one beer

As you can see, it's pretty easy... but only if you have all the tools. For the tie-rods, you need a screw-press type ball-joint separator (a pickle fork can be used, but will likely ruin the rubber boot... if you are replacing the ends, go for it) IMNSHO, do not beat on the tie-rod with a hammer to get them out... you take the risk of damaging the spindle (cast metal, can be fatigued but not show any visible signs without magnaflux or the like).

[if you need to do them] The inners are a bit trickier, but nothing close to six-pack territory. First, remove the bellows to view the inner joint... then use a sharp chisel to knock off the locking nub (obvious once you've seen it)... then you'll need two large Crescent wrenches (or suitable sizes, but they're big and not normal items for the toolbox). Turning the wheels to one side or the other will reveal a holding notch on the shaft that allows you to form a suitable hold against the twisting force you're about to put on the inner tie-rods to release it. (not a good idea to twist against the rack alone, as this could damage the seals and/or gears). Might take a soft blow with a big hammer (dead-blow is preferable) to get it loose. When you reinstall, swap sides so a different portion of the nut is in the dimple area (use a strong punch to reset the locking dimple).

Yes, you do need to realign when done.

Good Luck!