Front Axle housing pivot bushings/Help ASAP
 

Trying to replace my axle housing bushings.Started with one for right axle.Have right side jacked up and have a hyd. jack under spindleand took bolt out of bushing.How do I get the housing to drop to press the bushing out.Does tie-rod need to be off knuckle?Should the left side of truck be jacked-up too.Hope I don't have to loosen radius arm.Please help.Need to get it done this weekend.thanks

Still at it.Have knuckle jacked up that axle half his hitting top of opening in axle housing and bushing is almost clear to work except for the front side of bushing which is still a 14 from clearing crosss member.Seems axle will be in the wat for the ball joint press I have to press these in and out.Does axle have to come out?

I'll reply to myself I guess!Well, I had to pull the right axle out to drop the axle housing down to get at the bushing.It would not come down due to hitting the axle.I dropped maybe two inches further.Can't believe this could have been done differently.I know there were other posts on this but not sure how else to have done it.Anyone?

O.K.-I used the ball joint press to push the bushing out.Now is that metal housing a permanent part of the housing?I only got the rubber with the center steel tube for the bolt out.Waiting on my new bushings.Old posts say the metal shell come out of the housing but it looks like part of the housing to me?Any help out there?

The bushing has a metel inner and outer ring. So yes it does come out. Find a socket that is the same diameter as the bushing and beat it out. For what it's worth, it's Memorial day weekend, dude. You are lucky that I even answered.

And... I am a veteran, so, I ask any who are crusing the list, to bow their head for a moment or two, for my brethren who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Bob K.

I did mine with the axle shaft in place. It was close but do-able.

There are two kinds of bushings.

Energy suspension pieces have a new metal shell. You must remove the factory shell to use this setup.
There are other manufacturers that supply just the bushing and this will install in the factory shell.
The shells do come out. I had to cut the front one out. The rear most one I drove out by bending the flange over and pressing out the rest of the way.

You should wait until your bushings arrive so you know if you need to remove them or not.
Using the factory shell would make the job much easier.

I replaced factory shell on mine. It added a couple of hours to the job.

Regards
Ken

Thanks for the responses!The shell in the housing looks flared on the rear side and looks like it won't come out.Photos I see of new bushing do not show this.Thus the confusion.Getting the bushings Sunday so I'll see if they have the metal shell.thanks again

The new bushings do not have a "flared" end.
The "flanged" side of bushing goes to the front of vehicle.


Two things that the instructions do not mention is:

** don't press the bushing all the way in. The metal "flange" should be 1/4" from suspension arm. The factory bushing has more of the bushing hanging out than the replacements do.

** The doughnut ring goes on the rear side of bushing (opposite side of bushing as the "flange"). This is called a thrust bushing

(I have assummed this whole time that you are talking polyurethane bushings??)

Thanks for the new info.The ones on order are rubber bushings.Not sure if I want to try pushing the rubber ones out of the shell or order poly without the metal sleeve if I can find them local.I found an old post that someone used Daystar bushings that had no sleeve.Also, read where someone used ball joint press to remove new bushing from sleeve?