General Franklin Tools & Stilo Rear Bushes.

Currently reading:
General Franklin Tools & Stilo Rear Bushes.

Even with the plate, the puller legs in Shady's picture are still very close to (if not touching) the housing. Before deciding to take the axle out, I actually bought a cheap non-hydraulic 250mm puller, there was no way the legs of it were going to reach around the housing and bush and press pieces.

If you fancied a trip south of the river, you're welcome to do the job here using the tools and press I have. Only problem taking the axle out, is that the rear metal brake pipe unions can seize to the pipe. One seized on my car. You would need to get two new pipes, just in case.
 
do you mean the reach of the 250mm puller was not enough? or the clearance between the arms with regards to the axles sticky out bits?

because from what i can see the ebay puller has a bigger head(?) (the bit the legs bolt to) and effectively two-part legs....shady's one was fixed and had a smaller head(?)
see pictures together:

ebay tool:
ebay_tool.jpg


Shady (farco?) tool:
shady_s_tool.jpg


EDIT: the ebay tool can also function in two arm mode, which may help?

(mainly looking for plausible alternatives here, but its obvious that your method works well)

i may be taking you up on that offer....just need to check threw actually gone, then order up the bits, don't mind ordering up a couple of pipes (provided they're not made of gold dust)
 
Last edited:
mzhussein

The puller I used was only 227mm from plate to leg. So yours at 250mm should span it easily.

I was only able to produce around 2 ton of presure with the puller I used so I reduced the interference fit of the bush by 0.15mm to make things easier. Your hydralic puller produces 4 ton more than Davrens press, so you'll have no problems pressing them in.

However, you will need the 3 pronged peice to be able to push on the outer shell of the bush and not the center. You will also need something on the rear to give clearance for the bush to poke out the back when its pushed fully home. A mistake many make is not allowing the bush to protrude out the rear so the bush is not fully home.

Edit
Using a puller will allow you to do the job by only droping the axle and not removing it completely, saving time and money. (y)
 

Attachments

  • 12.jpg
    12.jpg
    132.7 KB · Views: 296
  • 16.jpg
    16.jpg
    118 KB · Views: 261
Last edited:
do you mean the reach of the 250mm puller was not enough? or the clearance between the arms with regards to the axles sticky out bits?

because from what i can see the ebay puller has a bigger head(?) (the bit the legs bolt to) and effectively two-part legs....shady's one was fixed and had a smaller head(?)
see pictures together:


EDIT: the ebay tool can also function in two arm mode, which may help?

(mainly looking for plausible alternatives here, but its obvious that your method works well)

i may be taking you up on that offer....just need to check threw actually gone, then order up the bits, don't mind ordering up a couple of pipes (provided they're not made of gold dust)

Clearance between the arms was the problem with the puller I bought. I couldn't get them to close enough for the hooks to fit onto the spacer behind the bush. But Shady's puller looks wider and his spacer is a bigger diameter than Fiat one I have.

The brake pipe for my MW was £16, I suspect the saloon is the same or similar price.
 
my next question is....your metal collar that allows the bush to protude, what dimensions does it have...it looks like its been specifically made for the job?

A friend made it for me. He cut 20mm off the end of a 90mm diameter mild steel bar and drilled a 68mm hole through the center of it. Looks like an extra large washer. The outer shell of the bush passes through it.
11.jpg
 
Last edited:
@Davren Thanks for the price indicator


@Shadeyman thats what i thought it looked like....

if it turns out i do need to change them, could i borrow your steel ring? obv ill send you money for postage...mainly because i have no idea where id be able to get something like that from...

Its heavy so not sure what the postage cost would be but your more than welcome to use it. PM me your address and I'll get you some postage options and prices tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
just spoke to fiat to get prices for various things:

Extractor press piece 2000000500 - £9.16 + VAT
3 Pronged press piece 2000000400 - £16.76 + VAT
Bushes 51840600 - £21.03 + VAT

nice to see that my local dealership has inflated the prices by whole pounds...:rolleyes:

Also apparently 2000000400 is discontinued, no stock in UK or ITALY, so cant be ordered...i asked so what do fiat use then if it cant be ordered? he said hes going to "look into it" and get back to me....but i have my doubts if anything will come from it...


EDIT: just got call back, no stock of 3 pronged press in whole of Europe, none on order, sooooo i could be waiting for ever and a day...just for ****s and giggles i asked how much they would charge to change the bushes, and they say they wont do it, only replace the whole subframe...LOL....apparently its because every time they've tried it "hasn't gone right"....how that inspires confidence...
 
Last edited:
now that'd be bad...might panic order some "to be safe"....

provided they are perished, and my local independent want allot (gonna check with them after i see if they're actually dead), would you mind if i also borrowed your 3 pronged press piece?


or maybe i can ask my dealer if i can borrow there tool seeing as tho they no longer fit the bushes, they wont be needing it :idea:
 
2000000400 is still shown as "orderable" in the December 2010 ePER. £12.76 +VAT.

Not all dealers have the special tools and a press. Fiat's idea was that only larger designated dealers had them and smaller dealers would remove the axle and take it to a designated dealer for them to fit the bushes. My guess is that the smaller dealers can't be bothered with doing that.

The different methods and labour times for warranty purposes are shown in the Service News Bulletin.
.
 

Attachments

  • Rear Bush Times.JPG
    Rear Bush Times.JPG
    70.4 KB · Views: 194
he clarified in the second phone conversation that it could still be ordered, it just looked like id be waiting forever for it as there is no stock anywhere.

the strange thing is the fiat tech i spoke to said they used to do it but don't do it anymore...

so according to your sheet it'd cost me £360+vat in labor at a dealer...be interesting to see what my independent wants...there is also a little scabby shack type garage just outside work...im gonna get a price off them as-well for comparison...
 
Before I replaced my bushes a few months ago, I got a quote from the local dealer. £587 labour, + the cost of sending the axle away to get the bushes pressed in, + the parts, +VAT. :eek:

I think that really meant they didn't want to do the job.

If you get the job done at a non Fiat garage (possibly at a Fiat one too), you would probably need to explain to them the neccessity of fitting the bushes the correct way as explained earlier in this thread.
 
Thats a long way off £360...so much for list prices.

i trust the independent near my home, when i suggest something its not met with "wtf are you talking about your not a mechanic, leave it to us" but others when Ive said things i usually get the dumb response...which results in me walking away. ill go and have a talk with them when i get the time....independant outside work said £150 if i supply the bushes, £200 if they supply....that price scares me lol...of course its cash, no warranty...probably fitted with a mallet and a blow torch...i saw no big presses in there workshop...
 
You don't need a big press, as confirmed by Shady's puller if you want to machine the bushes down, or my £60 (now gone up to £62) 6 ton press if you don't want to machine them down.

I think even the dealers don't know much about the Stilo. When I replaced my front springs and shock absorbers, I originally got the dealer to fit the springs onto the shock absorbers and they did that wrong. Didn't line up the 2 parts of the top mounting and the shock absorber correctly.

If you want something done properly... do it yourself.
 
Back
Top