Part 1 - upper control arm replacement

I began the job today and made a few notes as I went. I started with the drivers side upper control arm. I ordered a pair for the Lincoln LS from Dorman, part numbers 524-605 and 524-606. $231/pair from myautopartswholesale. They are a perfect match for my car. Disassembly is easy enough but only if you remember to release the rear brakes before you start ! I didn't and had a hell of a time releasing the ball-joint until I realized why it was binding. The other real PITA is the rear brake line that runs through the cutout in the middle of the control arm. It has to be disconnected at the caliper (note the copper washers on either side of the bolt which should be replaced with new). I did the job quickly and loss of fluid was minimal but the brakes will need to be bled when I am done. I have a suspicion that overtightening of the control arm bolts are a possible cause of bush damage so I was careful to tighten the self locking nuts gradually testing for binding at the bushes. I will be happy to receive input on this but am confident that the bolts will not come out unintentionally.

I also disconnected the tie rod and sway bar link, both of which have only remnants of their rubber boots. I ordered replacements for both sides as well as a set of 4 hydrabushes for the two rear lower control arms. Cost for these parts were sway bar links $35/pair (what a great deal) and rear suspension tie rods $117/pair. The set of 4 hydrabushes for the lower control arms were $104 for a grand total of about $490. I am now awaiting delivery but will start on the passenger side upper control arm replacement tomorrow. I will update this thread as I go.
Steve

 

I did what you did and took my time over several days. I did buy a press to get the new bushings pushed in.

I did have trouble bleeding the brakes to get back to "normal" brake pressure and used a pressure pump at the brake reservoir in the end.

Also ended up with the rear suspension locked way to high when I let the rear back down. I used SDD to reset the suspension height which is a bit of a lengthy process.

Maybe just driving a while would have done the same thing I do not know.

 

Part Two

Today I replaced the passenger side rear upper control arm. Before starting, I used my handy dandy OBD scanner to retract the rear pads. Because I had practiced on the drivers side, it took just an hour or so. At this point I should probably mention that I have a 4 post lift that makes the job a breeze. The next step was to remove sway bar down links and tie bars. None of which were as easy as they looked, simply because the ball joints were so worn they were turning instead of the nut I was trying to remove. I was able to get some grips onto the upper ball joint on the downlinks and still needed a socket and 3 ft long bar to remove the nuts. The thoughtfully provided slot in the rubber cover for a flat wrench and hex head at the end of the ball joint thread were of no use whatsoever.

The tie bars were similarly worn but I found that by pushing down hard on the detached wheel hub end, the pressure was sufficient to hold the ball joint while I uses a socket wrench, bar and 90 degree universal joint to remove the nuts.

While I wait for the parts, I will bleed the rear brakes using my MityVac vacuum pump. I will wait to remove the lower control arms until I have the parts on hand as removal looks straightforward and I have a friend lined up who has a 20 ton press to help me get the old hydrabushes removed and new ones inserted. So far this has been easier than I feared for a 14 year old supercar.....

John - thanks for your input. I will let you know how brake bleeding and suspension height go when I am done,

Steve

 

Part Three

All parts arrived so I started to remove the rear lower control arms. I thought it would be easy but life is full of surprises. The first issue was the infamous inaccessible bolt at the rear of the lower arm. With lots of wrenches, sockets, bars and universal joints, jacking the control arms up and down, I found a way to get an 18mm wrench on it. on the left side, I had to resort to putting a jack under the wrench to get the force required to loosen it, but I did finally get the thing off. The same bolt on the passenger side I managed to get off with a socket, bar an universal joint.

The next problem was the bottom outer bolt which fouled the caliper on the way out. No problem - I can remove the caliper right? Wrong. The two caliper bolts came out a half inch and then would go no further. I am guessing they were assembled with a locking compound and I didn't want to risk stripping something so I put a flat wrench on the bolt hanging on the caliper and turned it out. What a PITA but the rest was straight forward and the lower control arms are now in the trunk of my wifes car with the replacement bushes awaiting a trip to my buddy with the hydraulic press. Before starting this job, you need to make sure you have a full range of metric sockets and wrenches and most importantly a long cheater bar to get the bolts moving. One of the most useful tools in my workshop

Steve

 

Part Three A

With the help of a 12 ton press and a blowtorch, we got all of the old bushes out. Three of them presses in nicely after cleaning the holes with emery paper and lubrication. The fourth would not go in straight. After using the press to try pushing in from both directions, a vice and even a threaded rod to pull it through, we gave up for the night and will take another run at it tomorrow. I plan to use an emery flap wheel on a drill to open out the hole just a little to help the process along. Part of the problem is that only one side of the hole is machined flat. The other is angled which make a straight press almost impossible. I might also try to machine an angled spacer. Watch this space

Steve

 

Could you stick the bush in the freezer?

 

Thats what I did and it does help.

 

Part 4

All of the bushes went into the freezer before we put them in. I should recommend the flap wheel for cleaning out the sockets. It makes for a nice, evenly sanded and smooth finish. The aluminum casting is kind of soft so don't overdo it. The last bush was a problem for almost three hours as it kept cocking over as pressure was applied. Eventually, we tried the bush the other way around - not the chamfered edge first. I used a 2ft, half inch threaded rod through both bushes to pull it through and used a hammer and perfectly sized bearing race as a drift to knock the bearing straight as it tried to **** over. After the first quarter inch, it went onto the press and went right in.


Fitting the lower arms was easy though the connection to the hub was a little tight. Attachment of the tie rods also was easy. I did make sure they were adjusted to the same length as the old ones and checked a couple of datum points to makes sure both were equal after fitting. The downlinks went back in a lot easier than they came out after my buddy recommended I hold the nut with a wrench and use a 7mm socket to tighten the joint from the top.


The cars ECM talked me through adjustment of the emergency brake and after refitting the wheel arch liners and wheels I went out for a test drive. The suspension was a little hard for a couple of miles but settled down nicely. I will take her for a four wheel alignment tomorrow. Job done


Steve

 

Hi Steve - I just finished reading your posts on rebuilding the rear suspension on your X350. I have a 2005 VDP in nice shape (78,000 miles) that hasn't been driven much the last couple of years (kids and grandkids to thank for that). But it will be my summer daily driver this year. I don't know if it is a rear suspension problem, or a differential problem, but when I get on the gas a bit the nose of the car pushes left, almost like the alignment is off. If the cruise control is on at highway speed and then turned off, the car stops pushing left and runs straight. I'm thinking worn bushings in the rear end are allowing the axle to shift slightly under load. Does this sound right? There are no noises from the rear, but it doesn't feel "planted" as well as it should, or used to. I'm hoping I don't have to go as far as you did on the rebuild, assuming it is the suspension. Do you have thoughts on an order to proceed with replacing things, or just bite the bullet and do everything? Thank you very much for any thoughts you may have!

 

Before doing anything major, check to make sure the rear end tie rods are not worn and are fully tightened. After rebuilding the rear suspension I had a four wheel alignment done and the tech didnt tighten one of the tie rods properly. This had the effect of letting the axle move under torque. A very strange sensation similar to what you describe. I got my new tie bars from Moog. Quite inexpensive. Once the alignment was corrected, all was well. If you feel unable to check it yourself, just take her to an alignment shop. Tell them your problem and let them find it for you. It could be as simple as an adjustment,
Steve

 

I saw another thread titled "Seat Hurts".
Let me tell you what hurts. $NZD4,000 ($US2,500) for "Indy" replacement of entire rear suspension control arms (due to worn bushings). 93k km (57k miles), 15 years.
I admire you DIY'ers. I'm too old to do it myself, yet young enough to still be in love.

"Seat Hurts???" I was given an XF as a loan car, perfectly fine car but just a car. Getting back into my X358 (did I mention it was down for 2 months?), was like relaxing back into Blenheim Palace, just as Jeremy Clarkson says.

Yes the weak points are frustrating.