Has anyone changed their front lower control arm bushings/ball joints themselves?

[Dimitrios]

Per the subject, I'm looking to replace the front lower control arm bushings with urethane pieces in the next 2-3 weeks (replacing front strut mounts).

FSS suggests it fairly straight forward except for needing the special service tool to press out the bushing from the control arm

What about the ball joint. Any reason to swap it out now?

2003 Protege5 at ~ 75k miles

[njaremka]

the ball joint is not replaceable - i think you have to change out the whole control arm for that.

[Dimitrios]

Thanks; I just read your post on that very same in a different thread.

Good times, good times on the the design there.

[Protege5 Driver]

the whole plate has to go. be sure when instaling the new arm/plate before tightening it make sure it is perpendicular with the chasis

[red95_240sx]

what do u mean perpedicular?

[Protege5 Driver]

when you put it in it would tend to bendo down. lift the plate with a jack until it is at a 90 degree angle with the chasis

[red95_240sx]

u mean 180???

[Protege5 Driver]

180 is a straight line...

[red95_240sx]

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? ok u mean 90 with the length side being the other side, rather than the width of the chassis.

[Protege5 Driver]

ok lets me put it this way
when you instal the new plate use the jack to push it up. just how it looks when it is on all 4 tires

[red95_240sx]

and then tighten it? lol i just dont uderstand where the 90 angle is supposed to be?

[Protege5 Driver]

ok at least you got the idea

[red95_240sx]

so who has done one themselves? im stuck with the balljoint

[red95_240sx]

i bet its becuase the clamping bolt that i ddint remove, but onyl un bolted runs through this grove on the balljoint??

[njaremka]

so, did you figure it out, red? looks like you have to remove that bolt, not just loosen it.

[red95_240sx]

no. im gonna take it out this time and try again.

[Dimitrios]

Interesting. So there's a bolt running through the joint and it's not just pressed into the arm?

[red95_240sx]

yeap. not completely through it, but the balljoint is groved. like a half cotter pin.

[red95_240sx]

oh i forgot to say that thats why i wudnt com eoff

[Dimitrios]

But is the pin removable?

[Dimitrios]

Bumpage.

Looking at the Mazda parts list, it seems that the shaft on the lower control arm isn't replaceable (pressed/cast in) but there's a replaceable piece on it (have to get the part number...)

Thoughts otherwise? I'd really hate to replace the arm entirely if the pivot surface is replaceable.

[red95_240sx]

yah u have to remove the entire arm, and the pin does run through.

[Dimitrios]

So remove the pin, remove the ball joint? Did you replace it?

[red95_240sx]

yea. ur removing the whole arm though

[Dimitrios]

I'll be doing that anyway as I'm installing Pedders poly bushings as well.

Thanks

[Dimitrios]

I had a hell of a time impacting off (never got if off) vertical control arm bolt.

Any thoughts there? I probably need an impact gun with more torque, though I can just see that bolt shearing off...

[red95_240sx]

mines wasnt that hard. i used a breaker ratchet.

[Dimitrios]

mines wasnt that hard. i used a breaker ratchet.

I guess I need to find a bigger gorilla; holy balls.

[red95_240sx]

u cant get the bolt to turn?

[Dimitrios]

Update; can't get the right lower control arm off.

The front control arm bolt into which it threads into a welded nut "nut" (#33) (seems like it broke off and just spins; I'll cut it off tomorrow but what a PITA).

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Dimitrios/FRONT.jpg

[red95_240sx]

uummm. i cant remember u shudnt have to cut it.

a BOLT shud come out, and the nut shud stay on

[Dimitrios]

uummm. i cant remember u shudnt have to cut it.

a BOLT shud come out, and the nut shud stay on

Agreed; the left bolt came out but the right nut just spins freely. I'm not concerned so about cutting as I am figuring out a way to get it from spinning when I put the new bolt in.

[Dimitrios]

I cut the bolt out tonight with an angle grinder and cut off wheel through the front [horizontal] bushing. Rust welded to the nut.

Now I need to replace the bolt, nut, and get something on there that will resist corrosion (yet not be stainless necessarily) and then have it tack welded on.

It's great how a 3-4 hour job turns into 72 hours....

[red95_240sx]

on my second attempt, i changed it out horribly fast...like 45 min.

[Dimitrios]

As far as replacing the bolt, would you think a class 8.8 should suffice (may as well go to Mazda and get a new bolt)? I need to find a Class 10.2 or 12.1 otherwise (thinking socket head cap screws instead of flange hex, though torquing may be a bit of a problem as I don't have hex bits...).

Yeah, had I even bothered to just unbolt that first I'd never would have had this fiasco.

[red95_240sx]

bolt class(scratch) sorry i lack knowledge of that. haha

[Dimitrios]

Update (to avoid redundancy)

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4043832&postcount=15

[spotthedogg]

So has anybody removed their bushings yet? I took one of my C/Arm off but haven't looked at how to press the stock bushings yet.

[Reffoxel]

We tried last night. The bushing with the steel collar around it. What a PITA. Ended up pressing the rubber part out with a socket and then used a hacksaw to cut the collar out by hand. We're still trying to figure out how or what to use to press the Pedder bushing in.

[aMaff]

We tried last night. The bushing with the steel collar around it. What a PITA. Ended up pressing the rubber part out with a socket and then used a hacksaw to cut the collar out by hand. We're still trying to figure out how or what to use to press the Pedder bushing in.

maybe a press?

[slavrenz]

We tried last night. The bushing with the steel collar around it. What a PITA. Ended up pressing the rubber part out with a socket and then used a hacksaw to cut the collar out by hand. We're still trying to figure out how or what to use to press the Pedder bushing in.

I take it you didn't have a slightly bigger socket to get the collar out too? A press would also be my suggestion for the new bushing, just put the pushing in the freezer the night before so it shrinks slightly and goes in easier. Good luck.

Btw, for those who don't wanna pay $200+ for a new OEM control arm but don't want to replace individual bushings, Mevotech makes a direct fit control arm for our cars. It's less than $100 shipped on RockAuto.com, and I've been using one on my driver's side (torn ball joint boot) for several months with no issues.

[Reffoxel]

I have a press...we were using a press....but a press isn't all that you need to press something out or in. You have to have adapter tools for the job. We were using large sockets but they weren't doing the job very well the old bushings don't seem to be designed to come out easily and the new ones protrude from the sleave enough to not work with the socket we had. But we got the old one out by pressing the old rubber out and then using a hacksaw blade and carefully cutting the old collar out and then stuck the new bushings in a deep freezer for an hour and warmed the control arms up a bit and everything went in well.


maybe a press?

[aMaff]

I got 1 of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38335

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/photos/38300-38399/38335.gif

I've also got a 12 ton press and used a dremel to modify those little 'cups' (cylinders, whatever) to hold the control arm better. The nice thing about cheap chinese tools is you don't ever mind taking a cutting wheel to them to make them work the way you need them to ;)

[Dimitrios]

http://www.fordprobestore.co.uk/store/product_info.php?cPath=106_115_128&products_id=3024

Thoughts?

Also waiting for this to get moving: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123773572

[Dimitrios]

Ended up buying these: http://www.fordprobestore.co.uk/store/product_info.php?cPath=106_115_128&products_id=3024

Will post when I get around to pulling out old and pressing these in.

[Protege5 Driver]

i bought the japanese made replacemente for $62 each. no way in hell im gonna pay $200 each