Do I need a tool (a puller) to pull the upper a-arm bushings? And do I need another tool (press) to install them? What's the drill please?

Thanks all.

 

No, you don't need a puller for the UPPER bushings (I used PowerFlex bushings so not sure if that makes a difference on the install - but mine just pushed right in, i believe)... just make sure you have the shims back in correctly! Now, the LOWER bushings are a whole other story!

Thanks!

 

^^what he said - for both...

If you have the OEM-style uppers, they should come out of/go back into the control arm easily.

Here's a pic of how they are constructed:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...3/#post2315629

 

No special tool needed for removal....if they're in bad enough shape they might just fall out....one of mine did! Unless the bushing bores in the wishbone are spotless its a good idea to run a mini flap wheel/drum sander (Dremel style) through them to clean up any corrosion before inserting the new bushings. When replacing, I used a TINY smear of dish soap on the OD and squeezed them in as tightly as I could with a 'Quick Grip' clamp (Irwin style) and a couple of shallow sockets.....there's plenty of room. Getting all the bushings fully seated makes life a bit easier when you're looking for every atom of space you can find to insert those freaking caster shims..... Also, +1 for sticking/gluing/edge taping the shims together and inserting them as a single block and getting plenty of never-seize on the fulcrum bolt. My $0.2 FWIW.

 

Great. I was afraid to start messing with the disintegrating one for fear I'd need a press to put a new one back in. Whew! So as long as the metal bushing inside the a-arm isn't frozen in place ...

So what's the correct lube for the 'fulcrum' bolts? Anti-seize? Caliper Slide Grease (silicone grease)? Or something called 'Copper' Grease (never heard of this one)? I thought Caliper Slide Grease would be the best choice since it should prevent water penetration and prevents corrosion on the brake calipers which are subject to much more thermal cycling than these parts.

 

I used Permatex #80078, which I adopted during my past boating life. It is an excellent all-round corrosion resistant product, but I imagine pretty much any high temp/viscosity grease will work in this application.

 

I've also used the Permatex anti-seize on fasteners. I swear by it. But only on non-moving, all metal applications. In this application there is the motion of the a-arm and rubber parts to be considered. Some chemical products (mostly petroleum based products) break down the rubber. Given that these rubber bushings don't seem to hold up so well anyway I'd like to use something that won't cause premature deterioration of the rubber bushings. I've also read that you should never use anti-seize on brake caliper slide pins (or any other moving parts) because the anti-seize can dry out and cause the parts to 'freeze' together as time goes by (this may or may not be due to dust being introduced into the mix over time). Since I've never used anti-seize on moving parts, always grease, what's the right product? Or am I over-thinking it and either anti-seize or silicone/synthetic grease will work fine?

 

You're question was choice of lube on the fulcrum bolt ........to stop the sleeves freezing onto it and stopping the bolt freezing in the sub-frame? If the bushings are correctly installed and the bolt correctly torqued there is no movement between any of those parts.

 

The bushings can go into the control arm 'dry' as they don't rotate within it. I lightly smear the inside of the arm surfaces with red rubber grease in a (possibly vain) attempt to stop corrosion in there.

I also use the same stuff on the large washers as they do rotate within the bushing - or more accurately, the bushing rotates around them.

Try to make 'grease seals' between the pivot bolt shank and the inner faces of the crossmember to minimise the likelihood of water wicking along the bolt.

 

I don't get it. The ball joint end of the a-arm moves up and down with the wheel. This causes the fulcrum bolt end of the a-arm to rotate around ... what? I assume the bolt. Or the bushing sleeves within the a-arm & the aluminum support (sub-frame?) that the bolts go through. Something moves relative to something in all these contact points. Whatever it is that moves relative to something else is what I'm trying to 'lube' to prevent the parts freezing together from corrosion/galvanic action.

 

It's a poor design, that's where I've settled. A **** poor design, when there was no shortage of proven designs to work from/copy... My fear in trying use some sort of lube, whatever the type, is that the lube will attract all sorts of grit... the area sees lots of road grime, and lube (I always thought) would do more harm than good.

Compressing all of these bits when you pull everything together to torq naturally distorts the shapes of all bits and then, add to that, driving, even further. It's just a bad design that is worth living with, I guess, because there are so many other fabulous things going on with the rest O the car.

 

If you look at the pic. I linked in post #3, you can see the bushing disassembled.

The central spacer/sleeve, along with the various washers and caster shims, is pinched to the subframe. The bearing surface is the yellow plastic material on the inner face of the bushing. It is this which rotates with respect to the spacer/sleeve. The material is perforated - my guess is to retain lubricant.

 

I think this is absolutely right... I think the yellow material is gortex... If that's how it's spelled...

 

So the metal sleeve within the bushing doesn't move relative to the a-arm or the bolt? The bolt doesn't move relative to the 'sub-frame'? The rubber part of the bushing doesn't move relative to the bolt or the metal sleeve? Only the perforated yellow sleeve within the rubber bushing rotates relative to the metal sleeve (and therefore the bolt)? Seems like a pretty fragile part to bear the brunt of the motion within the overall system.

Is this perforated sleeve lubricated for life? Or should it be lubricated during assembly (or periodically)? Or should I just install the new bushing and leave this perforated sleeve as it is?

Thanks for the explanation.

 

On a newly assembled upper wishbone/bushes, everything remains fixed in the same relative position and the inner steel sleeve (arrowed) rotates around the fulcrum bolt which passes through it. The sleeve eventually seizes onto the fulcrum bolt so the rotation is transferred to the steel sleeve rotating within the yellow sleeve. This material was never intended to be subjected to friction and consequently the bush soon fails.





It should have been a stainless steel fulcrum bolt and stainless steel sleeves in the bushes with provision for lubricating in service. Poor design and poor choice of materials.

Graham

 

The OD of the sleeve is larger than the 4 end cap washers and the 4 spacers on the bushings... With the amount of torque put on the pin/bolt, everything is kinda pulled together and captured - including the eyes of the upper wishbone... I think, in short time, everything begins to move. Well, it's possible for everything to move even after the slightest amount of wear.

The pin, under significant force when driving, starts (overtime) to round out the much softer aluminum carrier of it all... Honestly, when I think about how it all comes together - I don't know what they were thinking when they came up with this set up.

I think the yellow material in the bore of the bushings and on the outer face coming up against the steel cap washer - which is then capped again by the spacer (I have seen bushing sets where, if I remember right, the outer yellow bushing cap can also be removed) is of some kinda space aged material that by composition is slick-ish friction reducing...

When I replaced these in April, bushings purchased thru Welsh, the bushings were so OFF on the ID that the sleeves would NOT slide over the pin. Got so horribly stuck (dummy me tried to force it a bit) that I almost could not get it off. Other the pin was not true or it was a poorly machined sleeve, or both. To me the whole thing is a disaster. That's just me.

Note the yellow material on the outer face, under the steel end cap/washer, on the bushing as well as in the bore.

Luckily, the XKR sourced subframe had the pins and pretty fresh metalastic bushings in place. I just went with them. Tried to talk to Welsh (I won't mention any names) about the problem I faced with their bushings and JOHN said he would check to see what he could do from me and I NEVER heard back from him. I wrote it off and LOST my doe... Not a good experience - but who's complaining, lol

 

"Sealed for life", guv

Both on assembly and periodically, IMO. I used copper anti-seize on the fulcrum bolt, and some waterproof grease on the outside of the sleeve & yellow material surface. Anything to keep the wet out...

 

Thanks Michael. I was thinking synthetic grease for everything. Bolt/metal sleeves/subframe/shims/etc. Both to keep moisture out as well as provide some lubrication. If the yellow perforated parts are Teflon they probably don't need any lubrication but grease shouldn't hurt them. Not sure about what effect anti-seize would have on them. May cause problems over time, maybe not. Not sure it's worth the risk.

The aluminum subframe wear is the real concern. I'll have to see what shape the holes are in before I put everything back together. I think they're OK but I'll have to fiddle with the bolt and the subframe holes without the a-arm in the way to see if there's any play (or see how much play there is).

 

I wouldn't use anti-seize on them either. It's not strictly meant as a lubricant, AFAIK. Synthetic or dino grease - take your pick

Yes, it's not the best design in the world. Expensive component to replace, too. Having said that, when I replaced the original bushes back in 2015 it all came apart easily and everything was in reasonable condition. Granted, the low miles and non-salted roads probably helped. If the bolt is torqued OK then it shouldn't move around and cause ovality in the crossmember holes.