|
|
|
Greetings all,
I've been reading this board avidly since I got my 92 240 last year. Of late, I've noticed a clunk when going over rough road spots, and I suspected from reading other posts it was a bushings issue. So I took off the driver's side rear wheel, and looked to see what I could see.
I've added a picture here (hopefully) of what I take to be a trailing arm, with bushing. I imagine I'm not supposed to be able to put a screwdriver into the bushing and wiggle it around, yet I can.
So I wanted to ask the 200 series wizards here for confirmation and suggestions regarding these questions:
Is this a trailing arm, with a bad bushing?
Assuming so, and assuming that poly bushings are the choice, and knowing that I'll be paying a shop to do this (I'm in grad school w/o a garage, and w/o the know-how to use specialized tools)
Do I do just the trailing arm bushings, or all the rear bushings?
What else (if anything) is common to do at this time? (i.e. shocks, springs, struts, etc.?)
Approx. how much should I expect to pay for doing the rear bushings (assuming I provide the bushings myself)?
Additionally - I noticed that there appears to be a factory set of sway bars - is the IPD set a significant upgrade in performance over OEM?
Thanks in advance for your time and interest,
Lanval
|
|
-
|
|
|
Grab that torque rod and twist it. If you can twist it a lot, the bushings are probably worn out. On my car, I could grab the driveshaft (with the rear wheels off the ground) and pull/push up and down on it and the axle would twist quite a bit. Lots of bushing slop.
I'd strongly recommend poly bushings for those torque rods. The factory type rubber bushings are very small, and as you've displayed, they're not even completely filled with rubber. They're small and weak. The poly replacement completely fills the end of the torque rod.
--
forums.turbobricks.com
Parting out '84 DL auto, many cheap parts available
|
|
-
|
|
|
I tried twice to send you some advice with pictures via e-mail. I guess the file might be too big for your schools ( .EDU) server. do you have an email address that wont Time-out before receiving this? BELOW is what I wrote minus the Pictures
Running the screwdriver thru the top of this Bushing ( Torque Rod bushing) does not mean it's Toast. These Bushings come with openings Top and Bottom.
The push and pull on these Bushings are from Side to side so there is no need to have Rubber top and Bottom.
See how it's hollow? you can put a screw driver thru it.
See the cracks on the side? Ready for replacing.
Oh, you were talking Trailing arm bushings but you are showing Torque Rods. Easy mistake with the Technical lingo. The Trailing Arms are attached to the Lower section of the Axles.
You almost can't see them unless you unbolt the Trailing arm and drop it down.
So I leave you not knowing what you clunking is. Sorry.
How many miles on the vehicle? If you have over 150000 miles, I would suggest doing the 4 Torque rod bushings and the Trailing arms too
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me
|
|
-
|
|
|
I sent you an E-mail address with some pics.
Check your e-mail address. My e-mail to you got sent back.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me
|
|
-
|
|
|
I thought this was my noise problem as well. Turned out to be my shocks. You should give them a look.
|
|
-
|
|
|
Chuck,
Thanks - I took it to my local shop, they threw it up on the lift. The bushing were all in pretty good condition, except for the lower bushing on the rear shocks. I'll replace them and see how it goes.
They also thought that the top shock mount (which apparently mounts into the frame?) may also be causing the noise, and they thought there wouldn't be much, if anything, to be done to resolve that. Their line was, "we've tried to chase these down before, and don't have any good answer as to how to fix the sound issue - but the mount itself is fine." I'll take it at that.
Did discover some other problems, though...
Thanks again,
Lanval
|
|
-
|
|
|
Whatcha got there is a torque arm, and yup, that's a bushing in it. But if you remove it, you may find it's the type that's intentionally got spaces on two sides, but solid in the other direction. A lot of factory bushings are like that, including the trailing arm bushings.
Replacements are almost always solid rubber inside the metal shells.
If you follow that bracket straight down, below the axle, you'll find the trailing arm bushing. The bracket there is the part that "The Tool" is designed to keep from bending during installation. The bushing is pressed through both of the brackets when it's driven into place.
If you remove that bolt below your screwdriver, you can pull the torque arm out of the bracket, and inspect the rubber in the bushing. A pry bar may be needed to pop it out of there. Then make plans to replace any cracked or split bushings. Good luck with it!
--
Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 87 244DL- 249K, 88 245DL- 181K, 84 242DL, 89 244DL parts, SOLD: 86 244, 88 244GL, 87 244, 91 244, 82 245T, 88 744GLE, 86 244
|
|
-
|
|
|
Thanks! When the weather clears, I'll take a crack at it...
Lanval
|
|
|
|
|
