Installed rear pillow ball bushings this weekend - BIG writeup
 

Replaced the rear pillow ball bushings for a customer this weekend. The car is a '93 base, owned by the original owner, 112,000 miles. The bushings were really bad - BIG TIME clunking, sloppiness in the rear suspension, all kinds of badness.

I got all the bushings installed - took a while to figure out the first side, but took me 30 MINUTES to do the other side. No kidding! Air tools are your friend :).

Guys, if you've been putting off replacing the bushings, bump it up on your priority list. This makes a HUGE difference in how the car handles, rides, and feels. It may be pricey for the bushings, but it's VERY well worth it. It's like you get a new car!

OK, enough stalling -
http://www.clubrx.org/default.asp?id...ntent=32&mnu=5

There are a LOT of pics in the article, so you 56k guys be patient :).

BTW, if anyone in the Southeast within easy driving distance of Pensacola needs the job done, I'll be happy to do it "while you wait" for $100 plus the cost of parts. I've got this job down like a dress on prom night :).

Enjoy! And let me know if there's anything I missed or need to revise.

Thanks,
Dale

Sweet. Did this customer know they were buying the forum a write-up? :)

Dave

Yeah, I told him I was documenting some of the stuff I did on his car - he doesn't mind :). He's just happy I know what the hell I'm doing on the car instead of Bubba Buttcrack the mechanic :).

Dale

very nice!!

Why'd you pull the a-arm instead of doing it on the car? There's plenty of room.

Not with that huge C-clamp press and the impact gun. Took me literally 1 minute to get the A-arm out of the car, then I had plenty of room to line everything up and work on it.

I I was doing Max's bolt, nut, and washer method, I'd definitely do it in the car. I tried to do it that way on the driver's side - didn't have enough room. Took the fender liner out that covers the gas filler nozzle - still not enough room. That C-clamp with the press bolt all the way out is pretty big.

All I had to do extra was remove the swaybar end link and the 2 14mm bolts holding it to the body.

Dale

Nice work, Dale. :)

I've been postponing this job for awhile. I've had the set of 6 pillowballs for about 4 months. :p

I was ready to invest in a hydraulic press to do this job, but that impact method is pretty slick. I don't have a C clamp that is that large, but buying one would certainly be cheaper (and take up far less space) than a-frame hydraulic press. You also don't have to remove the LCA with your method.

Sonny

The C-clamp press I used was a free loaner from Autozone. They charge your card $99, and you get it back when you return it. I plan on buying one just to have my own tool, as it's like $39 from Harbor Freight.

Seriously, if you have impact tools and use that writeup, you can be DONE in an afternoon.

Dale

Just ordered a whole set from Ray Crowe, should be comming this week, can't wait to get it installed and say goodbye to all the noise that my suspension is making

Is there really a right side up to the upper A arms? I removed mine and took them to a machine shop to have the bushing and pillow balls pressed in. Then I couldn't remember which way they went back it. But they seems to be symetrical so I assumed it didn't matter which way I had them. Do I need to go back and check?

I don't think it's possible to even assemble the rear suspension with the upper A-arms upside-down. If you see the Mazda logo at the top, they're in there right.

Dale

Yeah... I think I meant the lower A arm

Is there a way to determine when to replace these bushings? My car has around 36,000 non-abused miles on it, and I've just recently heard a little 'clunk' from the right rear of the car. I was sure it was the RB exhast, but maybe not.....

I think this is the clamp right, Dale?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38335

Damn, that thing is on sale for $20! I'm on it. :D

Sonny

The c-clamp works very well. I bought a set from Napa that included a few extras. The Harbor Freight kit looks like a steal at that price :)

The HF kit is Cheap Bastard approved! :D

Sonny

:rlaugh: :rlaugh:

great write-up, Dale, thanks :D. I've been considering doing this for a long time but was unsure of the complexity. It doesn't look too bad :).

how much they cost for all bushings

I like your C-clamp on steroids approach. I did this job a year ago using Max Coopers method of running a long high-grade bolt through two sockets and a stack of washers which was fairly time consuming. It worked but I'm sure using an impact wrench on that c-clamp is much faster.

Yep, that's it at the link from Harbor Freight. MAN, that's a good price - I may just order one! I was going to wait until the local store opened Mar. 8th :).

Dale

For some reason I thought the saying was " Down like panties on prom night"... but I guess it depends on the region you're in. :D

It also depends if she's wearing any to begin with. :bigthumb:

Well, I hope she would... wouldn't want to get that dress "wet", especially if it's a rental :rlaugh:

Must be f'ing nice to live somewhere you can work on the car in sandals and short sleeves in February!

Thanks for the writeup. I wish I had it last winter when I did my bushings!