Front end bush overhaul

[Hammerhead]

Had a wheel alignment done on my 2002 old girl the other day, and the mechanic had a hard time getting it sorted due to a sloppy front end.
He said all the bushes up front were knackered and need replacement, I have noticed the front getting sloppy in the steering, possibly the bushes have become perished, and worn out with some pretty heavy 4WDing.

Is a front end bush overhaul within the capabilities of a capable home mechanic, if so are there any special tools, pressing in/out of bushes, any tips and tricks would be appreciated. Advice on bush type / supplier would be excellent.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers and beers

 

[Jim d22 2004]

I had sloppy steering as well and had problems getting the wheel alignment correct. I have just replaced the drag link and tie rod ends with those produced by Performance Suspension. The steering is now really tight and the alignment spot on. Previously I changed the sway bar bushes but this wasn't in my case the problem.

 

[jonney]

the hardest bushes to replace in the front end are the upper and lower wish bones. 2 at top and 2 at bottoms 1 side. if you have some spare time and don,t need the car for a day or two you could remove upper and lower sections both sides and take them to a mechanics workshop and get them to remove and replace the bushes in these so all you have to do then is re fit.
you can do these yourself but most of the time you need to heat burn to get the rubbers out along with the outer sleeve [ if fitted ] a good sized vice and suited sized sockets helps make the job easier as well.
all other bushings are very easy to remove and replace [ spanner work only ]
so take your pick either Rubber or Nolethane bushes, my pick is Nolothane
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