DIY suspension work, and tips or tricks?

[jdeare]

Recently discovered that my lower control arm bushing is shot, so I'm going to be replacing both entire LCAs and the sway bar end links (ball joints don't look so hot either, and replacing the entire assembly seems easier). Any tips or tricks I need to know about? I've never done this kind of work before.

fyi, all the replacement parts are Moog from RockAuto.

 

[Garak]

Some suspension stuff is easy, other things can be very hard. Make sure you have a shop manual or at least the Haynes or something if you haven't tackled such a job before. You'll need the right tools, and the manuals, particularly the Haynes, will let you know what you need to purchase, borrow, or rent.

Ball joints can be a real nuisance. In any case, if you do the work yourself, be sure to take it to an alignment shop after you're done, because it'll never be exactly right after you're done.

As for your parts choice, those should serve you well. I've used Moog suspension parts for many, many years.

 

[JHZR2]

The right tools are critical. Otherwise what you think you're saving money on can turn into a big failure. Pressing bushings, ball joints, etc can also be a huge hassle.

 

[sciphi]

Douse the parts in penetrating oil for a few days before tackling the job. If that doesn't work, get the car up on jackstands, drench everything in penetrant, go in for a cup of coffee, then come out to do it again. After a few hours everything should be loosened up enough to work on.

You might need to remove the axles from the hubs in order to free the LCA, so be ready to break free some big bolts if needed.

 

[jdeare]

I'm replacing the whole assembly to avoid pressing bushings and drilling out the rivets on the ball joints... the new assembly comes with all of that in place already. Obviously I'll still need to hammer out the old ball joints but I don't anticipate that being a major job.

I'm hoping I won't need to remove the axles (it doesn't look like it from initial examination anyway) but I do have a massive breaker bar (aka an old rusty pipe).

I'm hoping that between penetrating oil and my impact wrench I'll be able to get the bolts off without too much trouble. It's pretty rusty under there though.

 

[Jakegday]

looks identical to my 01 grand prix.. probably is. just rent a $15 ball joint fork from autozone and have a BIG hammer ready. very simple job you're looking at. you do not need to remove the axles or the hubs. they will remain attached to the knuckle, which will remain attached to the strut. the ball joint is underneath all of that so it will drop right down

 

[jdeare]

Regal and GP are definitely very closely related... I think the part numbers might be different but that's about it. I've used Grand Prix write-ups to fix other things without noticing any differences at all.

 

[Jakegday]

also, yes, you'll definitely want an alignment after this

just noticed youll be using an impact wrench. this easy job just got easier..

 

[eljefino]

Do the ball joint first then the frame connections.

 

[Trav]

This is a really simple job, with the right tools.
One important thing is to tighten the rear bushing with the weight of the car on the control arms otherwise the bushing rubber can tear quickly in use.
An easy way to do this is to tighten the rear bushing bolts after the job is done with the car on ramps or by turning the wheel to gain access once the car is on the wheels.

Moogs are great, those cheap mevotech ones caused me nightmares when a customer brought them for me to instal.

 

[mechtech2]

Right, Trav.
With new bushings already installed, this is a piece of cake. And with any rubber bushing, it is best to finally tighten them with the weight of the car in it's normal position.
Urethane can be tightened in any position, but rubber does not slip - it flexes. it's best to get this centered .

 

[jdeare]

Ah, good to know, thanks!

I'll probably be doing this next weekend, I'll update after...

Trav, I almost went as cheap as possible, under the idea that I might not keep the car. But then I was thinking, who am I kidding? I'm too cheap to buy a new car!

 

[Texan4Life]

definitely read a manual.. when i did the bushings on my cadillac, the bolts had to be torqued while the vehicle was supporting itself.

 

[PandaBear]

Will support the control arm with a jack be the same as dropping the wheel on the ground when tightening the bushing bolt? I think the angle is slightly different between the 2 but support the control arm with a jack gives you a lot more room when tightening the bolts.

 

[jdeare]

Looks like I will be having a shop do this. I will be needing to drive to the UP (Michigan) on Friday and I don't have another car to drive. Still, thanks for all the tips... it's good to know I could have done it if the situation was different.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Will support the control arm with a jack be the same as dropping the wheel on the ground when tightening the bushing bolt? I think the angle is slightly different between the 2 but support the control arm with a jack gives you a lot more room when tightening the bolts.


I don't think it's a good idea...

When I was a dumb teenager I thought I'd change from snow tires to summer ones on my mazda 323 by jacking on my lower control arm. Figured it would get the tire off the ground sooner, as the strut would not fully expand.

I heard an ominous creak-pop when I did it and the new tires felt like the lug nuts weren't tight. Next oil change the mechanic said I needed a new ball joint.

Did I bust the ball joint loading it wrong? Seems like a long shot but I might have.

 

[cutchemist42]

I just did the control arm on my Protege5 three weekends ago. Only problem I had was I needed two sets of hands to hold up the control arm while I put in the bolts.

Mazda makes their Protege5 control arms/ball joints one unit so I did not have to worry about pressing ball joints! However, it means a bad ball joint requires a whole new control arm.

 

[IndyIan]

Well I guess the ball joint isn't designed to take the cars weight, its just supposed to keep the hub and strut over the A-arm.