Seven steps to change the A-arm bushes

[YW Sin]

 

I just had the rear A arm bushes replaced on my 1996 live axle car for the first time.

 

It was not a straight forward job as some of you guys mentioned before in this forum.

 

Removal of the single bolt from the “n” shaped, bracket holding two bushes placed under the differential was something that even my mother could have done.

But then there were a few little surprises!!!!

 

First surprise: the bushes with A arm won’t drop.

Solution: Inserted a flat screw driver and levered it down with force.

 

Second surprise: the new Bushes will only enter 70 % in to the housing even with plenty of oil to lubricate.

Solution: tried, rubber hammer, Clamp, but obviously, this thing was never meant to fit in unless with force.

 

Third surprise: with the new bushes only partial ly in. it was impossible to insert them back in to the “n” bracket.

Solution: as the Caterham manual suggests, I used two thin but reasonably rigid metal strips to guide them in. At the same time, I also squeezed the two bushes with a large plier.

 

Fourth surprise: The bushes will only go in 30% in to the bracket. They are just too large to fit into the brackets even when squeeze with pliers.

Solution: I placed a hydraulic jack (used to jack up the car) underneath the bushes and lifted it up, forcing the bushes in with help of two metal strips as guides.

 

Fifth surprise: Now the bushes are completely in but metal strips won’t come out.

Solution: I levered down the bushes half a way out from the bracket and removed the metal strips with force twisting them. The bushes are pushed up again using hydraulic jack.

 

Sixth surprise: holes aren’t matching up as if the A arm has grown longer!

Solution: The hole alignment was done with a screwdriver inserted in to the holes and levered. The differential moved easily to match up the hole. Also the bolt was not inserting easily, this was solved with light hammering.

 

Seventh surprise: According to the Caterham manual, I should torque the bolt to 40lbft. I have set the Torque wrenches to this fig and turned the bolt. It was getting worryingly stiff but no clicks from the torque wrench.

Solution (?): I stopped tightening the bolt to 40lbft . I decided to check it later again after a few miles than shearing the bolts.

 

A l l this took me over 2 hours. 😳 Not as easy as I thought it was. Hope this could give others novices some idea what it is like.

My old bushes were completely worn out by the way, explaining why the car was clungking under acceleration.

The rubber has splitted showing bare metal core.... Well, good thing the bushes are cheap!

 

 

If any body out there has a better and easier way to change this stuff, I would love to know.

 

 

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow

 

Edited by - yw sin on 10 Nov 2002 21:17:14

[MikeW]

YW Sin

If we are definitely talking about the A frame bushes that sit under the diff there is something wrong and I am wondering whether you have the right bushes. Did they look like the ones you had taken out and were they the same length?. It really is a 10 min job and I've done it a couple of times.

You can normally compress the bushes with a set of grips to get them in place and then just push back into position.

 

MikeW

 

W89 TVV Car no 79

[YW Sin]

MikeW

 

Did your bushes fit in to the slots in the A arm completely before fitting them in to the brackets? Mine was only in about 70% even with the help of pliers.

 

I got the bushes from Redline components and there was no way I could compare with the old one as it is practic~~~y disintegrated.

My feeling is that, it is the right piece but the "n" shaped bracket is maybe too thin making it bent narrow when you tighten the bolt making it a pig to remove the A arm and even more hellish to fit with new bushes.

 

Any way, with ~~~ the hassles I have described above, the newly fitted bushes look good and tight. Haven’t driven the car yet but I guess it will tell if I did the right job.

 

 

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow

[Joe 90]

YW Sin,

 

Your experience sounds about right to me. However, with practice, you can get it down to half an hour or so. In my experience the most important thing is to but coppereaze or similar on the bolt, because if the bolt seizes on to the old bushes, you will have a b***er of a job getting them off in future.

 

 

99,000 miles so far

[Dave H]

YW Sin,

 

A couple of points. It sounds like someone has tightened the bolt up as the bushes have disintegrated, distorting the bracket. this means the bracket will be very tight to insert the new bushes. Worth checking the alignment of the axle to chassis to ensure its all central. Mesure the distance from the back of the wheel to the chassis frame on each side of the car. The measurements should be within a couple on millimetres of each other.

The other point is - don't oil the bushes - the rubber will disintegrate even quicker.

 

Dave H

[Alex Wong1697456877]

You can get rubber lubricants. Halfords stock this. Good for hoses too.

[YW Sin]

Thanks for the great infos guys!

 

I think checking the distortion sounds like a good idea. Car is still off the ground so will do so as soon as my wife is off my back!

 

Next time I change the bushes (I heared they last only 2000 miles?? ) I think I will try to widen up the opening of"n" bracket but I am afraid if I repeat this process, it may fatigue the metal and eventu~~~y fail.

 

I did look for rubber lubricants here in France but haven't found one yet and no Halfraud over here either.... 😬

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow

[YW Sin]

Er... by the way,

 

What if the distance between the back of the wheel and chassis is off?

 

How am I suppose to correct this???

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow

[MikeW]

My bushes went in about 85% of the way without using any lubricant- and definitely not oil.

The car gets fairly heavy track use and I tend to be changing them as a precaution every 500 miles or so.

Caterham use to recommend changing them after every couple of races.

 

MikeW

 

W89 TVV Car no 79

[YW Sin]

Every couple of races¬! Good thing they are cheap!!

 

I wonder why Caterham hasn't thought of improving this

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow

[Graham Sewell]

There is the option of putting in 'Rose Joints' or should I say spherical bearings, but that just moves the weak spot to the weld between the bracket and the diff casing. Therefore, Caterham stayed with the bushes as they are cheap and easy to replace (unlike the bracket) and the failure mode is not catastrophic!

 

Low tech luddite - xflow and proud!

[Casbar]

Think you must have had a stubborn pair of bushes, or the bracket has been pushed in.

 

It normally takes me around 20 mins to change my bushes, although I do have to use a clamp or grips to compress them enough to get them between the bracket. And I do have to line them up with a screw driver.

 

I use washing up liquid as a lubricant.

[Dave H]

I was thinking that the off set check on the axle should indicate which way the bracket had compressed if it that was the problem. I would suggest, for a small amount, "easing" the bracket (technical term for bending it carefiully), or using some spacing washers to correct the alignment.

 

I've had mine rewelded, as the orginal weld on one side started to split after running for a while with badly worn bushes, and it needed adusting afterwards.

 

Dave H

[Toby]

I use a spare nut and bolt to compress the bushes enough to get the lip of the bushes in the frame. Then remove the bolt and lever/ brute force the new bushes into place.

 

My first effort at replacing took 2 and a half hours. Second effort about an hour. Can now do it in 15 minutes so I think it is a matter of practice. I agree about the torque setting though - I've never manage to get anywher near 40lb/ft

[YW Sin]

Toby ,

 

I think my experience is very much close to yours. Haven't though of the spare nut and bolt though....

I will try to get a decent G clamp which I think will do a better job compressing the bushes than a plier.

I think I should be able to manage the same job in 30min next time...

 

 

~~~ standard 1.7 X-flow