Technical Help! How do rear subframe bushes come out on Multipla?

Currently reading:
Technical Help! How do rear subframe bushes come out on Multipla?

MulTim

New member
Joined
Apr 13, 2017
Messages
12
Points
4
TomorrowI have to drive my family to Brittany for our annual holiday. If I can't get the old front bushes off the rear subframe and fit new ones by 5pm for MOT retest I wil have to use a Micra! Please help.

I have read all the threads available and they all say the old bushes will just drop out. Mine are not dropping. Has anyone a quick method? Dothey come out from above or below the frame?

Please save me from the micra.

Tim
 
To reprise the thread I linked to above, and add photos direct to the forum servers:

"Anyway, here's a photo or two. Not much done this weekend because of other commitments, but hope to finish stripping the subframe tomorrow evening and take it for coating on Tuesday. Despite the front subframe bushes being completely shot, I ended up having to burn them out because they simply wouldn't budge. The rear ones were simpler - a few belts with a club hammer and they popped out."

"First up, as removed from car. Bump stops, top mount for dampers all pretty sound. All four subframe mounts are shot (fronts more so than rears). Rear mountings have already been removed in this piccy."

Note the small pile of bits of bush at top/centre of the first photo. They don't just 'drop out'. If they did, you would have a seriously dangerous car, as all that holds the subframe to the Multipla is the friction fit of the bushes in the holes of the subframe. For this reason, DON'T OVERDO IT WHEN YOU FILE DOWN THE NEW BUSHES OR OPEN OUT THE HOLES IN THE SUBFRAME. I opened out the holes in the subframe, then did what's shown in the next post.....
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5885.JPG
    IMG_5885.JPG
    715 KB · Views: 104
  • IMG_5890.JPG
    IMG_5890.JPG
    501.1 KB · Views: 108
Last edited:
Reprise, continued:
"BTW, for anyone that's interested, these are the correct measurements for the rear subframe bush holes:

Front - dia.64.5, rim depth 13.5mm, fixing bolt M12 fine (1.25 pitch) x 90 long approx.

Rear - dia. 74.5, rim depth 12.5mm, fixing bolt M12 fine (1.25 pitch) x 100 long approx.

Next up, stripped subframe, ready to go for paint stripping and shot blast. The bump stops are a pain to get off (think I got lucky there judging by the number of people complaining about theirs coming adrift in other threads) but all fittings can be removed without destroying them if you take care. The pressed steel cones that the bump stops fit to are a thinner gauge steel than the rest of the suframe - check them for rust holes. Generally, lots of surface rust but nothing too serious. Shot blasting will reveal all however."
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5891.JPG
    IMG_5891.JPG
    421.6 KB · Views: 81
  • IMG_5892.JPG
    IMG_5892.JPG
    410.1 KB · Views: 51
  • IMG_5893.JPG
    IMG_5893.JPG
    495.5 KB · Views: 58
And a bit more:
"Anyway, on to the pictures. I fitted the subframe bushes this afternoon. In the end, I cooked up a collection of bits and pieces to make a simple press:

(Photo)

"I bought three bits of tube from a local steel stockholder to fit around the mouting faces of the bushes and press on the outer body flange. They charged me £12 (bloody rip-off) for bits that they'd normally chuck in the bin. The jobsworth manning the tube saw couldn't have cut them more on the p1ss if he had tried. Needless to say, they won't be getting a Christmas card from me this year
thumb_down.gif
. I then slit the tubes along their length to ease them around the bush flanges (above and below the subframe) and drilled a couple of old bits of angle iron to act as the cross bearers. A long M12 bolt goes through the whole lot (including the bush) and the nut tightened to press the bushes into place, like this:"

(More photos. Because the forum image management tools are crap, I'll leave you to work out which picture goes where)

"I can post the sizes for bits bits of tube if anyone's interested.

It worked a treat. I didn't have to file the holes for the larger (rear) bushes out much beyond just removing the powder coat. The bushes are an almost perfect press fit. As you can see, the force applied bent the angle iron a little, but wasn't anywhere near enough to stretch the M12 bolt. The holes for the front bushes had to be filed out a little more. I went for an interference fit of 0.15-0.25mm and that was just about right. I used a smear of PTFE lube on the bushes to help them into place."
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5910.JPG
    IMG_5910.JPG
    302.2 KB · Views: 60
  • IMG_5906.JPG
    IMG_5906.JPG
    284.8 KB · Views: 48
  • IMG_5908.JPG
    IMG_5908.JPG
    447.4 KB · Views: 56
Last edited:
Thanks for all the helpful replies. MOT came as a shock. I only went in on Wednesday to get wheel alignment done + a new tyre for holiday and it turned out the MOT expired last month. I thought it was September but that was my old car...

Anyway, the old bushes eventually came out the top of the frame after I had sworn at them for a long time, pressed them with a jack, sworn some more and repeatedly hit them with a hammer and cold chisel. I got a friend to skim the new ones and after a bit more sweating, swearing and some pulling I got them seated. There were no tears or screams so all in all it went quite well.

I did the drop links and a track rod end yesterday & the rear automatic adjuster on the o/s brake this afternoon and passed the MOT with half an hour to spare. :)


The list of advisories is quite long but these can wait. Happy days.

Thanks again.

Tim
 
The Subframe can't drop away from the Chassis even if the Bushes are completely shot, as long as the big Washers are in place on the Bolts.
They are a slightly larger diameter than the bores in the Subframe, so they are a failsafe feature.

Due to the Geometry of the Trailing Arms and Suspension layout, the loading on the Front Bushes is Downwards, and Upwards on the rear.
 
Thanks for all the helpful replies. MOT came as a shock. I only went in on Wednesday to get wheel alignment done + a new tyre for holiday and it turned out the MOT expired last month. I thought it was September but that was my old car...

Anyway, the old bushes eventually came out the top of the frame after I had sworn at them for a long time, pressed them with a jack, sworn some more and repeatedly hit them with a hammer and cold chisel. I got a friend to skim the new ones and after a bit more sweating, swearing and some pulling I got them seated. There were no tears or screams so all in all it went quite well.

I did the drop links and a track rod end yesterday & the rear automatic adjuster on the o/s brake this afternoon and passed the MOT with half an hour to spare. :)


The list of advisories is quite long but these can wait. Happy days.

Thanks again.

Tim
Wow, well done awesome work.
was very worried for you, thank you for update.
 
And a bit more:
"Anyway, on to the pictures. I fitted the subframe bushes this afternoon. In the end, I cooked up a collection of bits and pieces to make a simple press:

(Photo)

"I bought three bits of tube from a local steel stockholder to fit around the mouting faces of the bushes and press on the outer body flange. They charged me £12 (bloody rip-off) for bits that they'd normally chuck in the bin. The jobsworth manning the tube saw couldn't have cut them more on the p1ss if he had tried. Needless to say, they won't be getting a Christmas card from me this year
thumb_down.gif
. I then slit the tubes along their length to ease them around the bush flanges (above and below the subframe) and drilled a couple of old bits of angle iron to act as the cross bearers. A long M12 bolt goes through the whole lot (including the bush) and the nut tightened to press the bushes into place, like this:"

(More photos. Because the forum image management tools are crap, I'll leave you to work out which picture goes where)

"I can post the sizes for bits bits of tube if anyone's interested.

It worked a treat. I didn't have to file the holes for the larger (rear) bushes out much beyond just removing the powder coat. The bushes are an almost perfect press fit. As you can see, the force applied bent the angle iron a little, but wasn't anywhere near enough to stretch the M12 bolt. The holes for the front bushes had to be filed out a little more. I went for an interference fit of 0.15-0.25mm and that was just about right. I used a smear of PTFE lube on the bushes to help them into place."

Looks just like the subframe on my tipo and like you I made a jig up to press the bushes in but all that happened was the bolt snapped tightening up and I ended up getting the local garage to do the job on a hydraulic press .
 
Back
Top