arm radius bushing

[nhut]

I took my 94 explorer for an alignment and I was told by the service people that the arm radius bushing needs to be replaced which cost around $350. I'm a college student with no money and I want to attempt this myself. I've done some minor to moderate work on my explorer such as brake jobs,A/C service,repack bearing.However, I have never change any radius bearing. Do you think that I can accomplish this task by myself w/o any special tool and how long will this take.

 

[TwoToneX]

Radius arm bushings are the things on the end of the radius arms, I don't know why they would tell you you needed them during an alignment....but for charging 350 bucks to change them, they sure are trying to rip you off... They can be purchased at any car store for about 5 bucks per side, and you can replace them yourself. It'll just be a pain in the arse...no special tool needed, just jack stands and a jack...

 

[94EBexplorer]

youll need jack .... jack stands.... torchs ,grinder ( if they have never been replaced before..... ) you just need to grind off all those riviots.... thats the part that sucks.... and buy poly bushings... cause they wont blow out like the rubber ones....

 

[TSTONE]

got mine done @ tuffy muffler for around $180

 

[TwoToneX]

Originally posted by 94EBexplorer
youll need jack .... jack stands.... torchs ,grinder ( if they have never been replaced before..... ) you just need to grind off all those riviots.... thats the part that sucks.... and buy poly bushings... cause they wont blow out like the rubber ones....

grinding out rivets just to replace the bushings? that's only if you replace the bracket i thought...

 

[94EBexplorer]

grinding out rivets just to replace the bushings? that's only if you replace the bracket i thought...

how to you replace the inner rubber then? nah you gotta grind em and drop em....

 

[nhut]

I got mixed reply about grinding out the rivots. So do I need to grind the rivots or not. If so, what type of grinder do I need and where is a good place to get one. I also would like to know approximately how long this process will take.

 

[PekingMan]

You WILL need to grind off the rivets to replace the bushings. Check before through. If the bushing have been replaced before, then most likely the rivets were already ground off and replaced with bolts.

If the rivets are gone and replaced with bolts, the job will only take you an hour or two. If the rivets are there, get ready for some work. You will need a die grinder or torch to grind off the rivet heads and some sort of punch or air hammer (much easier) to eject the shaft of the rivet.

As said before, this is a real pain in the ass. Quick story. I did mine when I installed the James Duff lift and siad never again. When my girlfriend's Ex needed them I took it to a shop to do. The shop thought it was such a pain in the ass, they found it easier to unbolt the radius arms, and pull the entire front suspension forward until the radius arms cleared the brackets. They then removed the old bushing, put new ones in, and released the front suspension back into place.

However, they only charged about $200 for the entire procedure including parts. My advice, if you have air tools, go for it. If not, seriously consider going to a shop, but a different one. You should be able to get it done for $200 or less.

 

[nhut]

this message is for TSTONE and PEKING. Those price that you mentioned, is that for just one side or is it both side.

 

[PekingMan]

Both sides. The bushings themselves are only about $20-35 bucks for the pair. Its all labor.

 

[GenerationX]

If you're looking for a quick fix you could do what I did. I went to autozone and bought a Trw radius arm bushing for $10.99. It comes with all the hardware (washer, nut, collar). then I jacked up my truck and put a separate jack under the i-beam so I could raise and lower the suspension when I wanted to. I took a hacksaw blade and cut through the outside of the bushing between the wide part of the bushing that is visible and the radius arm bracket (I cut the bushing in half). I slid the crappy blown out part of the bushing out the back of the bracket and slid in the new trw bushing in BACKWARDS and put all the necessary hardware back on. I raised and lowered the suspension as needed to give me room to cut with the hacksaw blade. Now I have no more clunking and it's protecting the radius arm bolt like it should. I hope this is clear if not I could try to explain it better.

G

 

[MARTY196]

hey I need to replace my driverside bushing and that sounds like a good idea genx has, anyone see a problem with doing it this way??? sounds a whole lot eaiser. so you do have both side of the bushing on the arm right? mine is completely gone just the bar and hardwere no rubber at all.

 

[gijoecam]

Is it necessary to realign it afterwards? I just had an alignment done on my ranger when I did the steering gearbox and drag link, and I think mine are close to worn out, but I can live with it a bit longer if it means forking over another $50.

-Joe

 

[GenerationX]

You do not have to get the front end aligned after doing a radius arm bushing. It plays no part in your toe-in/toe-out on the front wheels or camber. If you have just one bad bushing I wouldn't worry about the other one until there is enough play in the other one. When I replaced mine, I took it in to an alignment shop because I got new tires and was trying to find another problem and when they checked it, the alignment was right on.

 

[nhut]

so, generationx, let me see if i follow you. understand that i have not attempted this project, but have already bought the parts for this from a dealership. are you saying that you don't need to cut or torch the rivots as mentioned by other members. than how do you put the new bushing back on w/o cutting the rivots or unscrewing the bolts. please be clear since i have not attempted this project yet.

 

[GenerationX]

well, understand that this is not a complete fix. If you do it this way, you will still have a remainder of the old bushing in place but you will not have to remove the radius arm bracket or radius arm. what i did was cut all the way around the outside of the bushing so i could pull the skinny part out and then slide the new bushing in backwards. First thing to do: take the nut, washer, rubber pad, and plastic collar off the end of your radius arm so you can see what I mean. the part you have left is the bracket, bushing and the bolt sticking through. You would cut the skinnier half of the bushing off and pull it out.

 

[GenerationX]

http://us.f134.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Sh...&download=1&YY=63974&order=up&sort=date&pos=0

 

[GenerationX]

well it has been over two years since my RA bushing fix and it is still holding up...

 

[Brock94]

The alternative to grinding out the rivets per the instructions often quoted on this site is to follow the procedure in the Haynes manual. I did this about a month ago and replaced the bushings on both sides w/o removing the rivets. You'll have to remove the shocks and coil springs-- Haynes manual says just to loosen the axel pivot bolts, but I removed mine completely. With a little coaxing (I got down on the ground and pushed the TTB forward with my foot- use a jack to support the TTB so you can move it up or down as necessary to get the clearance) the radius arm will come out of the bracket so you can replace the inner bushing. I did both sides and this worked fine.

FYI If you do grind out the rivets, the factory manual says that frame rivets should be replaced with Grade 8 bolts that are one size larger than the rivet removed.

 

[Pheonixx77]

I'm kinda suprised noone posted this link yet... I read this and replaced RA Bushings with no problems...
Dead Link Removed

or this one..
Dead Link Removed