the dealerships evil magic powers

topher5150

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Went to the dealership today to see why my car is pulling, and as I pull in the driveway my car started making a horrible creaking noise, talked to the mechanic they said its the lower control arm. So that's where some of my tax return is going
 
A man's gotta have tools anyways - buy 'em.

The control arm itself will not make any noise, it's either the bushings, or ball joints.

Strut rod bushings through the control arm seem to go bad, they're a 'cheap' but pain in the arse fix, the ball joint can be replaced by purchasing a new control arm ($100 or so max?).

What was your quote? Have you gotten a 2nd opinion from another shop?
 
Buy the LCA and do it yourself. The lcas are so much easier than the UCAs. You wont regret saving the money and doing it yourself.
 
Cant be more than an hour? Not that hard of a job from what I have read. I have 2 sitting in the garage, and 2 uppers also. Gonna do those when I order my conversion kit and install it all at the same time, should take the better half of a day.
 
The hardest part is getting the strut bolt to break free. Hit it with some penetrating lube for several days in advance, that will help a lot. Since you're looking at replacing the LCA, using heat wouldn't hurt. Just don't use heat if you're not replacing it, it will ruin the LCA and cause potential breakage or weakening.

Mark everything prior to removal so you can get it lined back up as close as possible. It never hurts to get an alignment after replacing things in the front suspension but marking them will get them lined up close enough to not severely hurt anything. Buy MOOG or TRW LCA's they're both made by TRW and those were the OEM parts, you get what you pay for, buying the cheaper parts might be tempting but if you're going to do it yourself to save some money, you might as well buy the GOOD parts. Remember, you'd be paying more if you took it to a mechanic anyways.
 
I also have been told when replacing any parts in the front suspension that you need to jack up both sides to take the stress off the lower control arm to get the bolt out. My first strut replacement the lower bolt would not come out no matter how hard I pounded on it. A call to whomever I bought them from a few years ago told me to lift both sides and what a difference that made.

The hardest part is getting the strut bolt to break free. Hit it with some penetrating lube for several days in advance, that will help a lot. Since you're looking at replacing the LCA, using heat wouldn't hurt. Just don't use heat if you're not replacing it, it will ruin the LCA and cause potential breakage or weakening.

Mark everything prior to removal so you can get it lined back up as close as possible. It never hurts to get an alignment after replacing things in the front suspension but marking them will get them lined up close enough to not severely hurt anything. Buy MOOG or TRW LCA's they're both made by TRW and those were the OEM parts, you get what you pay for, buying the cheaper parts might be tempting but if you're going to do it yourself to save some money, you might as well buy the GOOD parts. Remember, you'd be paying more if you took it to a mechanic anyways.
 
Time for a reality check. The Lower Control Arms can be done simply by disconnecting the ball joint from the suspension upright, the strut rod, the lower strut mount, and the bushing at the frame. Four connections. Sounds easy, right?

If that car sees snow or has seen snow or, more specifically, the over-salted and caustic roadways that are a result of snow, then this is going to be harder than people are making it out to be. I'm guessing "Holland" means MI, so I suspect you fit the 'car exposed to over-salted roads' qualification. Factor in that these parts have been bolted together for a decade or more, and you have a recipe for frozen, rusty, and just plain nasty bolts. If that is correct, then plan on EVERY bolt being a HUGE struggle. Use lots of penetrant everywhere, get air tools, a huge breaker bar (and pipe to fit over it), and large amount of your alcoholic beverage of choice (you'll need it).

I think when I did my first MN12 LCA job, it took roughly four hours. And if I recall correctly, I needed to use a six foot pipe on my three foot breaker bar... more than once. Yes, that was for the stuff my impact couldn't do (albiet, I do not own what is really a 'high quality' impact). I used two cans of PB Blaster and a fifth of Jack :)

All told, if you get into it and realize you have bitten off more than you can chew, don't take it back to a dealer. Find an independent mechanic to turn your wrenches for you. The dealer employs a tech with less than five years experience for ten bucks an hour and charges you $75. An independent guy will likely have decades of experience and charge you $50-60. Who would you rather have working on your car?
 
Topher do yourself a big favor and do the job right the first time. You have to take the hard parts off your car any how, the uppers are more than likely shot, as they are the first to go under normal circunstance, and your strut rods are a major component to correct steering alignment, so bushing replacement is imperative to get it right. By all means do both sides at the same time with both sides up on jack stands. When you are done the car will need a 4 wheel alignment, and you will think you are driving a new car when you feel the difference.
 
If you get in trouble check your local craigslist. I bet there's plenty of mechanics out there that need extra work!
 
Get Tbird ones if you don't have airride. Do yourself a favor and do drive the car with the creaking or you could lose your wheel and have a dented fender as its happened to many people if you do a search for ball joint snapped.

Tbird ones are way cheaper ftw
 
i agree with the lower shock bolt being seized in the LCA. i heated mine, pb blasted even used my ball joint press, still wouldnt budge, started to push the sleeve through the mount. if you have a sawzall you might need it
 

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