Energy Suspension MX-3 Front Control Arm Bushing How-To

[hgallegos915]

CAN SOMEONE FAQ THIS?


I mean.. why would you spend HUNDREDS when you can only spend so little for the same thing?

[mikeinaus]

if anyone has an extra #13 bracket id love to grab it from you. i went to 3 wreckers today and none of them would sell the bracket without the entire control arm and they wanted $150 for it. which totally defeats the purpose of this mod...

[mikeinaus]

i just installed the rear bushing in the front control arm. is there a way to remove the front bushing #14 without removing the whole control arm? theres no way my end links are coming off without being cut and i couldnt hit the bushing out with a hamer.

[wytbishop]

I saw on club protege a guy fabbed up a contraption where he put a threaded rod through the bushing with a washer on the end and a collar that rested against the control arm and he tightened the threaded bolt down to act like sort of a puller against the control arm.

Take it from me though...they're really in there.

[mikeinaus]

yeah getting the bushings out of the escourt part was bad enough. i almost set my dremel on fire drilling holes in the rubber. im thinking of making some kind of sandwhich machine with a vice and blocks of wood. that screw idea sounds like it could work aswell. ill figure it out when the weather is nice.

btw is the big washer on the rear bushing supposed to sit flush with the bushing? the inner tube sticks out 1/4-1/2 an inch past the bushing so the washer doesnt really touch anything other then that.

[mikeinaus]

i just re-did the linkage on my drivers side so i swapped the front bushing while the control arm was out. man that took like an hour to get out... ended up popping it out with a vice, my old mx3 #13 , 14mm socket and a old bolt i had laying around. other side should be easier when i grab another linkage.

if anyone has trouble getting there old linkage out i think i found the easiest way of getting them off without a grinder/dremel. only if there garbage that is. all you need is a flathed and a big hammer. basically just hit the casing until the ball/bolt pops out then hold that with vicegrips while you crank the old bolt off.

[mikeinaus]

Ya It was kinda confusing. Four busings and two washers in a box. They did not even wish you luck, never mind instructions. I have 4 BG's to look at so I was lucky. I kept the suspension from my $200 323 to roll the shell of my car around. I looked at it ten times LOL. (5 times for the front and 5 times for the rear).

are you sure thats right? i installed mine like you said and i also had problems with the bushing pulling out 1/4".
im thinking the bushing should be installed with the fat part towards the rear of the car. it would make more sense for the big washer to be sandwiching the fat end against the #13 bracket no? or is the bushing supposd to seat itself against the control arm like it has in my pic? at least for the back one anyways. havnt noticed any problems with the front one yet.

[wytbishop]

I definitely think the shoulder of the bushing should be to the rear with the washer securing it to the bracket.

[mikeinaus]

only the one side has pushed out and the other is stuck in the bracket so ill fix the one side and keep an eye on the other and fit it if/when it pulls out. i dont think its that dangerous as it doesnt look like its going anywhere.

[wytbishop]

It won't go anywhere but the shoulder of the bushing is supposed to keep it from riding up onto the LCA which will gouge out the ID of the bushing.

I would definitely , definitely turn that around asap. The control arm moves alot and that bushing is going to get killed in a hurry.

[mikeinaus]

i would but my only problem is i have no way of getting it out without ruining the bushing. i used a vice to get the 1st one out. the 2nd one broke the steel plate on my vice in 2 places and i had to resort to setting it on fire with a torch to get it out. with a little patients and occasional inspection i should be able to grab it when it starts to come out before it has a chance to do any harm. i broke 2 screw drivers hammering with a 5lb hammer and it still didnt budge.