4drviper

^ i'm curious if the TL OEM bushing will work with the bolt going through the hole because,, the hole is not in the center.

so the sockets won't be aligned easily?? i was thinking of buying the bushing press tool for $120 but it got me thinking.. hmmmmmmm.

anyone has real experience with those?? how about mr. heeltoe??

nfnsquared

Huh? The hole looks centered to me. And yes, it will work. See post #651...

My bushings will be here tomorrow and I'll be trying to make a homemade tool. Will post up results when/if it comes together. This video gave me some ideas:


I think the hardest part is going to be sourcing a 73mm O.D. coupling. A 3" I.D. galvanized steel coupling will work on the other side. More to come, stay tuned....

4drviper

i have the bushings on my bed right now and they are not centered. 5mm off center.

supraru

Do you have factory replacements? Or are they like those blue ones listed earlier? Usually the performance ones will give you a little castor. The factory bushings from the pictures look dead center.

4drviper

It's 07-08 oem

supraru

Hmm odd. I don't have one in front of me so maybe you're right. Stupid google images

nfnsquared

FYI, the outside diameter of a 2 1/8" socket sold at Tractor Supply fits perfectly to push out the bushing and a 3" ID galvanized plumbing coupling works for the receiver. My homemade tool is coming together for about $25

4drviper

that's nice.

i'm thinking of pushing out other bushings too so i guess i'll need more in fo but the $25 bushing press is a sunshine for people who need to replace failed compliance bushing

whitesosa

undecided between the OEM or the Fastline PCI bushings... not sure how much longer I am going to keep the car (04 TL base, 110k)... I believe this will solve my clunking noise and I do NOT want to ever hear/feel/experience that again lol

4drviper

same. i need a guarantee that Fastline will last twice as long as OEM lol

mine are halfway cracked (still usable) @ 115k miles.

oem $30 + labor $260 = 290. 290 x2 = 580

Fastline $300 + labor $260 = 560 soo.. yeah.

nfnsquared

I'm going with OEM this time. If the FastLine bushings had more miles on them, I might have gone with them. I really want to know that they don't have corrosion issues over time.

I also will be curious to see if the theory of improper torqueing at the factory is responsible for the tears. Really interested to see if using the proper torqueing procedure will make a difference on how long the new OEM bushings last.

supraru

It's not the tq. It's just the design itself. The way they sit in there it pulls to one side. Over time they start to pull away from stress/rubber aging and drying out.

supraru

Just ordered the tool world bushing tool kit. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

94eg!

Yeah, torque can't harm the bushings in any way. The only possible damage from over-torquing would be to the bolt being torqued (over stretched).

Here is a quick comparison of bushing motions to help illustrate the problem. The spherical bearing really is the best solution in this location, but it would really nice if it had rubber covers to help weatherproof it.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Stupid motion is what I normally shoot for...



in life.

supraru

Hahaha, stupid motion....nice.

ArthurL

iTrader: (4)

Believe it or not.. I had clunking noises that I thought came from the bushings but it actually came from the side engine mount. Check your side engine mount and make sure it's not broken.

94eg!

Which side engine mount? I imagine passengers side (#11).

9632tl

Has anyone found out what the difference is between the 04-06 and 07-08 bushings are?
Early part number is 51394-SEP-A01
Late part number is 51394-SEP-A11

9632tl

Never mind, I found it.

94eg!

Yes it's old news. The earlier bushing (04-06) is stiffer. Yes stiffer is better for performance, but it also causes more whining from the average schmuck (hence the change).

ArthurL

iTrader: (4)

Yep, #11. Mine was completely broken and I guess the sound was coming from the engine moving when going over potholes + bumps.

9632tl

Do one or the other tend to last longer?

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

^Don't think so.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Well, IF the older ones would last longer for being stiffer, it's not obvious since they're, you know, older. BUT, maybe the softer rubber allows for more movement without ripping?

My side engine mount was toast too...pretty easy to swap out though.

9632tl

I work at as a salesman at a Honda dealership, so i get a pretty good discount on parts. I think I am going to go with the 2007+ bushings, and if i dont like them, I will go back to the 2004+

supraru

Got the tool in the mail yesterday. I was a little surprised at the screw being so tiny but I'm sure it'll be fine. I did some super cool editing to the picture of the tool to make it look important. Lol. I'll probably do the main bushing next week and see how it goes. I'm not sure if the smaller bushing generally tears or not. If it doesn't then I'm not gonna bother with it.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

That's a nice tool...keep us posted on it!

supraru

Yeah the cups actually seem to be really nice quality. We'll see how they hold up.

nfnsquared

I can confirm what MLue1 posted in #650 and #651: There is plenty of room to press out all 3 bushings with the control arm still on the car (still attached via the ball joint). If you have the tool or a homemade tool like I made, there is absolutely no reason to mess with the ball joint. My homemade tool cost me about $50 after taxes and military discounts:

A. 1/2" x 8" Grade 5 bolt (press out)
B. 1/2" x 9"" Grade 5 bolt (press in) (10" will work if you can't find a 9", also, the 8" will work, but you'll have to manually tap the bushing in about 3/8" to have enough threads for the nut to catch)
C. Grade 5 1/2" washers and nuts
D. 3 1/4" socket from Napa ($35)
E. 2 1/8" socket from Tractor Supply ($15)

Notes:

1. I did freeze the bushings as previously suggested. They went in very easy.
2. Lightly sanded the inside of the control arm and put a light coat of grease on it and the bushing.
3. You'll want to use a cheater/breaker bar. I used the jack handle. Slid right over my 1/2" Craftsman socket wrench.

Works perfectly!! (And yes, I need to sweep my garage. Having no floor drains in a heated garage sucks!!)

SLAYER6669

Awesome reply nfnsquared. I've been procrastinating mostly because my garage is NOT heated I've had these bushings laying around for months now.

I might just piece together the tool also. Where did you pick up the bolts and washers from? Does Home Depot or Lowes have them?

I googled the 3 1/4" Socket you got from Napa and found this on Amazon, would this work? I can't tell if it's the same type from the pics. It's half the price.

http://www.amazon.com/OTC-1908-6-poi.../dp/B00063YJ4O

SLAYER6669

Also, did you pick up the 2-1/8" socket locally from Tractor Supply? They don't have any stores nearby me and I can't seem to locate the socket on their site. I can order one from Sears or Northern Tool has one on ebay for $20 shipped. I'm just not sure if the OD will be the same as the one from Tractor Supply.

nfnsquared

Yeah, that's it! Nice find!! Now the tool can be made for about $35. Sweet!!!!

I did get the 2 1/8" socket locally from Tractor Supply. Any socket with an outside diameter of 72-73mm should work fine, but there's no way of knowing if another 2 1/8" socket will work without actually measuring it.

And I picked up the Grade 5 hardware from Mac's, but any decent hardware store/home supply store will have Grade 5 hardware. And I forgot to add: put a coat of grease on the bolt threads...

The tool makes this such an easy job to do in-house. And now that the tool can be made for about $35 makes it a "no brainer" IMO. It's so easy, just 4 bolts and swing the control arm out, press the bushing out/in, reverse the previous steps, done. No pitman puller required!! FYI, you don't need to undo the top fork bolt. Leave it in.

The arm comes out easily but you'll need to do some light manhandling to get that sucker back in and the bolt holes aligned. A 4lb sledge and a little prying with a 1/2" breaker bar did the trick.

SLAYER6669

Perfect. I'm going to order it right now. Since the $16.43 isn't enough for free supersaver shipping, I trolled Amazon a bit more and found a

socket there in that size by Powerbuilt

socket there in that size by Powerbuilt

for $17.49. I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and hope the OD is close enough. Total cost for both is $33.92. The best part is, I have $14.12 worth of points on my Amazon Visa! I'll check out Ace Hardware for the bolts/nuts/washers.

nfnsquared

My only concern would be that 3/4" is too large of an opening to support that kind of pressure on the washers. Adding a couple of extra washers may work in that case, but then you may also run out of threads. It depends on how deep that socket is vice the one from TS.

SLAYER6669

Good point. It seems all the one's I found are all 3/4" so I didn't realize they made a socket that large for a smaller drive. I will have to give it a go I suppose and see what happens.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

NFN, I'm sorry we bumped heads before. We're clearly both in the business of trying new things and sharing them with members. Great job...great to know that next time I attempt to tackle this, I can do it on the car.



J.

9632tl

I should be doing this this weekend! My new tires came via fedex today, and i dont want to get them installed until i have these bushings replaced

9632tl

Oh, and BTW, nice balls
Ha

supraru

Lol, thanks. There is a golf course right next to us. People like to launch balls into the dealer. Luckily non of my cars have gotten hit yet but some have and even blown out a few windows.

Anyway did mine today. Mine didn't seem like they were that torn but I can honestly say the ride quality has improved. Mainly how the front took certain bumps in the road. Now for a cour pictures.







As for the kit it did a great job. By what was labeled all over the kit it said not to use an impact....well I don't listen. It seemed to take at least the first set. We'll see how it lasts. I only removed the 19mm through the bushing, the 17 mm bolt, and the 14 mm on the swaybar endlinks so I could slide it out just enough to get the tool on.