Hi all. I'm doing a bit of a suspension refresh at the moment. I'm replacing the drivers side upper control arm, the shop manual says removing the EMC is necessary for this. I followed the instructions in the manual, but it says to pull the three bolts holding the ECM down like that's an easy task. Not so on my LHD 4.2L convertible. One of the three ECM bolts is maybe 8mm from a metal bulkhead and the geometry of the parts surrounding it makes getting a socket or wrench around it impossible. Can't even reach it with needle nose pliers. Anyone changed an upper control arm (Left hand side) without pulling the ECM, or pulled the ECM sucessfully that can lend a little insight into this issue?




I'm also planning on tackling the upper and lower rear control arms tomorrow, I know I have to disconnect the brake line to change the upper, do I have to do anything special to the E-Brake? Anything else I should look out for?

Thanks in advance.

 

You can't get a box wrench around it, but won't an open end wrench grab from the lower half easy enough? Hard to see 3D stuff in 2D, so maybe it's photographic trickery.

 

No, there's no room for a hand to access it from below either.

 

I did it without removing the ECM. Disconnect the big square block connector held down by a bolt, then unclip and reposition the harness right next to the fuse box. I think I also repositioned the fuse box a bit too. Its a tight squeeze but you can get a ratcheting wrench on that nut (the control arm nut).

To get it back on, stick the bolt through a bit, then hold the nut onto the frame and start spinning the bolt till it catches the threads.

 

I didn’t have to remove the ECM either.

 

Try this

 

Exactly what I used...

 

I must be challenged. I've been working on cars since I was 9. I've never been able to get one of those to work.

I did get the bolt loose though. Had to move the harness a bit further.

 

​​​​​likewise no ecm removal

 

Damn, don't you have clean springs and shocks!?

 

just for your visual pleasure marky 😉😉

 

If the universal joint tool is a pain in the butt by flopping all over, wrap it a couple, not too many, times in electrical tape and it will stiffen it a bit and make it far more manageable with it still being flexible.

 

I like that. First time I tried duct tape .... stay away from that - too much residue when peeling off!