UCA and LCA Bush replacement

[Flynndog]

Is there a quick way to do this? The manual states I need to remove the entire wheel hub assy and the knuckle spindle..

Can I simply lower the whole front wheel assy or something. Surely the suspension shops don't take the whole lot off every time.



Ed; How is the ball joint removed from the UCA/knuckle? Should it come out pretty easily or do they get rusted in?

Should I replace the ball joint as well while I have it all off?

Any info will be great.

Thanks

Flynny

 

[Flynndog]

Bump..

 

[Flynndog]

So from what I have garnered from the net, I need to break the mechanical weld with a pickle fork.... anyone able to attest to this?

 

[dilmah]

You can just undo the bolts and replace the bushes. If you do one at a time you shouldn't have to take the ball joints out.

 

[pointblank5]

Re the ball joints, yeah getting a balljoint splitter is a good idea. I used the stanley one from supershit, it worked perfectly. Tried with a hammer for a while and got nowhere haha

 

[chule]

I've got to do my lowers (bushes and ball joints) sometime soon too Flynny - let us know how you go. I've heard you don't need to remove the whole hub assembly to replace the lower ball joints but from looking at it, it looks like it will be difficult to pull the bolt through the LCA without fouling on the inside of the hub.

good luck mate.

 

[Flynndog]

Re the ball joints, yeah getting a balljoint splitter is a good idea. I used the stanley one from supershit, it worked perfectly. Tried with a hammer for a while and got nowhere haha

Did that ball joint splitter need to be any size or is it a one size fits most affair?

If I can get the splitter today I will hopefully get the UCA off. The issue leaving it on the ball joint is the heaviness of the hub and the way it moves around. I considering cutting/drilling the old bushes out but it's a bit to dodgy for my liking.

I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks

Flynny

 

[pointblank5]

Yeah there was only one size im pretty sure

 

[Flynndog]

Thanks mate, picked one up at Repco. Had a solid crack yesterday getting the bloody bushings out...wow. Pretty sure I will drill/cut them out after all and from what a few guys on here have done.

 

[Flynndog]

So the whole concept behind this project was advice received from a 4Wd shop a while ago stating that I needed new bushes as it was making a clunking noise. They probably didn't need to be replaced IMO but are done now (one side to go UCA)

My thinking is it is the torsion bar, right side. I can feel the 'noise' when it happens, always on cornering or under braking.

I pulled the Front Spring Torque Arm arm off today as the new torsion bars I ordered just didn't fit correctly on the right hand side. It sits almost 3-5mm further out than the left. It's an obvious amount. They both fit fine into the left side Torque Arm.

I noted that there are a set of splines at the rear of the Front Spring Torque Arm, the Lower Link Spindle (Manual First Edition 1st Revision FA-32).

If those LCA bushes are flogged out would it have caused that to come forward/move and offset the torsion bar? The torsion bar just doesn't appear to sit correctly or align correctly either in comparison to the left.

If not any ideas as to why it would be so different?

Again info accepted and greatly appreciated

Thanks guys.

 

[Flynndog]

Ball Joint Separator (Repco/Supercheap)

CAUTION: Caution should be exercised when releasing the ball joint. It releases with a significant amount of force and without warning. I applied tension until max torque I could apply and just happened to sit back. It released after about 5-7 seconds with a bang.

After trying several methods and failing I resorted to using the torsion bar adjustment bolt and a piece of wood. By tightening the nut it pressed the bushing into the housing. It takes a considerable amount of force and the bushing will go in eventually. In my case the bushings were on an angle each time.





The most difficult part of the whole process was the removal of the OEM bushings. I drilled out the rubber and removed the center metal spacers. There is also a metal outer shell and that needs to be removed. I didn't have any hacksaw blades so used a centre punch and cold chisel, heaps of WD40 and lots of banging. If you take your time you can minimise any damage to the housing of the UCA. The poly bushes will be much easier to remove from experience.

It took me about 4 hours to do one side once I worked out how to do things. I would anticipate the other side will take an hour or so less now I have a method of madness.

Hopefully this will help some guys out one day.

Thanks to pointblank and Matt for the help and direction.

Now for the LCA......

 

[tony d22]

I know that the factory Torsion bars are marked left and right.
It could be that they are slightly different and that you have 2 L/H torsion bars.

 

[Flynndog]

The new ones are Tough Dog bars and are marked left and right very well; when I tried the right bar in the left side it went in fine, but both bars have issues into the right.
The OEM bar did a similar thing.

 

[Flynndog]

So just an update guys,

Today I finally got around to completing the LCA bushes.

What I found was that it is actually possible to complete the bush replacement on the LCA without removing the arm.

I utilised a milk crate to hold the arm and also a vehicle jack.

You can then drill and remove the bushing. I also found that a real help was the use of a jigsaw with a HSS blade. Make two cuts and then using a center punch of various sizes, split the metal outer bushing case and it is far easier than simply trying to knock it out.

The rear inner bushing is actually part of the vehicle chassis, so it would seem easier, but was the more difficult as you can't maneuver the jigsaw. Persistence pays off in the end though.

The kits for the LCA come in two SEPARATE kits, one for the front LCA bushing and one for the inner rear bushing.
Each kit will do both sides.

Getting the LCA back into position was really hard as it is still connected to the vehicle and ball joint. I found the best way was to pull it into position by hand as best as possible, to try and align the LCA mounts to the bushing,
and then had to use a ratchet strap to pull it into place for alignment of the bolt holes.

Hopefully this can help anyone who has to do it in the future.

 

[joshman]

I know that the factory Torsion bars are marked left and right.
It could be that they are slightly different and that you have 2 L/H torsion bars.

They're marked let and right because they need to twist in different directions. As such they're made with only one twist direction in mind. I imagine that if you put them in wrong (left in the right and right in the left), they'll likely shatter.

 

[Peteyen86]

So just an update guys,

Today I finally got around to completing the LCA bushes.

What I found was that it is actually possible to complete the bush replacement on the LCA without removing the arm.

I utilised a milk crate to hold the arm and also a vehicle jack.

You can then drill and remove the bushing. I also found that a real help was the use of a jigsaw with a HSS blade. Make two cuts and then using a center punch of various sizes, split the metal outer bushing case and it is far easier than simply trying to knock it out.

The rear inner bushing is actually part of the vehicle chassis, so it would seem easier, but was the more difficult as you can't maneuver the jigsaw. Persistence pays off in the end though.

The kits for the LCA come in two SEPARATE kits, one for the front LCA bushing and one for the inner rear bushing.
Each kit will do both sides.

Getting the LCA back into position was really hard as it is still connected to the vehicle and ball joint. I found the best way was to pull it into position by hand as best as possible, to try and align the LCA mounts to the bushing,
and then had to use a ratchet strap to pull it into place for alignment of the bolt holes.

Hopefully this can help anyone who has to do it in the future.

So hows the knocking noise? still there? Mine has developed a knock/clunk noise. Mainly turning right and sometimes from braking.

Shiting me as i cant find where its coming from. Appears to be the left hand side. Torsion bars look fine and fitted correctly.

Pete

 

[joshman]

hey mate, that knocking might be the UCA bushes, or possibley the LCA bushes, but i'd be checking there first. i had the same problem, it went away after i fitted the modified UCA's (and hence, new bushes) but you could clearly see that there was no bush left in the old UCA's. They couldn;t even do a wheel alignment on it, there was that much movement (about 10mm on each side)

 

[Peteyen86]

hey mate, that knocking might be the UCA bushes, or possibley the LCA bushes, but i'd be checking there first. i had the same problem, it went away after i fitted the modified UCA's (and hence, new bushes) but you could clearly see that there was no bush left in the old UCA's. They couldn;t even do a wheel alignment on it, there was that much movement (about 10mm on each side)

Hey mate. Not the UCA bushes. I have calmini ones i installed a few months back also.

Will jack it up this weekend and try shaking, moving anything i can again. Is there anyway to check the lower control arm bushes without removal?

 

[joshman]

not from my knowledge, you can really only do a visual on those. also check the top of the shock absorbers, i've found int eh past that they can come loose and cause a knock.

 

[Peteyen86]

not from my knowledge, you can really only do a visual on those. also check the top of the shock absorbers, i've found int eh past that they can come loose and cause a knock.

Cheers will do. Off to tassie for a week camping/4wding so will give its a good look over this weekend.