control arm replacement help

[cathari5]

[QUOTE=1990new;n1242580]

The notch that WmWatt is referring to is not always a notch..
oh i see, the ball joints bolt needs to slide upside the notch to align itself , got it. hopefully the LCA they send me will have the notch all the way around

[ricko1966]

I have had bad luck with the control arm pivot bolts and captive nuts.Maybe iy's because they are Kansas cars as in rusty.Anyway if your captive nut breaks loose NBD cut the bolt with a cut off wheel and drive the nut and bolt in with a punch.Craftsman or summit has little.caps that fit in the square end of a socket and are just right to hold a new nut in place through the existing hole with a combination wrench.I always assume I'm going to need new hardware and have it in advance.As a bonus new hardware screws together easier.

[ricko1966]

[cathari5]

I have had bad luck with the control arm pivot bolts and captive nuts.Maybe iy's because they are Kansas cars as in rusty.Anyway if your captive nut breaks loose NBD cut the bolt with a cut off wheel and drive the nut and bolt in with a punch.Craftsman or summit has little.caps that fit in the square end of a socket and are just right to hold a new nut in place through the existing hole with a combination wrench.I always assume I'm going to need new hardware and have it in advance.As a bonus new hardware screws together easier.

thanks for the info, my new LCA have arrived and i`ll put them on today, i have sprayed pivot nuts and bolts with wd40 etc, to hopefully be able remove without any hassles there was a lot of grease around already. i live in rust area as well so fingers crossed. looked at summit racing site also, cant get image to load for a look see. i will keep them in mind in case of disaster. you dont happen to know the torque specs for that pivot bolt do you ?

[cathari5]

The notch that WmWatt is referring to is not always a notch.. as most of the control arms that I have replaced have a groove all the way around the ball joint stud. When the groove goes all the way around, you don't have to worry about get it lined up.. you just need to make sure you get the stud in at the correct depth for the pinch bolt to go thru.
The example show is not from a festiva ball joint.

DSC_0025.JPG?cache=0.26386270858347416?cache=0.8344390303827822.jpg

LCA `s have arrived and the notch groove is all way around , so shouldnt be a problem when installing, thanks mate

[cathari5]

I do comparisons when part shopping too Sometimes I find better deals on the same item on Amazon, Ebay or Rockauto. Occasionally find a good deal at Autozone or Advance Auto... but that's rare.
Just realized the WA Festiva was referring to Western Australia... I was assuming Washington State USA.

That guy needs a shop manual.

Reading directly out of the shop manual for LCA removal.
1. Remove the lower control arm pivot bolt at the frame bracket (the one that is sometimes hard to start and can pop the captive bolt welds inside the frame).
2. Remove the ball joint clamp bolt and nut from the steering knuckle assembly.
3. Remove the stabilizer bushing cotter pin and the attaching nut from the rar of the control arm and remove the rear bushing washer and bushing.
4. Lower the control arm, prying the ball joint stud out of the steering knuckle, if necessary, Disengage the control arm from the stabilizer and remove it.

Installation:
1. WIth the front bushing washer and bushing positioned on the stabilizer end, engage the control arm with the stabilizer.
2. Raise the control arm inner end into the pivot bracket on the frame and start the pivot bolt to hold it in place.
3. Engage the control arm ball joint stud with the clamp bore in the steering knuckle and install the clamp bolt and nut.
4. Install the stabilizer rear bushing and washer on the stabilizer end and the attaching nut. TIghten to 64-77 N-m (47-57 lb-ft). Install the cotter pin.
5 Tighten the pivot bolt at the control arm frame bracket to 43-54 N-m (32-40 lb-ft).
6. Using a second wrench to hold the ball joint clamp bolt, tighten the nut to 43-54 N-m (32-40 lb-ft).

Note: be sure to install the suspension bushing washers with concave facing outward away from the bushings.
Also, remember it will be much easier to get the stabilizer bushing back in the hole in the control arm if you have done something to take the tension off.

hey mate,
about to do LCA`s, just double checking , stabilizer bar bushing washers with concave side away from the bushing, doesnt make sense, doesnt look right, are you sure about that?

[cathari5]

thanks for all the help guys, i got them in, sort of easy, except for the stabilizer arm bushings , bit of a mongrel getting it to line up right, but with a fair bit of grunting and swearing i got it all done, only stripped 1 bolt the ball joint clamp bolt , easy enough to replace . old LCA`s were totally shot. thanks gain for the input ty1htd

[ryanprins13]

Yes! Cup goes away from the bushing. Looks totally wrong but its the proper way. Wrecks the bushings the other way iirc. Bit of a late tip but i dont snug the bolts up tight until the car is on the ground. That way you dont get a twist in the bushings just to have the car sitting level.

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[cathari5]

[QUOTE=ryanprins13;n1242608]Yes! Cup goes away from the bushing. Looks totally wrong but its the proper way. Wrecks the bushings the other way iirc. Bit of a late tip but i dont snug the bolts up tight until the car is on the ground. That way you dont get a twist in the bushings just to have the car sitting level.

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thanks mate, oh well to late now, the stabilizer bar bushings that came with the LCA were smallish rubber compared to the much larger "nolathane" ones i bought separate which fit the cupped washers perfectly , so i used them, the wrong way around anyway, will keep an eye on them see if they warp or whatever. pivot bolts came out easy without braking away the anchoring nut . i suppose i could loosen the bolts a bit and take for a short drive and then re-tighten them to sort out any twisting in the bushings, old LCA `s were in a sorry state , probably the originals. anyway thanks again and on to the next issue thats sure to arise
ty1
Matt

[WmWatt]

If a pivot bolt works loose you`ll hear a clunk every time you go over a bump. Don`t ask me how I know that.

[cathari5]

If a pivot bolt works loose you`ll hear a clunk every time you go over a bump. Don`t ask me how I know that.

lol, fingers crossed , i tightened them down to about 50nm, should stay put . :woc:

[1990new]

If a pivot bolt works loose you`ll hear a clunk every time you go over a bump. Don`t ask me how I know that.

DItto on that. About 12 years ago on my way to work, as I started up from a stop light, my right ball joint fell out of the steering knuckle. I was able to turn left into a KMart parking lot, bought a small bottle jack and used that and the car jack to get it back in. The pivot bolt was still hanging out but the nut was gone. I pushed the bolt back in and slowly and carefully drove on to work and then back home in the afternoon. I put a new nut on the pivot bolt and made sure it was tightened to spec.

[1990new]

lol, fingers crossed , i tightened them down to about 50nm, should stay put . :woc:

Happy to hear that you got your new LCA's installed successfully. I put my washers on backward the first time I changed my.. it caused them to squeak and I suspect wear out sooner.

[cathari5]

Happy to hear that you got your new LCA's installed successfully. I put my washers on backward the first time I changed my.. it caused them to squeak and I suspect wear out sooner.

thanks for all your help, washers and bushings are on lightly greased but on reversed, easy enough to turn the rear one around if necessary. the front one is another matter, it can stay put for now. after all that it didnt fix the issue i had, which was a shudddering in the front end when under load 3500>4000rpm in 3rd gear, maybe its the left side cv drive shaft but theres no clicking noise , right ones new, new engine mounts , rack ends etc etc,,but thats for a new thread

[WmWatt]

For shuddering try rotating the tires.