Radius Arm Bushing Replacement

[jgilbs]

Whenever I take a sharp corner I hear a loud THUNK, and it never fails to scare the **** out of me and my passengers. I did some searching and have a high index of suspicion that the Radius Arm bushings are bad. I went to replace these but found a MUCH more serious problem. My passenger side rotor was only being held on by 3 bolts! The last time I had work done (I had a new rim mounted on my tire) the Firestone(go figure) I brought it to COMPLETLEY crossthreaded EVERY lugnut! :fire: 2 of the lugs had shorn off and were just hanging loose. I also observed a TON of metallic dust inside the beauty cap. Today I went to the Firestone and confronted the manager about the problem, and he told me to have it towed in and they would take a look at it. He called me back and confirmed it was their fault and agreed to replace the rotor at no charge. He told me pads were 90% used (once again they are pretty new, but seeing as how I drive my car HARD and they were pretty cheap pads I wasn't going to argue the point too much) He advised that I should have the drivers side rotor turned (since the pass was being replaced) and get new pads for $80. I told him to just turn the rotors and I would take care of pads, since I was going to put ceramics on there anyway. So now when I get my car back I still need to replace the RA bushings and I have a few questions:

First, my jack and jackstands cant lift the car as high as I would like to do this job. Even with jackstands on the frame as high as I can get the car(I do have clearance to get under it) the tires still rest on the ground. Can I just remove the tires so that the suspension doesnt have any pressure on it? I would put jackstands under the frame behind the RA frame bracket, and use a jack under the axle to lift the tire high enough to remove the tire, Would this work?

Also my steering has always been pretty "loose", will replacing the RA bushings help this? I have heard that there is an adjusting screw for the steering system, where is it so I can try to fix it?

When reinstalling the RA nut, can I just use some Blue locktite and tighten it as tight as I can? I dont have a torque wrench and I dont think I'll be able to hit 100 ft-lbs without air tools(judging by how hard it is to get off, but it might just be the rust thats keeping it on now)

I got bushings for both sides and one is black and one is red, but they both have the same part # stamped on the box. Is this right? Or did Napa screw up and give me the wrong part?

When I was driving the other day(before I found out about the rotor) I heard my drivers side making some noise while driving next to a wall that sounded like a bad bearing, but when I jacked up the car, I tried to move the tire back and forth and I couldnt feel any play. But I did on the pass side (but not sure if this is because of the bad lugs) How do I conclusively check for a bad bearing? Would my rotor have caused these noises?(as firestone claimed today when I talked to them)

thanks for the help, this site always helps me out of a jam.

 

[Creager]

Can I just remove the tires so that the suspension doesnt have any pressure on it? I would put jackstands under the frame behind the RA frame bracket, and use a jack under the axle to lift the tire high enough to remove the tire, Would this work?

yep it would. You want all the weight to go on the stand behind the RA bucket on the frame. The suspention will just fall loose. Now when you pull the radius arm nut off, you might want to remove the axle pivot nut also. The radius arm wont come out of the bucket (or will be REALLY TOUGH!) w/o the axle pivot out. It only takes an extra few seconds, its only 1 bolt. Just get a jack underneith the driverside arm, its heavy! the passenger side arm you can bench, its not really heavy.

Also my steering has always been pretty "loose", will replacing the RA bushings help this? I have heard that there is an adjusting screw for the steering system, where is it so I can try to fix it?

nah i dont think the RA bushings are going to help much here. Look into new ball joints and tierods... adjusting screw as in camber bushing? im not sure about that one haha.

When reinstalling the RA nut, can I just use some Blue locktite and tighten it as tight as I can? I dont have a torque wrench and I dont think I'll be able to hit 100 ft-lbs without air tools(judging by how hard it is to get off, but it might just be the rust thats keeping it on now)

hehe i was told never to use blue locktite when i was younger, but i dont think it really matters with the RA nut. You want to torque it to the right setting. And yes you can hit 100 fts with out air tools. Use the jackhandle as a breaker bar =)

I got bushings for both sides and one is black and one is red, but they both have the same part # stamped on the box. Is this right? Or did Napa screw up and give me the wrong part?

They are probably right. The main question is, are the both urathane? Or both polyurathane?

When I was driving the other day(before I found out about the rotor) I heard my drivers side making some noise while driving next to a wall that sounded like a bad bearing, but when I jacked up the car, I tried to move the tire back and forth and I couldnt feel any play. But I did on the pass side (but not sure if this is because of the bad lugs) How do I conclusively check for a bad bearing? Would my rotor have caused these noises?(as firestone claimed today when I talked to them)

It would be best to take all the junk off the spindle and pull the outter wheel bearing out. The bearing should just fall out the front of the rotor. if it looks scorched or rough then its bad. There shouldnt be too much grease. too much could made some noise. but im not sure on that haha.

 

[jgilbs]

thanks for the reply Creager. I just started to tackle the job and that damn locknut wont budge! I used a ratchet with a "cheater bar"(piece of 1/2" conduit) and had to brace myself with my left leg on the radius arm and myleft arm pulling as hard as I could. I actually broke 2 3/8" drive ratchets and 2 3/8-to-1/2" adapters. damnit. looks like im back to napa again tmo to get a breaker bar. has anyone else had problems with the locknut? Everyone says the bolts are a PITA, but im not afraid of them(got my trusty angle grinder, full faceshield and about 10 extra grinding discs), I just wanna get this darn locknut off!

 

[EMG7895]

Home depot- black pipe is your friend

 

[Jason94sport]

Since your on the subject, What years had these bolts or rivits that need to be drilled out to replace the bushings? I looked under my 94 & all I see is the big nut I don't see any other bolts or rivits. Did the design change in 94? I will have to repalce mine soon. I'm getting clunking when I make slow left & right turns. Strange how these bushings look fine. I also only have 85K miles.

 

[shadetreeranger]

if you have automatic hubs on your front axle there is a groove in the spindle and a lock tab under the lock nut in the groove, clean the grease off and use a magnet or small needle nose pliers to remove it. then the locknut should just about come off by hand.

 

[shadetreeranger]

any questions email me at greenhornet1962_2000@yahoo.com
good luck charlie

 

[shadetreeranger]

the lock tab is a little metal key in the groove and is pushed up under the spindle nut.

 

[j602]

NEVER use a 3/8" drive with a 1/2" adapter for bigger things like that. I'm not surprised at all you broke 2 of them. Do yourself a favor and get the breaker bar. The only rivets are the ones holding the the RA bracket to the frame. None to take the actual arm out.

 

[jgilbs]

shadetreeranger - i was talkin bout the RA bushing locknut, not the 4x4 hub locknut, but thanks for the help anyways. Got the locknuts off, just took a couple of mins with the blue wrench(propane torch). Was a little worried about heating things up so close to the fuel line on the drivers side, but it worked out OK. I went to Home Depot and snagged a 1/2" drive ratchet for only $7! I really like Husky tools and I have had great luck with them so far. Also, a little trick I learned that you can use at your own risk: I really couldnt get any leverage to get the locknut off so I stuck an extra hydralic jack under the ratchet and used it to force the wrech to turn. It worked great, except that I realized after a few turns that it was tigtening the bolt! did the same technique but in reverse and it was super easy to loosen the nut (be sure you heat it up first to break the locktite that is factory applied) too bad the washer was a HUGE pain to get off because when I tightened the nut, it forced the washer into the RA arm making it difficult to remove. Also, those rivets SUCK! I got them ground down and I got the bracket off, I am going to go back out and heat the frame around them so hopefully they will be easier to punch out since clearance is a real issue down there. Is there any difference between the drivers side and passenger side bushing? I have 2 different bushings that I got from NAPA and I can't figure out which is which(same part#), but I think they gave me one poly and one rubber, so I'm gonna have to go back there and try to exchange them tomorrow.

 

[jgilbs]

Jason94Sport - The rivets arent actually on the arm itself, theyre on the bracket. Look at the bracket that the bushings are attached to under the frame, and there you will see it has a few bolts and 2 rivets on each side. The easiest technique to change the bushings is simply to remove the bracket, and in order to do so the rivets must be removed. Otherwise you will need to use a few comealongs to pull the axle forward to allow you to get at the front bushings(not recommended)

 

[Four0Sport]

91 - 94 explorers all had the cross member that the radius arm bushings bolt to held in with rivots. most people use an air hammer or drill and remove ther rivots when replacing the RA bushings and replace them with nuts and bolts. i used 7/16" hardened bolts when i did mine.

 

[jgilbs]

ok, so I got everything swapped out(and my brakes and oil changed ) but now I cant get the pass side RA arm to line up with the hole on the crossmember. It is causing the pass side bracket to be 1 inch from the frame so I cant bolt it up. Should I force the RA arm into place, or will I break something?(would require considerable force to line them up) Has anyone else had this happen to them?

 

[jgilbs]

nevermind, i just got it. took some eye/hand/leg coordination, but i managed to kick it in place while lowering the jack that was supporting that RA.

 

[jgilbs]

How should I secure the whole assembley? Ive heard it was originally held on by red loctite at 100 ft lbs. I used blue loctite, but I added the second washer in the front and cranked it down(didnt use a torque wrench) until there was as much of the nut showing behind the bolt as when I first removed it. Will this be enough and will the blue loctite break down from the heat from the cat? Also, for the bolts to the frame, I got the ones that face downwards on there pretty tight, but the on the bolts that face the sides of the car, I couldnt get a socket in there to tighten them, so I tightened them down as far as I could (theyre snug to the frame, but not super tight - if I put a wrench on one side, it wont bite, it will just spin the bolt) and I used blue loctite. The frame seems pretty stable, but will this hold up under the stress that it is exposed to?

 

[j602]

They should be fine. Get everything snug and use loctite and you're good to go.

 

[Creager]

How should I secure the whole assembley? Ive heard it was originally held on by red loctite at 100 ft lbs. I used blue loctite, but I added the second washer in the front and cranked it down(didnt use a torque wrench) until there was as much of the nut showing behind the bolt as when I first removed it. Will this be enough and will the blue loctite break down from the heat from the cat? Also, for the bolts to the frame, I got the ones that face downwards on there pretty tight, but the on the bolts that face the sides of the car, I couldnt get a socket in there to tighten them, so I tightened them down as far as I could (theyre snug to the frame, but not super tight - if I put a wrench on one side, it wont bite, it will just spin the bolt) and I used blue loctite. The frame seems pretty stable, but will this hold up under the stress that it is exposed to?

You will know if there is a problem

HAH, it will start making all those crunching, squawking, noises again if it isnt tight enough.

i think the way you got it is good enouigh, But on the passenger side i would watch that. Ive never used blue locktite and always have been told not too. I would imagin that it will be fine, just watch that bushing next to the cat

 

[jgilbs]

Finished everything today and , rides a MILLION times better. Like a new truck. Highly recommend this procedure for anyone with an older X that has a sloppy suspension/steering. Suspension is much tighter and surprisingly, my steering is like 10x tighter(Still a little bit of play, but much much better than before) Only problem is that it wanders a little on the road and the tired are completley toed out, so Im Gonna bring it to Firestone tomorrow for an alignment and get them to toss some red loctite on the Passenger side RA nut. Thanks a ton to everyone who helped me out!