Hi,
I decided to replace one of the rubber bushings of my lower control arm. The bushing is made of a steel tube molded into a heavy piece of rubber which has a cylindrical barrel-like shape.
Picture:
In some car repair manuals it says you HAVE to bring the control arm to professional suspension workshop and you should not do the job yourself. Why is that?
The only way of removing the bushing was by means of a vice and an assortment of sockets which enabled me to push it through. It was a dry (and it HAS to be, because the rubber will give the torsional spring action to the control arm) fit and I felt that I used a lot of force and the rubber was being damaged by the removal process. It strangely survived this tough process.
I tried to install the new bushing as a 100% dry fit but it was impossible. Then I lubed the bushing with liquid dish washing soap and it came right on. Now I am wondering if this was the correct method. Will the liquid soap set (dry up) at one point ensuring a 100% non moveable dry fit between the outer rubber barrel and the control arm inner tube surface? Or is there a more advanced/ideal lubricant for such purposes which will set and not remain lubricated for the next 100 years like oil or grease?
Lucas
I decided to replace one of the rubber bushings of my lower control arm. The bushing is made of a steel tube molded into a heavy piece of rubber which has a cylindrical barrel-like shape.
Picture:
In some car repair manuals it says you HAVE to bring the control arm to professional suspension workshop and you should not do the job yourself. Why is that?
The only way of removing the bushing was by means of a vice and an assortment of sockets which enabled me to push it through. It was a dry (and it HAS to be, because the rubber will give the torsional spring action to the control arm) fit and I felt that I used a lot of force and the rubber was being damaged by the removal process. It strangely survived this tough process.
I tried to install the new bushing as a 100% dry fit but it was impossible. Then I lubed the bushing with liquid dish washing soap and it came right on. Now I am wondering if this was the correct method. Will the liquid soap set (dry up) at one point ensuring a 100% non moveable dry fit between the outer rubber barrel and the control arm inner tube surface? Or is there a more advanced/ideal lubricant for such purposes which will set and not remain lubricated for the next 100 years like oil or grease?
Lucas
Last edited: