What is the procedure and what parts do I need ?

 

You're lucky in a sense, as you can leave the spring alone. Jack up the car,remove the wheel and support it under the spring pan so the weight of the car is on the lower control arm. Then note to position of the bolts that hold the arm to the upper ball joint and remove the bolts. Remove the nut at the failed bushing and then the upper control arms can come out. Then not the number and position of shims between the support for the control arms and remove that piece.

Now you'll have to remove the old buhsing from the support piece, and that can be difficult. A angle grinder with a slitting disk might work to cut the inner steel sleeve if you're careful not to nick the the support. Then put new control arm bushings onto the arms and reassemble. You might wish to replace the upper ball joint while you're in there.

 

Never done this before so I think you lost me, I'm seeing the one arm that the bushing is bad and at the end of it next to wheel I see what looks like a nut or bolt but only one, is this what you are saying to take off ?
If so then is this the only arm that has to come off ?
Also are the bushings a jag only part or will another make work and where can I get them ? I'm in Oklahoma City. Thank you for the help.

 

The upper control arm is actually 2 pieces, a left and right side piece. They are bolted through the top ball joint where I circled in red. There is a bracket that bolts to the whole front subframe to hold the other end of the control arms and allow them to pivot. I circled that bolt in blue. There will be another bolt on the other side. There will be shims under this component, that's how camber and caster is adjusted, so note the number and position of the shims before removing this piece.

Once that blue bracket is off, then you can remove the control arm retaining nut, I circled that in green. Or remove the green nut first, then the bracket, your choice.

I would get the bushings from Coventry West in Atlanta or SNG Barratt in NH, since you are in the USA. You want part number CAC9295 and you might need the washer C29975. I'd go OEM on the bushing, and aftermarket is fine for the washer. I'd do both sides of the car, since if one failed the other is probably not far behind. So you'd need 4 bushings and 8 washers. If you want to do the ball joint as a "while it's all apart" thing the part number is CAC9938. I'd get the OE, as opposed to after market for that one.

Diagram: https://www.sngbarratt.com/us/#!/English/FindParts/Families/XJS/7/37/14714/15415/15414/1/10/1/viewassembly/7412/:WISHBONE%20AND%20BALLJOINT-UPPER


In the SNG diagram, you'd want parts 4, 5, and 25

 

An important note: It is critical that the weight of the car is on the lower spring pan when you take this apart. That will keep the spring compressed. If it isn't and you take the upper control arm apart it will release the spring and probably kill you. There is a tremendous amount of energy stored in a compressed spring, so be very careful.

 

I've got to do the same job on my '89. I would imagine that the lower arm bushings are probably pretty worn also. Replacing those would require removing the spring, a big job, that has to be done very carefully. However if the ball joint and lower arm bushings are okay why not just change the top. It will get your car back on the road sooner. (At least for awhile!)

 

Thanks a bundle for the red,blue,green and the part #'s Once I got the wheel off all made since. I have the bottom of spring pan on blocks, thanks very much for that info, I might have supported on cross member and killed myself. I can see the shims I think, will take pics and you can verify. Thanks again

 

I haven't done this job yet, but wouldn't putting the spring compressors on be enough?

 

Bushings bad both sides


Rubbed a hole in outer shock housing.
Blocked under spring pan


B Are these the shims

 

I'm not going to take anything apart till I have parts in hand, so I wont forget something.

 

The shims either side of the ball joint control castor. The total thickness of the shim pack always stays the same, you just move them from one side of the ball joint to the other to adjust the castor. There will probably be shims under the upper control arm bracket to control camber.

With those bushings shot you probably had some wander and funny steering angles!

 

Actually the car drives straight down the highway.
I just finished ordering the parts 4--5 and 25 also ordered the plain washers 78 cents each. about 90.00 total

There will probably be shims under the upper control arm bracket to control camber. From the diagram the camber adjustment shims look like washers, is that right ?

 

 

Nuts and bolts rusted, tried to loosen no go, afraid to use impact, strip or break bolts.
Any ideas of best to soak with.

 

 

 

Actually impact is one of the best things to loosen bolts. I have freed many with impact that came out after I sheared one with a breaker bar. I have a Milwaukee cordless impact that does 1400 ft-lbs and I have yet to shear a bolt with it. It has many blows that seem to be able to loosen most anything without breaking it.

 

Mac
The camber shims should NOT be touched. Leave well alone. The factory camber cannot change unless the subframe is bent. The top wishbone bushes nuts normally come off quite easily, by the way. Note how many shims and which shims are each side of the top balljoint and ensure they go back that same. If the top balljooint is loose, renew it too.

 

Greg, where are the camber shims ?
I have blocks under spring, is this going to keep it from flying apart when I take all apart ?

 

The camber shims are behind the casting onto which the top wishbone bushes fit. These control in or out top to bottom "tilt" (camber) from top to bottom of the upright and hence the hub and wheel. no.14 in the diagram below.

The castor shims are the ones each side of the top balljoint, (11 in the diagram) these control the fore/back tilt of the upright and hence the self centering effect of the steering (in olden days this was called king pin inclination; the king pin being the huge vertical hinge the hub swivelled on in the days before balljoints.