FD-necessary to replace UPPER rear arm bushings?
 

I'm gearing up to get rid of my rear suspension clunk. I haven't seen any posts on replacing the rear upper control arm bushings. Do the upper bushings last longer than the lower bushings? Mine didn't seem to have any movement, but I haven't played around with them without the the springs and struts attached. Since I already purchased all the other bushings I decided to order them anyway. If I'm wasting my money on the upper bushings someone please tell me:) Here is the damage so far:

-lower inner control arm bushings $52 each (2)=$104
-lower middle ctrl arm bushings $35 each (2)=$70
-lower outer ctrl arm bushings $35 each (2)=70
-upper outer ctrl arm bushings $35 each (2)=$70
-upper inner ctrl arm bushiings $40 each (4)=160
-aftermarket trailing arms, toe links =$450
-Differential mounts=$100
GRAND TOTAL =$1024+tax, shipping, alignment :eek:

-special thanks to Malloy Mazda. They've provided fast polite service and are about 20% cheaper than the other venders I have spoken to about the bushing listed.

awww no input?:(

part numbers list ? :)

Reza

-upper inner rear bushing 28-8CO
-upper outer rear bushing 26-230
-lower rear inner bushing 28-460
-lower rear middle and outer bushing 26-230

just happened to have the diagram handy;)

I pulled the bushings yesterday. The dif mounts were shot. All the pillow ball mounts were shot with the lower mounts being the worst. The inner lower control arm bushing/bearings were shot. The upper inner control arm bushings looked fine but I'm replacing them anyway so I don't have to worry about it down the road. The trailing arm bushings were shot. The toe links looked/felt okay (still being replaced).

I should have it back on the road by tomorrow. My koni sport shocks are supposed to arrive next week. After that I'm just an alignment away from having the rear suspension fully sorted out :D :wink:

What trailing arms and toe links did you go with?

I bought them through rotormotorsports. They were not made in house though. I'm told they were made by former ground control employees. They look like all the others. I'm going to keep track of my miles after install to compare their durability to the others.

I still haven't gotten an answer re what to do with the inner bushings (upper and lower). My mechanic thinks I'm wasting my money. Has anybody worns these out?

The install work has ground to a hault because my mechanic's press broke. I found another shop that has one but they charge $60 a hour and want to bill me 3 hours for the install. Keep in mind that's just to remove and install STOCK bushings in the arms which have already been removed from the car. My spider senses tell me that isn't too reasonable so I'm going to shop it around.

jesus, i have to look into new bushing/pillow sets too, what a bunch of $$$.

*grumble* I know I know.

A couple new developments in the bushings replacement project. Judging by the replies to this thread it looks like I'm writing a personal journal. I'm going to keep posting because I think my experience may be helpful to others who decide to do this project.

1. I'm having second thoughts about putting the inner control arm factory bushings in. I'm thinking of having a set of cartridge bearings made instead. My friend that is helping me with the project works at a porsche tuner that routinely does this to 911s. We are calling the CNC guy monday to see how long it will take to adapt the cartridges to the FD. The cartridges look oh so trick and would eliminate the last source of slop in the rear suspension.

2. Euphoric bolts: Apparently the lower rear control arms are attached to chassis with bolts that deform when tightened to create a lock (aka mushroom bolts). My mechanic said these should not be reused so I have to find a set of replacements.

3. Press work: I found a shop to press out the old bushings and install the new ones. They are charging me $100. Depending on what I decide to do with #2 the install work may resume as early as tuesday.

It is a very expensive and unforgiving project. Proper diagnosis is key. The buckshot approach of replacing every suspect component can be costly. To make matters worse it's hard to duplicate clunking noises when the car is up on the lift. I wouldn't bother with the inner bushings unless you're certain they are worn. I've had yet another person tell me mine look fine. Not replacing them knocks about $350 in parts and labor off the project cost.

why not get the urethane bushings, the whole set is only $600

Which set are you refering to? The only one I'm aware of at that price point is the Labreck kit. Keep in mind it does not replace the pillow balls, trailing arm or toe link bushings. From what I understand it only replaces the inner control arm bushings in the rear. Those factory parts cost me around $260. I believe the labreck kit also includes a bunch of bushings for the front which I am not replacing. Therefore, it's difficult to make a direct cost comparison.

I considered the Labreck bushings initially and chose the stock bushings over them because I didn't want to be bothered with regreasing them periodically and both cars I rode in that had labreck bushings (w grease ports) squeaked like crazy.

Cartridge bearings by contrast should have even less play and will not require periodic regreasing to keep them quiet. Regardless, I don't think I NEED inner bushings that are stiffer than stock. For that reason I will probably go with the factory bushings just to wrap up the project faster.

The FSM doesn't say anything about this, and mine looked fine when I did the suspension. I suspect yours got buggered up some other way.

thanks for the replay. I'll have my mechanic take another look. I'm going to call Malloy Mazda monday and see if they have any official info.

Hey.. I really need to do this also... But @ the same time I would like to change out my sway bar @ the sametime... any ideas one which one I should go with.

Don C