Front suspension pictures and questions

[Icarus]

I'm in Canada so shipping probably would have cost as much as the bushings
$33.72 CDN for two was a good enough deal for me (including taxes, and I didn't have to wait)

 

[ripped camel]

I'm in Canada so shipping probably would have cost as much as the bushings
$33.72 CDN for two was a good enough deal for me (including taxes, and I didn't have to wait)

I just assumed you were in the U.S...I guess it was too hard for me to simply look under your avatar.

Laziness > Me :shifty:

 

[chicken]

ah, ok! Chicken(?) I think it was said it was bad on page 1, so I was confused as to which part was. Thanks for the explaination!

the bushing that says good is in reference to the lower shock mount bushing, the strut rod bushings are bad see the gap

 

[JDS353]

if you notice the shine on the spindle where the caliper is mounted that will tell you the bushing is bad as it allowes the lc to contact the spindle.thus the pounding and sterring wheel shake. posted for new bees. this is shine is in post number 69 middle right and 72 bottom right.

 

[JDS353]

guess i could have used expanding foam and really started something. the older guys on here will know what i mean.

 

[Icarus]

the bushing that says good is in reference to the lower shock mount bushing, the strut rod bushings are bad see the gap

Chicken, So the one you labeled bad is correctly labeled? Mine looks the same way on the drivers side and its tight with no sign of slop or rubber coming off etc...
The new bushings I have in front of me look just like the pics too.

The passenger side of my car is indeed bad as the rubber is coming out like two inches!

JDS, expanding foam? I'm an older member/guy and have no idea what your talking about, nor do I see any relevance to it here...

 

[Kstills]

DS - see how it is flush

PS - see how it isn't flush like the one above

No.

STOP!!!

DLF posted the schematic for the OEM Ford bushing. That's the PS side bushing, and it's installed CORRECTLY!!

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showpost.php?p=675969&postcount=14

You may now pick up your hammer...

 

[Icarus]

Kstills, I realize how they are supposed to be installed like DLF mentioned (I have the Ford shop manuals too), but Chicken said that the one we are talking about was bad because of the gap. So I am trying to determine if he is right and if I need to replace them all or just the one side. Mine have the gap, but no play or rubber coming out. I've seen them on two cars like this and thought that was normal?...

Sorry to have hijacked your thread ripped, I do have another question if anyone could answer it.
Can the control arm strut rod bushings we're talking about be replaced with out taking the whole strut rod apart (is there an easier way to do it?)
Thanks all

 

[ripped camel]

Kstills, I realize how they are supposed to be installed like DLF mentioned (I have the Ford shop manuals too), but Chicken said that the one we are talking about was bad because of the gap. So I am trying to determine if he is right and if I need to replace them all or just the one side. Mine have the gap, but no play or rubber coming out. I've seen them on two cars like this and thought that was normal?...

Sorry to have hijacked your thread ripped, I do have another question if anyone could answer it.
Can the control arm strut rod bushings we're talking about be replaced with out taking the whole strut rod apart (is there an easier way to do it?)
Thanks all

That's ok, I'm done with the thread. I've already got the info I needed. You can hijack it to your hearts content

 

[Icarus]

You put up good pics to reference, and I figured my questions might help (or confuse!) anyone looking at doing their bushings too, hence the hijack/questions, so thank you
Trying to get the correct info seems in my case though seems to be the problem, lol...

 

[lsc8]

for no more than the bushings cost i would do both sides while under there and be done with it. That way you don't have problems later.

 

[Icarus]

True (though I still don't know how easy it will be to change them as no one has said!), but Ford only had two in stock so I'd have to wait till after the holiday weekend here to get them ordered...

 

[Kstills]

Kstills, I realize how they are supposed to be installed like DLF mentioned (I have the Ford shop manuals too), but Chicken said that the one we are talking about was bad because of the gap. So I am trying to determine if he is right and if I need to replace them all or just the one side. Mine have the gap, but no play or rubber coming out. I've seen them on two cars like this and thought that was normal?...

Sorry to have hijacked your thread ripped, I do have another question if anyone could answer it.
Can the control arm strut rod bushings we're talking about be replaced with out taking the whole strut rod apart (is there an easier way to do it?)
Thanks all

Ah, Ok.

Went back and re-read the entire post, and found the part you were referring too. Time to get under the car......

 

[Icarus]

Yup, I was hoping anyone would have said by now how much I need to take off to get at the bushings though. Guess I'll have to find out for myself

 

[Icarus]

Well, I ran into a snafu (of course, thats the way my luck always goes )
They only gave me one correct bushing, the other is the same but it takes two different bushings (I noticed this when I went to put them on and both said 'rear', I wish I noticed that yesterday!) I don't know if the parts diagrams the dealer has are mislabeled or the parts guy is on crack (is the package supposed to come with both or are they indivdual?)

I needed one of each:
F3LC-3A140-AA (front side bushing)
E9SC-3A140-BA (rear side bushing)

They had the first ones listed as the strut rod/subframe bushings, and needing two of the second for the control arm ones according to the parts guy...

btw, I've not found an easy way to take them off without disassembling more and more, it would have been somewhat easy if the strut rod was 3/8" shorter on the one end...

So its all done and rides good now, amazing what a difference a lil bushing like that will make...
Thanks everyone for the help

 

[chicken]

sorry for the late response, and glad its fixed anyway but........................................
and gap with those bushings will let that arm travel just a little back and forth under load, in the alignment world where you adjust settings to .01% that little bit would change everything. a easy test is to have some one back your car up and pump the brakes and you observe the wheel when they stop if it moves forward at all they are shot (the one man method is to do this next to a shiny car and watch the reflection)