My car has recently developed an annoying pop/click noise which was diagnosed as a bad front lower control arm bushing. I have the option of purchasing a set of new bushings and having them put into the old arm or just purchasing a new arm. Obviously the entire arm is more expensive, but I was told that it would involve less labor.

I've decided to have both sides done at the same time.

I found a set of two new arms on eBay for $157 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/150915479661...84.m1423.l2649)

and a set of 4 bushings (2 for each side) for $71 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/161016345609...84.m1438.l2649).

I was told by my mechanic that there would be more labor involved when purchasing just the bushings and that I should just get the new arms as the cost in the end would pretty much be the same. To replace both arms I was quoted at 2 hours of labor ($120 + tax) but the bushings alone would be more.

I was also wondering if anyone has done this job on their own. Perhaps if I get the new arms I would be able to do this myself and save myself the cost of labor

 

Evan, could you do it yourself. Of course. The big question that you have to ask is whether you have access to something like a 10" vise. You can use a vise like a press and push the old pushings out and press the new bushings in (I tend to use large sockets to give room for the item to be pressed into and a socket that is just smaller than the item that I am trying to push out that fills the space of the item I am pressing out). But, this is not one of those things that everyone has one in their garage. Option #2 is to pull off both arms and then take them to a shop and have them press out the old ones and press in the new. They should be able to do that for under an hour of time/labor. So, you should be out the door for around $50 for a shop to do it. The big trick with option #2 is having the second vehicle to get you to/from the shop that is pressing the bushings out and in for you.

 

Thanks Chris, what about just buying new arms though? I found that set for around $160 which would already have new bushings. How difficult of a job is it to just replace the arms with new ones and what equipment would I need?

 

Evan, lets look at the whole issue here. If you go with "just" new bushings (look later on), you are looking at $71 for the bushings, another $50 to have them pressed in (unless you can do it yourself). So, you are up to $121 for the pair of arms. Now, you said you can get a pair of new arms for $157. So, you are saving $36 by doing this. The question then becomes, the new arms also have a new ball joint on the end where you are going to be re-using the ball joint if you just buy the bearings. So, you can plan on spending another $48 (what I recently paid for a set of ball joints through E-bay). So, really, you can be paying more by attempting to rebuild the arms than simply buying a completely new arm.

With all this being said, replacing the arms is pretty straight forward. You remove the wheel and then put the front end of the car up in the air. You then have to remove the nut holding the ball joint to the spindle and using a pickle fork or other press type tool, need to break that joint so it will start to slip. Next you will need to remove the bolt on the back part of the arm that goes into the frame. Then you have 1 more bolt running front to back that you will need to remove. At this point, the arm will come off.

With all this being said, seems pretty simple and it can be. But, with the salt that is applied to the NY roads, how corroded are those bolts going to be? Not sure. It can come apart really easy if you have had other work (say new struts) done recently and someone has already broken this bolts loose for you or it can fight you the whole way because they have never been apart and you are going to have to fight through all the corrosion.

So, the question is, how much is your time worth and are you willing to face a possible rough spot by fighting to get it apart.

 

I have two defective lower ball joints - I bought a pair of ball joints intending to replace them without taking the lower arms off - I got right up to the stage where I could not press the ball joint out of the control arm, I bent my huge 'g' clamp, made up a special tool, and bent that too...just too corroded...needs a multi-ton press.....so, I have now ordered two reconditioned control arms complete with ball joints and bushes.....It was hard admitting that the job was tougher than my skill and equipment could cope with.....LOL Allan

 

Allan, not to make you slap your forehead, but the ball joints on the X-Type are not pressed in at all. If you look, they are riveted in about 2" up on the arm. So, to replace the ball joints, you need to remove the rivets, tap out the remaining part of the rivet and then the ball joint will slide out the end of the lower arm. Then to reinstall, you simply slide the new ball joint in to the slot, use the included bolts and bolt it back down. Atleast that is how it is on the AWD X-Types. You don't state if you have the FWD variant or the AWD version.

 

Chris, the strut mounts and bearings were replaced at the end on January so the struts would have been "freed up" then. Since then I have also had a CV joint replaced on the right side and a bearing replaced on the left side. Plus, I'm sure AAMCO had to remove a fair amount of stuff to get the transmission out (twice!).

With that being said, my only concern is "breaking the joint" to free up the ball joint. Is this relatively simple? Can you show me what tool(s) I would need to do this?

I looked through the JTIS procedure for changing these arms and it looked relatively simple. That procedure mentioned loosening the subframe and removing a few subframe bolts. It said that afterwards a "subframe alignment procedure" needed to be carried out. Is your method different from this procedure?

Once I have a better understanding of what I need to do I'm fairly confident I'll be able to attempt it myself. And if all else fails I'll put it back together and take it to the shop instead.

 

Evan, the ball joint can be loosened up a few different ways. The pickle fork is the easiest, but also has the most likely chance of messing up the rubber boot on the ball joint. It normally has about a 12" handle that is about 1" in diameter and then the one end is split so there is a gap about 1.5" wide. You take the open end and slide it between the ball joint and the spindle and then you use a large hammer to pound the fork into between the ball joint and the spindle.

The better way is to get a 2 jaw puller. These have a long bolt in the center and two arms that extend over the bolt and what happens is you put the arms on the spindle and then you drive the bolt so it contacts the stud of the ball joint and with a little bit of pressure, it will get pushed out.

The final way is a last resort unless you are replacing the ball joint. You can back the nut off until it is flush with the end of the stud for the ball joint. Then you can use a large hammer to hit the nut and it will pop out. But, this has a tendency to round the threads on the end of the ball joint and can make re-installation a bear.

From what I can tell, I don't see a need to do an alignment. It should align back up as long as you only do 1 side at a time.

 

Should I be concerned about messing up the ball joint I'm removing since the new arms come with new ball joints?

Also what is the procedure for reinstalling the new ball joints that are attached to the new arms? And could you post a picture of this pickle fork so I know what to look for?

 

Evan, if you are using a complete arm and replacing the ball joint, no worries at all. Just make sure to remove the nut before you try to beat it apart. I know this sounds self evident, but I have seen people try without removing the nut. Guess what, it didn't come apart. Imagine that.

As for the pickle fork I am talking about, check out: Buy Lisle Stepped Pickle Fork Kit LIS41400 at Advance Auto Parts

That is what I am talking about. You have the forked end piece and then you also have a bar that you screw into the end so you can get the hammer in a better position.

 

Ok I'm fairly confident I can get this done myself, I just have to wait for the arms to come in which won't be until Friday.

I haven't ever had the ball joints replaced so they may still be riveted in, correct? If so I can just drill out the rivets with a dremel or something. Also, I see these forks come in various sizes, do you have any idea which one I'll need? I'd rather just buy one than spend $60 on a kit I'll likely never use again

 

Since the new arms you are getting already have new ball joints on them there is no need for you to remove the old ball joint from the old arm. Just remove the old arm from the car with the old ball joint still riveted to it, and install the new arm with the new joint.

 

Yeah now that I think about it that was a stupid question to ask lol.

So basically there's a bolt holding the ball joint in place, I remove that, then stick the fork in there and beat on it with a hammer until it comes free?

And can I get away with this: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...nal_22984537-p

 

Evan, you have the idea. A BFH (big F'in hammer) is handy too. That will make getting the ball joint apart easier. Can be done with a 16 ounce claw hammer, but a 3 pound hammer does wonders.

 

You should be able to rent one from AutoZone for free. They charge you for the tool and when you return it they give you the money back.

 

Thanks guys. Renting the tool sounds like the way to go. Does anyone know the proper sized pickle fork for the job or perhaps will a place like Autozone know that?

 

Evan, Autozone (or other store) will give you one of the kits with 3 or 4 different size forks in it. You want something that is just big enough to fit around the shaft in the center. You don't want to get too big else you will not be pulling straight on the ball joint and it will be hell to get apart (TRUST ME!!!!!!).

 

Thanks again Chris, my last concern is with re-installing the new ball joints. If it's so difficult to get the old ones out, is it also just as difficult to get the new ones in? And is there a certain technique to use when doing so?

 

Evan, when installing ball joints, you simply slide the shaft of the ball jonit into the hole in the spindle, get the shaft seated most of the way and then you use a ratchet/torque wrench to tighten the nut. The action of tightening things will pull the shaft into the correct position and put things where they need to be. As for the torque, it is like 110 ft-lbs as I recall. I would need to see what I can find in my references at home as to what the exact torque is. But, 110 ft-lbs is not too far off.

 

The arms arrived today, they appear to be well made and of good quality. I'll probably rent the fork tomorrow morning and have a go at this project. I don't have a torque wrench though, do I need one? If so maybe I can rent one of those too