Upper Control Arm Bushings - Deceptive Results
#1
08-25-2004, 05:29 PM
Upper Control Arm Bushings - Deceptive Results
Do I ever feel duped! I had been fighting a losing battle with severe wearing of the inner front tire edges. Such wear is usually from excessive camber or incorrect toe-in setting. I had 10 alignments done over the past 6 years, mostly for replacing steering racks, tie rods and suspension parts. EVERY ONE of those alignment reports indicates the camber was within the specified range. Yet the tires continued to wear to the point that after just 22,000 miles the right front inner edge had exposed the steel belts.
The upper control arm bushings appeared in good shape and had no detectable play when moved by hand during those times when the spindle was disconnected from the upper control arm. Everything pointed to no problem with those bushings.
During suspension work this week, I took the opportunity to change those upper bushings. The difference was apparent from the moment the van was off the jackstands. The front wheels were now noticeably more upright than before. I thought this was the wheels being pulled in while the suspension was unloaded on the jackstands and that once the van was moved the wheels would tip out as before. Nope, they stayed upright. Even without having the alignment done, the steering effort was much lighter than before. The alignment came back showing just minimal change in the camber settings, both sides now however were set at zero. Before they were 0.2 and 0.3 but still within the +/- 0.7 range.
While the spec sheet shows no big improvement, there is a world of difference in how the van steers and goes down the road. PLUS, for the first in years, the steering wheel now sits dead straight rather than slightly off center as in past times.
So, in retrospect, even though nothing seemed amiss with those upper bushings, they were in fact worn out. Sometimes facts do get in the way!
The upper control arm bushings appeared in good shape and had no detectable play when moved by hand during those times when the spindle was disconnected from the upper control arm. Everything pointed to no problem with those bushings.
During suspension work this week, I took the opportunity to change those upper bushings. The difference was apparent from the moment the van was off the jackstands. The front wheels were now noticeably more upright than before. I thought this was the wheels being pulled in while the suspension was unloaded on the jackstands and that once the van was moved the wheels would tip out as before. Nope, they stayed upright. Even without having the alignment done, the steering effort was much lighter than before. The alignment came back showing just minimal change in the camber settings, both sides now however were set at zero. Before they were 0.2 and 0.3 but still within the +/- 0.7 range.
While the spec sheet shows no big improvement, there is a world of difference in how the van steers and goes down the road. PLUS, for the first in years, the steering wheel now sits dead straight rather than slightly off center as in past times.
So, in retrospect, even though nothing seemed amiss with those upper bushings, they were in fact worn out. Sometimes facts do get in the way!
#4
08-25-2004, 11:03 PM
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Southern California
Posts: 4,452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#6
09-04-2004, 11:48 AM
Freshman User
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Clinton, MS
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
