Lower arm wishbone bush bolts - my solution

[Fortwilliam]

After spending untold hours trying to get the bush bolts tightened, and reading various threads on here multiple times, I cracked it by doing the following:

I used my angle grinder to cut an 11.5mm drill bit in half and the same with a 12mm bit (the M14 bolt has a 12mm hole).

I ground a chamfer on the solid end of the bits.

I wrapped a load of masking tape around the opposite end to stop the bits falling straight through the bolt hole, made them easier to see as well.

I was working on axle stands so with the bottom and middle ball joints fitted but not tightened up I raised the arm slowly until I had about a 2cm gap between the bush mount and the subframe.

Next I dropped both bits through the mount and into the mouth of the bolt holes, they did NOT drop in.

With some jiggling of the mount by hand the 11.5mm bit dropped into the bolt hole. The 12mm bit took more effort, finally tweaking the height of the arm and more jiggling and it dropped in too.

I then use a g-clamp, with the outer edges of the fixed head ground off to fit between the rear 12mm bit and the mount's rib, to gently ease the mount flat - with a few taps of a mallet on the edge of the mount when it started to stick. My fear here was damaging the thread in the bolt holes but EASY DOES IT!

I removed the front bit and the bolt tightened up easily.

Removing the rear bit needed some sideways pressure on the mount. The rear bolt needed some sideways pressure on the mount to nip up, my wife's compact mirror taped on to a stick helped a lot to see into the mount/bolt hole and I swear it was a fraction of a mm that was stopping the bolt from biting!

Everything tightened/torqued, no room to torque the mount bolts.

[marinabrian]

Originally Posted by Fortwilliam

After spending untold hours trying to get the bush bolts tightened, and reading various threads on here multiple times, I cracked it by doing the following:

I used my angle grinder to cut an 11.5mm drill bit in half and the same with a 12mm bit (the M14 bolt has a 12mm hole).

I ground a chamfer on the solid end of the bits.

I wrapped a load of masking tape around the opposite end to stop the bits falling straight through the bolt hole, made them easier to see as well.

I was working on axle stands so with the bottom and middle ball joints fitted but not tightened up I raised the arm slowly until I had about a 2cm gap between the bush mount and the subframe.

Next I dropped both bits through the mount and into the mouth of the bolt holes, they did NOT drop in.

With some jiggling of the mount by hand the 11.5mm bit dropped into the bolt hole. The 12mm bit took more effort, finally tweaking the height of the arm and more jiggling and it dropped in too.

I then use a g-clamp, with the outer edges of the fixed head ground off to fit between the rear 12mm bit and the mount's rib, to gently ease the mount flat - with a few taps of a mallet on the edge of the mount when it started to stick. My fear here was damaging the thread in the bolt holes but EASY DOES IT!

I removed the front bit and the bolt tightened up easily.

Removing the rear bit needed some sideways pressure on the mount. The rear bolt needed some sideways pressure on the mount to nip up, my wife's compact mirror taped on to a stick helped a lot to see into the mount/bolt hole and I swear it was a fraction of a mm that was stopping the bolt from biting!

Everything tightened/torqued, no room to torque the mount bolts.

The first time I did this job, I was on for hours, eventually machining a bolt down to the root diameter of the threadform to create a lead in, however next time you tackle the job, do the bolts up with the weight of the car on the wheels, or before the outer ball joint is entered into the swivel hub

If you are changing the entire arm, fit the arm to the centre ball joint only, then the arm can be manipulated to allow the bush to be parallel with the subframe, if changing the bush only and not the arm read on........


With the car run up onto a pair of ramps, and not on axle stands.

Tools required are

18mm combination spanner

18mm flexible head ratchet spanner

10" shifting spanner

Piece of timber and a lump hammer

The two securing bolts are best undone by fitting the 18mm combination spanner upside down, and another large ring spanner looped through the jaws to gain extra purchase.

Once you have cracked the two bolts, undo them by a couple of turns and spray some releasing oil on the bolts, and the hexagon of the lower arm where the bush goes through.

Now go and make yourself a cuppa, most important

Tighten the rear bolt back up, the, undo the FRONT bolt first, you can wind it up my around 3/4" using the ratchet spanner but no further as you'll get the spanner stuck on the anti roll bar

Wind the front bolt out the rest of the way with fingers

Now undo the rear bolt.

The arm at this point will now be free to articulate, so with your piece of wood, wedge it in place suitably against the subframe.

The old bush can now be knocked rearward off the lower arm.

Clean the lower arm up, noting the very clean part where the old bush was located, lubricate with a water based product, not washing up liquid, swarfega is ideal, or KY jelly

Now fit the new bush to the lower arm aligning the fore and aft position with the clean part of the lower arm.

Next fit the rear bolt into the subframe, when entering the bolt, rotate anticlockwise until a click is heard, then with fingers only tighten ensuring the bolt is not cross threaded

Once you are sure it is entered correctly, it can be pulled down to a "just nipped" position, which while holding the bush absolutely parallel with the subframe, will allow it to be articulated around the pivot of the rear bolt.

Here is where it becomes slightly tricky, open the jaws of the shifter sufficiently to allow placement over the parallel sides of the loop of the bush.

This allow for the alignment to take place easily of the front bolt, so drop the bolt into the bush, then wiggle with the shifter until the bolt enters the subframe threaded section.

Again rotate the bolt anticlockwise until the click is heard, and start off with fingers until you are sure the bolt is not entered cross threaded, and wind it down tight.

Finally as you won't be able to apply the torque wrench to check the bolts, 18mm combination spanner with another looped through the jaws to apply the final "nip"

Job done.

I have explored every single different method of doing this job, and using this method, both sides can be replaced in under an hour, lying on your back on your drive.

Brian

[RPWC]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

The first time I did this job, I was on for hours, eventually machining a bolt down to the root diameter of the threadform to create a lead in, however next time you tackle the job, do the bolts up with the weight of the car on the wheels, or before the outer ball joint is entered into the swivel hub

If you are changing the entire arm, fit the arm to the centre ball joint only, then the arm can be manipulated to allow the bush to be parallel with the subframe, if changing the bush only and not the arm read on........


With the car run up onto a pair of ramps, and not on axle stands.

Tools required are

18mm combination spanner

18mm flexible head ratchet spanner

10" shifting spanner

Piece of timber and a lump hammer

The two securing bolts are best undone by fitting the 18mm combination spanner upside down, and another large ring spanner looped through the jaws to gain extra purchase.

Once you have cracked the two bolts, undo them by a couple of turns and spray some releasing oil on the bolts, and the hexagon of the lower arm where the bush goes through.

Now go and make yourself a cuppa, most important

Tighten the rear bolt back up, the, undo the FRONT bolt first, you can wind it up my around 3/4" using the ratchet spanner but no further as you'll get the spanner stuck on the anti roll bar

Wind the front bolt out the rest of the way with fingers

Now undo the rear bolt.

The arm at this point will now be free to articulate, so with your piece of wood, wedge it in place suitably against the subframe.

The old bush can now be knocked rearward off the lower arm.

Clean the lower arm up, noting the very clean part where the old bush was located, lubricate with a water based product, not washing up liquid, swarfega is ideal, or KY jelly

Now fit the new bush to the lower arm aligning the fore and aft position with the clean part of the lower arm.

Next fit the rear bolt into the subframe, when entering the bolt, rotate anticlockwise until a click is heard, then with fingers only tighten ensuring the bolt is not cross threaded

Once you are sure it is entered correctly, it can be pulled down to a "just nipped" position, which while holding the bush absolutely parallel with the subframe, will allow it to be articulated around the pivot of the rear bolt.

Here is where it becomes slightly tricky, open the jaws of the shifter sufficiently to allow placement over the parallel sides of the loop of the bush.

This allow for the alignment to take place easily of the front bolt, so drop the bolt into the bush, then wiggle with the shifter until the bolt enters the subframe threaded section.

Again rotate the bolt anticlockwise until the click is heard, and start off with fingers until you are sure the bolt is not entered cross threaded, and wind it down tight.

Finally as you won't be able to apply the torque wrench to check the bolts, 18mm combination spanner with another looped through the jaws to apply the final "nip"

Job done.

I have explored every single different method of doing this job, and using this method, both sides can be replaced in under an hour, lying on your back on your drive.

Brian

To echo what Brian said about MAKING SURE ITS NOT CROSS THREADED. He and I went to do this job on a car I had bought, when we started to do the job, we found that someone had been there before, and obviously got one of the bolts cross threaded, so they had WELDED the original bolt back to the bush mount and the mount to the subframe. So getting the bolt straight is imperative.

[Comfortably Numb]

Excellent, and perfectly timed post, as I am going to be replacing both lower arms in the next 3weeks. And from a trusted authority. Thanks, Brian, (and Rich).