*Pictures coming once I get them on PhotoBucket*
First somewhat technical write-up on here, not really technical if you ask me. I do enough of this at school and work so this isn't the best there is but it should be able to help someone.
2004 Lincoln LS
V8 Sport
Lower Control Arm Bushing Write-Up
Symptoms:
A creaking/crackling sound at low speed. Was not related to road condition (pot holes, speed bumps, cracks, etc.)
Problem:
Front Lower Control Arm Front Bushings (L&R) cracked. Assuming this is causing unwanted flex in the bushing and ultimately the control arm. See pictures below.
Crack is through the bushing and can be seen in this view to the right of the hole.
Crack on the other side.
Possible fix needing more research: Replace the front bushings in the front lower controls with those from a Jaguar S-Type. I ordered one from RockAuto (Part No. 2978301) and it was $37.00 and $34.00 to ship it from Great Britain. I found out that this bushing is much larger and is made differently. Please refer to the picture below. I do believe that the whole lower control arm from an S-Type will work just based on the fact that the upper control arms I replaced were indeed Jaguar. I either a. got the wrong bushing or b. got the correct bushing but it simply just does not work.
RockAuto Part No. 2978301
Center holes are lined up, might be hard to see but the bushing is quite a bit larger than the one in the control arm.
Parts needing replaced:
(Ford Part No., Description, Price)
6W4Z3078AA, Arm Assy (Lower), $470.70
6W4Z3079AA, Arm Assy (Lower), $470.70
Four Wheel Alignment (This is needed since removing the control arms, removes your alignment), $112.33
Specialty Products Company Part No. 87545, Caster/Camber Alignment Bolts, (Needed in order to do the alignment correctly and/or easily), $100.69 set.
Parts replaced while I was in there:
(Ford Part No., Description, Price)
6W4Z3084AA, Arm Assy (Upper), $143.90 (This has Jaguar casted right onto the part)
6W4Z3085AA, Arm Assy (Upper), $143.92 (This has Jaguar casted right onto the part)
5W4Z5K483AA, Sway Bar End Link, $38.48 ea.
W520213S440, Sway Bar End Link Nut, $3.50 ea. (Qty. 4)
N807144S441, Upper Ball Joint Nut, $4.00 ea. (Qty. 2)
These are all list prices I would have not replaced with Ford if I didn’t get a 25% discount from them.
Tools Required (From what I remember):
Aerokroil, PB-Blaster, or any type of penetrating oil for rusty parts.
Almost all wrenches and sockets are metric.
Will need sizes ranging from 7mm-24mm in wrenches and/or sockets. (The more the merrier.)
Ratchets of various sizes
Extensions of various sizes
Universal Joints
Air Tools (If you want to speed things up a bit)
Jack stands, blocks of wood, milk crates etc.
Beer would have made this better.
I didn’t use any specialty tools, but the essentials are needed. The extensions and universals are for getting into tight spaces. The air tools are nice if you don’t want to spend all day loosening nuts.
Procedure: (Again from memory)
The first few are simple and should take no more than 10 minutes per side.
- Jack up car and place on jack stands.
- Remove wheel and set aside.
- Disassemble brake caliper from bracket and support it with milk crate or something so you don’t rip off the brake line by just letting it dangle.
- Disassemble bracket from the steering knuckle.
- Slide off Brake rotor and set aside.
The next few required improvisation/destruction.
- Attempt to remove sway bar end links (Mine were rusted and the end stripped so I cut them off and out) Once removed either save the nuts or replace them with new ones (I threw one out on accident and I just replaced all 4 with new ones. NEW END LINKS DO NOT COME WITH NEW NUTS)
- Unbolt the tie rod end from the steering knuckle (Be careful not to strip the head that you use to hold the joint or you have just opened up an entirely new can of worms)
- Disconnect abs sensor from the car. There is a connection behind your fender well that I disconnected. You can unbolt it from the back of the hub but you will risk damaging the sensor.
- Remove upper control arm from steering knuckle (Same thing applies to the upper control arm as does the end link, mine were rusted on causing the ball joint to just spin so I cut them off and replaced, I was in a hurry to do this)
- Remove upper control arm from the car.
This is very tricky. On the driver side you will need to remove the air box. The passenger side you will need to remove a couple things that simply just unbolt and remove or set aside. The front bolts are easy to remove. The rears are a royal PITA!!! On the passenger side the nut is located beneath the master cylinder, the passenger side it is located beneath a mass of wires and between the inner fender and firewall. Patience will go a long way. I would suggest replacing these as they may strip or be rusted also.
- Remove Lower Control Arm
In order to do this you will need to loosen your steering rack. There are three bolts and nuts that attach the steering rack to the chassis. It is not difficult but be careful on how much you move it, there are steering lines attached that are not too flexible. Assuming your bolts are in your control arms like mine you will need to do this to create clearance to be able to pull the bolts out.
- Remove lower control arm from steering knuckle
Requires a 24mm socket and is easier to do with the knuckle and lower control arm assembly off of the vehicle. I zipped mine off with an impact gun.
- At this point the only thing remaining in the front wheel well is the end of the sway bar and the tie rod end. It’s bare and needs repair.
- To assemble back together just put it together like you took it apart. Make sure the right and left are on the right and left side. The left side upper control arm will fit into the right side. I screwed this up badly and can’t believe it. Causes your wheel to sit further forward in the wheel well and drive like a snake. Get your alignment as close as possible by eye, you will know once you get on pavement at a decent speed if it isn’t (Your tires will squeal and start roasting)
This overall is not a hard job. Mostly unbolt stuff and put it back together with new parts. I made it span the course of three days waiting for parts and taking my time. It was my first time diving in and I can say that it took me well over 12 hours to do. I’m pretty confident that something of this magnitude can be done by a noob in well under 6. Most of my time was spent on the upper control arms and looking for tools.
The end result was minimal at best. I mentioned earlier in the post it was gone...well it came back and the bushings are not cracked again. The sound mentioned was still there and I will tackle that next with new front brakes when I get the funds to do so. If it is not my front brakes then I will be looking into the sway bar bushings.
Any questions PM me or reply on here and I’ll attempt to answer them. This is from memory and I am no professional.
