i have a '76 rx4 with some serious slop in the steering.
my question is: are the bushings compatible between rx4's and rx7's?

 

my friend this is a good question...Im not a 100% positive but i will point you in the correct directions and have you speak with Doc Holiday or Wackyracer...these two guys are going to be your main point of contact as far as what is compatiable and what is not...good luck bro...

 

they are so cheap, i was thinking of ordering a set and trying it out.
if i try it i'll post the results.

 

i would think that the 79-80 would be a close match since they used about the same suspension components.

 

Not totally true my friend...The thread pitch and style do change and vary in size...I know when i had my rx2, i was able to swap over all the 1985 front suspension with no problem as long as all the thread, and pitch was from that year car the 85...

Now for the idler arms bushing i never swaped those from th 85 to my rx2...One i never tried it to find out, and aside from that i was too lazy...But i know that slop your talking about it f'n crazy lol...

 

now that would really be cool...
if i could upgrade to the grease-able rod-end style of idler arm that mazdatrix offers. but i figured the pittman/idler arm angles would be different and the mounting bolt locations would not line up.

i really wish that they had some oddball expertise behind the counter at mazdatrix....

thanks for the replies, i appreciate any ideas anybody might have on this.

 

i spoke with the guys at pineapple racing (nice guys), they were not positive, but they do not think this part is rebuildable and recommended 'rare parts' in california. rare parts does not carry these -just pitman arms.
they also told me that rx-4 steering/suspension is likely to interchange with rx-5 cosmo stuff.
not sure what that might mean for rx7 stuff.

 

there are some blokes in oz that sell an entire suspension kit for 170 australian dollars-that includes idler bushes.
shipping is gonna kill me...

 

AHA!
the superpro catalog lists rx3/7/4 idler part number as SPF1003K, so they should be compatible.

i'm gonna order some, try it out, and post my results soon.

 

alright teddy, i thought the sway bar passed thru the lower control arm on the 79-80 like they did on the 3 and 4.

 

You are right they don't typically answer those questions but give people my number and have them ask me. the 76 Rx4 ft suspension should interchange with a cosmo/rx5 be careful when ordering anything for the Rx4 because many companys do not understand the difference in the car years and there are acutally 3 generations that screw with us

 

You can pick the bushings in your local auto part store

 

there is two styles of idler arm in the early cars
and potentially two types of interference taper styles throughout the front end , AP ( thicker shaft ) and earlier non AP ( thinner shaft taper )

the original type is serviced with a pair of cone cup shaped bushes in either end
these go straight in as replacement parts to your existing idler arm
( and cost less than $15 aus )

later rx2 and rx4/5 around 77/78 can come with a type of idler that has a ball joint like 'greasable' end that fits the cross link
( i have found the rx2 AP and rx4 /5 AP have same shaft diameters and lengths = same )

these units are sometimes supplied as a total replaceable part
( aside from re-bushable )
of which it seems remarkable similar to that same part found in aussie mitsu/chrysler sigma

if getting one of these ball joint ended units
i would be wary that the shaft taper is the same as the old cross link
( as you will find AP and non AP version of rx2 / rx4 and capella / 929 have different tapers throughout, later = bigger )

however, the 4 parts of the cone cup nolethane bushed replacement type are available
( at least in aussie )
cheap and easy, and is the simplest of jobs

 

i went out today and tried all the auto parts stores...NOBODY carries these locally.
what parts store were you thinking of in PA?

 

I got mine at Advanced Auto Parts in Easton, PA 25th Street..they cost me $11.16 I had to order them and only had to wait one day for them to come in. You have to order them at the counter.

 

i tried advance's website, but not in person.
i know where i'm going tomorrow morning.

thanks for the tip!

 

When you go there make sure you talk to someone who has been there a while and knows what they're doing. Sometimes they have to troubleshoot to find them because it says no longer available. Advanced Auto deals with a lot of imported parts, Auto Zone doesn't. I think you might be able to order them at Pep Boys too..not sure.

 

i tried o'reilly, pep boys, autozone, and advanced online...
i'll try advanced in person tomorrow when i get some spark plugs. see if they can find them.

thanks to everybody for the information so far.

 

another question, are rx-4 idlers able to be re-bushed?
the factory manual says replace as a unit
there are no nuts/bolts on this thing to loosen
i can put it in the press and force it, but if i bust it...the car is completely undriveable because there are no idlers available.

this is looking like one of those 'weld in brackets and make this a rack and pinion car...' kinda situations.

 

If parts are compatible between yours and an rx7, then check for the Moog idler arm. That's the one with a ball joint type gizmo that Mazdatrix and some others sell as a "race part". You can get it through Rockauto.com for about 20 bucks cheaper...


.