Re: 86 4000S bushings

[Jeremy R King <kingjer@eng.auburn.edu>]

Charles,
I recently did this job on my Quantum (same suspension as the 4ks) for 
$32 and in less than an hour.  You should be able to find an imports 
parts store that has these bushings in stock - if you can't get 4ks 
bushings, the Quantum GL5 bushings should be the same.  (Note - I have a 
4ks wheel bearing on the left front of my car right now.  The two cars 
are mechanical twins!)  The import stores here in Auburn tend to be open 
to dealing.  I offered $8 each for 4 bushings and that's what I paid.  
I'll go through the procedure and you can see how much of this you 
recognize and judge whether or not to do it yourself (I would highly 
recommend DIT on this job).

Things you'll need:
	Socket for axle nut (I'll check the size if you want to do this)
	Usual sockets and box wrenches (13mm, 15mm, 17mm)
	Three jaw puller (NAPA - $12)
	Ball joint tool (Not mandatory, but a knuckle and time saver)
	Hammer
	Prybar
	Bench Vise
	Appropriate size pipes or sockets

OK, here's the procedure.  From memory, I'm pretty sure you can leave the 
brakes attatched if you're only doing the control arm bushings.  This is 
kinda hard to envision if you've never seen the suspension apart on your 
car (great learning experience 8^) ), but should be a little clearer with 
the parts in your hand.

	1  With car on the ground and parking brake on, use the socket to 
break the axle nut loose.  It's a lock nut and should be VERY tight (read 
cheater bar!).  You should also get another nut to put on - $3 at dealer.

	2  With axle nut loose, loosen the lug bolts

	3  Lift car and remove wheel and tire (you might want to take the 
axle nut all the way off before removing these).  Note - you can do both 
sides at one time if you want, but one at the time would give you a 
reference if you get lost.

	4  Remove the nut holding the sway bar in the control arm and 
pull the sway bar end out of the control arm (make sure you notice how 
all the bushings and washers go on this and remember it).

	5  Here's one of the tricky parts.  The steering knuckle has a 
ball joint in it.  It will turn if you try to take the nut off as is.  
Take your three jaw pullers and grab the bottom of the ball (opposite the 
nut/bolt) with the center part of the pullers (the threaded shaft) 
pushing on the center of the back side of the ball.  This will hold it 
still while you loosen the nut (15mm I think).  It usually takes about 
two more hands than I have to coordinate this step, so you might want to 
get a buddy (spouse?) to hold the puller in place while you get the nut off.

	6  Remove the ball joint from the steering knuckle.  It SHOULD 
slip right out, but never does.  Some persuasion may (read will) be 
necessary, if you know what I mean.

	7  OK, there's another ball joint that connects the control arm 
to the strut.  It's held in place with a (17mm I think) bolt that runs 
front to back in relation to the car.  You should see it when you get 
under there and look.  You'll probably need an extension and a socket on 
one side and a box wrench on the other.  This is where I don't know if 
the brakes would be in the way or not - I've always taken the whole 
suspension off, so I always have the brakes off.  If you need to and 
can't figure it out, let me know.  Anyhow, when you get the nut off of 
this bolt, tap the bolt out with a hammer.  This is where the ball joint 
tool (looks like a tapered fork) will save a lot of headaches.  Once the 
bolt is out, you can use the ball joint separator to tap the ball joint 
out of the strut.  If you have trouble, go on to the next step.

	8  Use your 17mm wrench and socket to take the bolts out of the 
bushings where they meet the subframe from the control arms.  Here's the 
trick, you may have to loosen the subframe bolt and back it about 1 1/2 
inches to give you enough clearance to get the bushing bolt out on the 
rearward ones.  Now, reach your finger in the hole in the bottom of the 
control arm where the bolt should come through the bushing.  You can feel 
the nut holding it all together.  You have to put your 17mm box wrench on 
that nut to keep it from turning - it's quite trying and you can barely 
get on it at first, just keep trying.  as soon as the box wrench is 
holding the nut, use the 17mm socket to take the bolt out of the 
bushing.  Do the same for the other bushing bolt.  You might have to tap 
the bolts out, but it's usually not that hard.  

	9  Now you can use the prybar and hammer to tap the control arm 
out of the subframe.  After you do this, the ball joint should come out 
of the strut a little easier, so now's the time to go back to step 7.

	10  You should have a control arm in your hand at this point.  
Carry it over to your bench vise and find the appropriate sockets or 
pipes.  Look at what you've got - you want to push the bushing out of the 
control arm.  So you need to brace the control arm and push on the 
bushing on opposite ends.  Get a big socket/pipe for the side of the 
bushing with a lip that's bigger than the lip.  Then get a socket-pipe or 
solid rod the size of the other end of the bushing.  Put the whole thing 
in your vise.  You should have, in order, smaller socket - 
bushing/control arm - larger socket.  Now just crank down on the vise and 
it will push on the two sockets and the bushing will press out of the 
control arm and into the larger socket.  (is this making sense?)

	11  Now use the smaller socket on the lipped end of the new 
bushing, put the bushing in the control arm and put it in the vise.  
Should be just the control arm - bushing - smaller socket this time.  
This will press your new bushing in.

	12  Work backwards to get everything back together.

This all sounds terribly complicated (even for me, and I've done this ten 
times), but it's really a pretty easy procedure.  If you're up to it, I 
hope this can be of some help.  And feel free to ask me more questions.  
If you're not, I hope I didn't wast too much of your time.  I'd say if 
you didn't want to do this yourself, don't pay anybody more than $75 
parts and labor to do it on both control arms.  Any more than that and 
it's DIT time.  It's definitely a great way to see how our suspensions 
are put together.  Pretty simple design really.

Jeremy
'86 VW Quantum GL5
Auburn University, Alabama, USA
Hometown - Reidville, South Carolina, USA

On Mon, 11 Mar 1996, Charles Schwartz wrote:

> I recently purchased an '86 4000S with 105,000 miles.  The car runs well
> except for the fact that the bushings on the wishbones are worn.  Is this an
> easy job to do myself?  Could I have a machine shop press in the new
> bushings?  Can I buy new bushings in the NYC area or should I mail order?
> Should I change anything else while I have things apart?  Also, if anyone
> could recommend a good mechanic in NYC and a good parts source, I would
> appreciate it.
> 
> Charles
>