Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
Front lower arm rear bush - alignment / orientation
Hi All
I'm confused. The lower rear hydro-bush has to been aligned correctly according to the workshop manual and I can't for the life of me figure out what to align it to.
The replacement bush (Lemforder) I have has two arrows on the rubber which line up with the two notches.
The workshop manual states:
"Note the position of the bushing in relation to the arm."
Then:
Now it seems it wants me to scribe a line on the installer tool & the new bush... but what am I aligning this to on the arm? If it is simply the position of the old bush then by the 3 degree movement the lift and right side?
What am I missing here?
9th Apr 2019 10:37 am
Globetrotter448
Member Since: 21 Mar 2017
Location: Londonderry NSW
Posts: 1783
why not get the whole arm with new bushes fitted and an up rated ball joint
9th Apr 2019 10:58 am
MintyHit
Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
I'm fine rebuilding them. I'm using genuine LR 35mm ball joints and OE bushes so for £100 and some effort it should be as good as spending £400 on LR ones.
9th Apr 2019 11:15 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8121
IMO all it is telling you to do is “make sure the bush is squarely aligned to the orifice on the arm before applying any pressure”, if it is not, a; it will not go in. b; it may distort the bush or the orifice.
Tip: put the bush in a freezer for 1/2 an hour or so and warm the orifice part of the arm up with a hair dryer or blow lamp without getting to close, the bush will then go in with a little assistance from a soft hammer and of course give them a coat of Hamerite paint. It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Apr 2019 3:17 pm
MintyHit
Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
I am pretty sure it has to be aligned because the damping of the bush is variable.
You can actually feel is much easier to move the rubber side to side (depending on orientation) than up and down - look at the shape of it. I suspected the shape / oil filled design is to give you maximum up/down smoothness over bumps with minimal deflection side to side.
I can see absolutely why these need to be in the right way, I just need to know why I have to rotate by 3 degrees and how to establish a center-line on the arm casting itself.
Someone has to know.
9th Apr 2019 3:25 pm
MintyHit
Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
M3DPO wrote:
Tip: put the bush in a freezer for 1/2 an hour or so and warm the orifice part of the arm up with a hair dryer or blow lamp without getting to close, the bush will then go in with a little assistance from a soft hammer and of course give them a coat of Hamerite paint.
...Or try using many tons of pressure on a hydraulic press, these things do not come out or go in easy.
9th Apr 2019 3:27 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8121
Mine did from Advanced factors, no problem.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Apr 2019 3:31 pm
defector
Member Since: 23 Feb 2009
Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 1422
You may be over thinking the whole operation of installing the bush.
I don't think 2 or 3 degrees out is going to make any difference.
I just marked the general orientation of the original bush on the arm and pressed in the new one after putting a line mark on the new corresponding with the one taken out.
M3PDO suggestion about hot and cold holds true - i pushed a roller bearing into a alloy housing with my thumbs after freezing the bearing and heating the housing - although it has to be done quickly and in one operation as the heat transfer from one to the other is surprisingly quick and expansion/contraction follows quickly.
9th Apr 2019 4:17 pm
MintyHit
Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
I agree, I can't see how 3 degrees would make a difference but someone at LR decided it was worth a couple of pages in the workshop manual so surely there has to be a good reason?
9th Apr 2019 4:25 pm
blue meanie D3 Decade
Member Since: 04 Aug 2005
Location: Newbury
Posts: 6861
probably means the insert that isin the bush isn't exactly parallel and the 3 degrees corrects it so it lines up properly I would imagine ?and theeeeennn......???
9th Apr 2019 5:21 pm
MintyHit
Member Since: 25 Jul 2017
Location: Bradford on Avon
Posts: 227
I've figured it out... I missed a step.
Click image to enlarge
Bushes and ball joints now replaced, took a couple of days but I think I could do it in one. The total cost being £115 for Lemforder bushes and a Genuine LR 35mm Ball joint.
... also for anyone wishing to do the same, I found this cheap kit invaluable:
You can reverse the screw on the G-clamp and use it braced against against the opposite bush casting to push the bushing out from the back (without the flanges)... much easier then chopping the flanges off with a hacksaw is the workshop manual suggests.... I also found a little but of heat with the blowtorch will help them "pop" use you have enough pressure.
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