[oldguard60]

A couple of days ago, I found a bolt with a large washer on it, laying on the header. I was in a hurry and did not look for where it belong at that time. Next time while warning up the engine and looking for this bolt position I drove the car a short distance then noticed a rubber burning smell coming from under the hood. On the same side I found a rubber bushing. It came out of the rear alignment bar arm. What is the name for this bushing and how do I replace them. Just to make sure, there are two bushing per side, and the fit around the alignment bar, the one where you place the shims for alignment. Rubber or poly replacements?

 

[Chevello]

Upper control arm bushings.

 

[oldguard60]

Just to let everyone know, yes, I did searches prior to asking. Now how to I replace the damaged one or should I have it replaced by my local shop where I do business?
Thanks for the fast response.

 

[burrodebo]

You gotta get the upper control arm out of there and press the new bushing in.

 

[Chevello]

You can get the old one out with an Air hammer, but you need some sort of press to get the new one in. You can ask the shop if they can press it in for you if you bring them the parts. It only takes a minute to do.

 

[SamSnyder]

First, don't try to drive the car if the bushing has worked out. The steering won't work right. Second, you must pull the upper a-arm out to replace a bushing. Third, if you haven't done it before, I would not advise trying to do it yourself.

That said, if you can find a competent buddy it's not rocket science. But just be aware that suspension work can be dangerous because it involves the heavy weight of the car and suspension parts under great tension.

The real difference is this: If you can safely remove the arm at home with the help of your buddy, the price to repair could be small. $10 for the new bushing and maybe $20 for the machine shop to press it in. If you managed to keep track of the alignment shims that were in there you can just put them back where they were and avoid the cost of an alignment. Otherwise, you'll need a tow and the mechanic will charge $100 or $200 for the labor on top of parts, and require you to get an alignment for another $50-100. So you're probably looking at $30-50 versus $300-400.

But drop the car on yourself and $400 will look cheap if you're still alive. No joke there.

Plus, whether you do it yourself or not, if one bushing came out you probably need to take a look and think about an entire front end rebuild. There's a big factor here of where there's smoke there's fire. Not much sense in piecemealing it if you'll be back doing it again in the near future.

Good luck.