OldSlowReliable Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Hey everyone, I recently started hearing a horrible squeek whenever my front suspension is moving....even with me hoppin out of the car it squeeks.... So what should i replace while im tearin up the front end for my UCA's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 replace: - sway bar bushings - lower controll arm bushings - strut rods and bushings - ball joints also may as well replace: - tie rod ends - shocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 Okie doke, well cash is kinda tight, so i think I'll replace Shocks (included) UCA Bushings Possibly Ball Joints then if everything goes smoothly, as cash comes around- Strut rods and bushings Tie Rod ends LCA Bushings Its amazing how much the bill can rack up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 it is. strut rod/sway bar bushing kits come to about 50 bucks from rugged rocks. it would be worth it to replace the bjs too. then you dont have to tear the front end apart...again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I just had the exact same problem, it was the ball joint. Rock the front of the truck from side to side and see if you can hear a knocking sound. Better lift it and move the tire, vertical lateral movement is generally a ball joint, horizontal movement is bushings. If you're doing the bushings probably better off buying a new control arm with the bushings already pressed in, as pressing bushings is something you can't generally do at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taoism Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 (edited) I used a two jaw puller to get the bushings out of my old upper control arms. I am replacing them with RC pieces, but I needed the spindles. was a big pain in the ass but it worked. As for the lower control arm bushings, pray that the person who installed them, if they have ever been replaced, used grease or anti-seize on the pivot bolt. Mine, I am pretty sure, were original, and the bolts had seized to the sleeve as well as to the hole in the control arm on the back side. I had to cut the front of the bolts with a cut-off wheel between the control arm and frame, and grind the head off the back side, as well as a significant amount of control arm to free everything up. I got some decent control arms at the local JY for $25 each to replace mine. The "new" ones still have paint on them, mine did not, and had oblong holes fromthe sway bar bushings/links, never being replaced. Getting the old bushings out was a pain in the ass as well. I drilled out as much of the rubber surrounding the inner sleeve as possible then slowly cut/burned/beat the inner sleeve out of the bushing. I then very carefully used a hacksaw to cut the outer sleeve almost all the way through. Then used a hammer and a punch to snap it along the cut, folding it in on itself, after which it just slides right out. To install the new bushings I tried just banging them in with a hammer and a random piece of round metal I had in my machinist box that happened to have the right size hole in it to clear the inner sleeve and an O.D. just a touch bigger than the outer sleeve of the bushing. Even after freezing them first to make them a bit less snug, it didn't work very well. I also tried using various bits off all thread and that same random metal piece and some extremely large washers to rig up a way to press them in. In the end i bought a ball joint press kit, basically a ginormous C-clamp roughly 2 1/2 inches thick and a foot long weighing about 10 pounds. The kit came with various bits for pressing ball joints and universal joints and I was able adapt my random metal piece with a cpl of the kit's fittings to use it as a bushing press. It worked the bomb, and was worth every cent. Yet another example of having the right tool making the job a cake walk and saving a ton of time/aggravation. Edited June 28, 2009 by Taoism Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 I just had the exact same problem, it was the ball joint. Rock the front of the truck from side to side and see if you can hear a knocking sound. Better lift it and move the tire, vertical lateral movement is generally a ball joint, horizontal movement is bushings. If you're doing the bushings probably better off buying a new control arm with the bushings already pressed in, as pressing bushings is something you can't generally do at home. does this go for the UCA too? If so, does the RC UCA come with bushings? I wasn't sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 does this go for the UCA too? If so, does the RC UCA come with bushings? I wasn't sure not sure, I drive an R50, I have a macphereson strut up front. I don't know about aftermarket parts but as far as I know the nissan factory control arms will come with the bushings already pressed in. Just phone the nissan parts desk and ask, they'll be able to tell you for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 the RC UCAs come with bushings AFAIK otherwise the energy suspension ones should fit i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taoism Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 The RC UCA's come with bushings, poly I think, If you buy them as a kit. They have grooves for the grease fittings and small holes going from the grooves feeding channels around the sleeves to allow the grease to get where it is needed. If you use the alternate method someone posted of getting the UCA's from RC you may have to get the bushings separately as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I bet it's the tension rod bushings. It's common. Would be my first thought also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 has someone done a writeup on doing the tension bar bushings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KovemaN Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Bushing Thread There really isn't much to it unless your cups are trashed. Release the tension on the t-bars and jack up the suspension so the compression rod is level. You can probably leave the t-bars cranked, but it's easier with no tension. Unbolt the rod from the arm and the frame. Replace the bushings and re-assemble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 A trick to isolate squeaky bushings is WD-40. Spray some on a suspect bushing and see if the squeaking stops once it has worked in. If not, move to the next one. This is not a fix though, just trouble shooting procedure... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beastpath Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 just replaced my front sway bar bushings with energy suspension this morning and WHAT A PAIN IN THE A$$ to do! The end links were especially hard. You have to compress the bushings some to be able to screw the nut on. Ended up using a clamp and a lot of curse words to get it on. Cornering is so much nicer though! Doesnt feel like Im gonna tip over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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