Technical Trailing arm bushes

[Italian Coke Can]

Searched and i know that it's a bitch of a job.

Tips please for fitting some powerflex bushes to the rear.

 

[woj]

Mounting powerflexes once the old ones are out is a piece of cake, not even worth mentioning.

Getting out the old ones is a PITA indeed. What we did was to take out the rubber bush with a three leg bearing splitter (easy part) and then hacksawed the metal sleeves out (the way poweflex website suggests), careful here as you don't want to dig too much into the arm. And that's it. We did all this in situ as I am paranoid about opening my brake lines. Timewise one hour for each metal sleeve (two persons) makes it 4 hours for the sleeves alone plus the time for everything else. Next time though I would defo take the whole arms out, cause it does not make any sense, bleeding the brakes is way easier than lying under the car for 4 hours with a hacksaw

Cheers,

Woj

 

[cartledge_uk]

Searched and i know that it's a bitch of a job.

Tips please for fitting some powerflex bushes to the rear.

As said above fitting is easy, the removal is tough.

Ive polybushed many a MR2 in my time and the easiest way to remove them is burn the old ones out. Blow torch and off you go. Pig of a smelly job and not very enviro friendly , but a pain to remove.

 

[woj]

Yes, you can burn the rubber out (not in situ though ), that's what I did with front bushes, quite easy. But in rears that's not the problem, the metal sleeve that sits stiff in the arm is the real pain, the rubber bit is a minor obstacle compared to that /Woj

 

[Italian Coke Can]

Jesus, swear factor 10!

FOUR hours to do one side. I'm expecting the other side to be half that as i've worked out some tricks and purchased some studding.

Not sure if it's made it any better...

 

[woj]

You've been warned You can use a stud with a little bit of trickery, but it the sleeves are sitting tight be prepared that the thread will just snap and back to the hacksaw... /Woj

 

[Italian Coke Can]

Just completed the exhaust side.

90 minutes all in. Not bad once you know the correct tools and how much you need to cut out of the sleeves to release them.

Soo smooth, and much quieter. The only problem is that it highlights how bad the fronts are.

So, how easy are the front bushes?

I also think that i killed the OE bushes at the back when i fitted the springs. I wasn't aware that if you don't release them that they rip the internals and knacker them.... So, when playing with the rear springs slacken the arm mounts.

 

[Brooky]

I also think that i killed the OE bushes at the back when i fitted the springs. I wasn't aware that if you don't release them that they rip the internals and knacker them.... So, when playing with the rear springs slacken the arm mounts.

hmmmm, that maybe why mine are gone. i changed the springs about 6times in 2months trying to get a good setup.

If i push down and lift up in the boot space i can hear something knocking so im guessing its them

 

[woj]

So, how easy are the front bushes?

After the rear ones it's a cake walk. No metal sleeves to cut out, only the ball joint to split to take the arm out, can be tricky if you don't want to take the drive shafts out. Anyhow, there was a howto on this somewhere here.

Cheers,

Woj

 

[dr_hillmann]

lol i just got whole new suspension swing arms, came with new bushes

 

[Italian Coke Can]

UPDATE

Done the fronts today. Managed to get away without un doing the the lower ball joint, just spun the arm out and took the bushes off with the arm still attached.

Rears - Remove rubber coating. Heat exposed metal sleve. Spin sleve. Comes off. 5 min max.

Front - Heat metal tube. Use mole grips to spin metal tube. Heat rubber bush and it pops out.

Soo much easier compared to the front, but still the second hardest job i've done on it. (changed suspension / HG / clutch)

Forgot just how smooth it should of been. No rattles, no knocks, smoother bumps.

Worth the £50, and it's not till you go in someone esle's car that you realise how bad yours is.

 

[levemircento]

I did one outer rear bush earlier on in the year, I do plan on doing the rest but it was an emergency job at the time with lack of funds so i just replaced the one. It was a motor factor item and cost about £4

I drilled through the rubber part and knocked out the centre, then used hacksaw on the outer sleeve, I was getting nowhere fast and it would not budge at all.

I persisted in the hacksawing of the sleeve, then I thought I wonder what would happen if I tap the part of the sleeve thats got a lip on it, I tapped it away from me with a chisel and hammer and it just flew out!!

I removed my arm from the car to do, and did it with a vice to hold it etc on the bench, I clampled the brake hose and it was a doddle to refit and rebleed.

So I could say its was a practice run for when I do the other 3 next year.

 

[dr_hillmann]

meh i just bought new trailing arms, they had new bushes in already

 

[Smiler121]

I drilled through the rubber part and knocked out the centre, then used hacksaw on the outer sleeve, I was getting nowhere fast and it would not budge at all.

I persisted in the hacksawing of the sleeve, then I thought I wonder what would happen if I tap the part of the sleeve thats got a lip on it, I tapped it away from me with a chisel and hammer and it just flew out!!

I removed my arm from the car to do, and did it with a vice to hold it etc on the bench, I clampled the brake hose and it was a doddle to refit and rebleed.

This method worked for me, with a few minor tweaks - I made a series of drill holes through the rubber, used a hub extractor/bearing puller (I think that is what it is - 3 armed thing with a threaded bar in the middle that does the pushing) to push out the centre of the bush.

Removing the outer part I sawed & chiselled out a strip about 5mm wide then the rest popped out easily :slayer:

As people have mentioned, the poweflex ones go in really easily - 2 out of 4 of them slipped in so easily I could have done with 1 hand!!!

Just wish it had not taken me forever to do all 4 - naively tried the 1st one while on the car - SO much more awkward!!! :bang:

I'd recommend doing the drivers side 1st 'cos the exhaust got in my way a bit & was glad I'd done what I found to be "the easy side" in terms of access 1st