Hey guys I just replaced my upper control arms on my 02 Dodge Durango 2wd along with a new set of Gabriel ultra shocks. Control arms were raybestos pros. I finished the work yesterday and took in for a alignment today. All went well, I even went on the test ride afterwards with the guy who did the alignment. I had to go over a bridge when I left which has a bump where the asphalt transitions to the bridge and it hit very hard. Way harder than with my old shocks. The jolt was so rough it sounded like it was up in the dash. A few other bumps also upset the front and sounded harsh shortly after. The more I drove it, it seemed to calm down and take bumps better. Do shocks need to be broke in? Should I be looking for something wrong in the front end? I could be paranoid after the work I've done but something sounds like it has too much play, or is loose while going over small bumps at low speeds where I can hear good. Any ideas? Thanks.
noise after front end work
- Thread starter FLORIDA
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Did you torque the control arm bushings tight with the car in the air?
Or did you let the car settle onto the suspension and then torque the bushings...
Because if you did the first, you've likely got some twist on the bushings that is coming through as harshness...loosen and re-torque with weight on the suspension...
Or did you let the car settle onto the suspension and then torque the bushings...
Because if you did the first, you've likely got some twist on the bushings that is coming through as harshness...loosen and re-torque with weight on the suspension...
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Did you torque the control arm bushings tight with the car in the air?
Or did you let the car settle onto the suspension and then torque the bushings...
Because if you did the first, you've likely got some twist on the bushings that is coming through as harshness...loosen and re-torque with weight on the suspension...
+1
Did you torque the control arm bushings tight with the car in the air?
Or did you let the car settle onto the suspension and then torque the bushings...
Because if you did the first, you've likely got some twist on the bushings that is coming through as harshness...loosen and re-torque with weight on the suspension...
+1
I didn't do either!! I thought that would be done when the manufacture put the control arm together. I just torque the pivot arm to frame nuts to 155lbs per my Haynes manual. Didn't know I needed to mess with the bushing nuts.
My book says that the bushing nuts need to be 130lbs of torque. Your saying I need to do this with all the weight on the suspension right? Do you think the 30 miles I drove today tore anything up or ruined the alignment if those nuts aren't anywhere near 130lbs? Thanks.
I'm not sure if I can get my torque wrench on these bolts with the tires on. It's a tight fit from the top.
I was only able to get a open end wrench on the nuts. I didn't have much leverage but I gave it all I had. Wasn't close to 130lbs though.
A picture of the control arms sure would help...on many cars, the control arms are bolted using the bushings...if your bushings are not what's bolted to the frame/subframe, then my advice might not be relevant.
That harshness you experienced while driving over the bridge transition is because the control arms weren't allowed to swing like they're supposed to. You need to tighten the control arm bolts with the car resting on its tires. You need to get the car up on ramps.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8KA7RW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That's my control arm. The shaft that runs from bushing to bushing is what connects to the frame using two bolts. I have those torque to 155lbs per my Haynes manual. The bolts on the outside of the bushings are the ones I didn't tighten. Yesterday I tightened them with a open end wrench because that's the only thing I could get on them. No chance of getting my big torque wrench and socket on them past the tire or through the engine bay. After tightening them as much as possible I did a test ride, ride quality was the same as before I tightened them.
That's my control arm. The shaft that runs from bushing to bushing is what connects to the frame using two bolts. I have those torque to 155lbs per my Haynes manual. The bolts on the outside of the bushings are the ones I didn't tighten. Yesterday I tightened them with a open end wrench because that's the only thing I could get on them. No chance of getting my big torque wrench and socket on them past the tire or through the engine bay. After tightening them as much as possible I did a test ride, ride quality was the same as before I tightened them.
Ok I couldn't tighten the bolts with the tires on, so I went ahead and pulled them back off to tighten the bushing bolts. They were pretty loose, no where near factory torque specs. So after tightening the [censored] out of everything I took it for a test drive and its taking bumps much better. I can tell I should have spent the extra cash on a set of blistien shocks but oh well. Thanks for the advice.
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8KA7RW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That's my control arm.
On that design there, you tighten the two bolts holding the control arm shaft to the car's frame, but the two big nuts on the end of the control arm shaft should stay loose until you get the car down off the jacks and the car resting in it's normal position on its tires.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8KA7RW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That's my control arm.
On that design there, you tighten the two bolts holding the control arm shaft to the car's frame, but the two big nuts on the end of the control arm shaft should stay loose until you get the car down off the jacks and the car resting in it's normal position on its tires.
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
Ok I couldn't tighten the bolts with the tires on, so I went ahead and pulled them back off to tighten the bushing bolts. They were pretty loose, no where near factory torque specs. So after tightening the [censored] out of everything I took it for a test drive and its taking bumps much better. I can tell I should have spent the extra cash on a set of blistien shocks but oh well. Thanks for the advice.
Did you tighten the control arm shaft nuts with the control arms off the car? Because if you did, that's the wrong way to do it; you'll trash your bushings in short order. These control arms are designed to have a limited range of motion and they need to be able to pivot with the car positioned in its normal state.
Ok I couldn't tighten the bolts with the tires on, so I went ahead and pulled them back off to tighten the bushing bolts. They were pretty loose, no where near factory torque specs. So after tightening the [censored] out of everything I took it for a test drive and its taking bumps much better. I can tell I should have spent the extra cash on a set of blistien shocks but oh well. Thanks for the advice.
Did you tighten the control arm shaft nuts with the control arms off the car? Because if you did, that's the wrong way to do it; you'll trash your bushings in short order. These control arms are designed to have a limited range of motion and they need to be able to pivot with the car positioned in its normal state.
I tightend them with the wheels off, but installed on the frame. It's the only way I could get to them, I wish I could have got them with the weight on the suspension but they were not reachable with my tools. The book said 130lbs on the bushing nuts so I torque to 130 and went a little bit past.
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
I tightend them with the wheels off, but installed on the frame. It's the only way I could get to them, I wish I could have got them with the weight on the suspension but they were not reachable with my tools. The book said 130lbs on the bushing nuts so I torque to 130 and went a little bit past.
You're better off leaving the nuts loose rather than tightening them with the car up on jacks and the suspension fully extended. What you have now is the bushings under torsional stress at the wrong time. You need to get the car up on ramps so you can access those control arm nuts.
I tightend them with the wheels off, but installed on the frame. It's the only way I could get to them, I wish I could have got them with the weight on the suspension but they were not reachable with my tools. The book said 130lbs on the bushing nuts so I torque to 130 and went a little bit past.
You're better off leaving the nuts loose rather than tightening them with the car up on jacks and the suspension fully extended. What you have now is the bushings under torsional stress at the wrong time. You need to get the car up on ramps so you can access those control arm nuts.
Ramps wont help because I can't access the nuts from underneath. I can only get to them from the upper portion of the wheel well. What will result from the bushings already being under torsional stress? Premature bushing wear? The suspension finally feels good now. Thanks.
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
Ramps wont help because I can't access the nuts from underneath.
Why not? Is there a splash shield in the way?
Ramps wont help because I can't access the nuts from underneath.
Why not? Is there a splash shield in the way?
It's just the way that the control arm bolts to the top of the frame. From underneath I can't fathom any extension/wrench combo that would be able to get on them.
Originally Posted By: FLORIDA
It's just the way that the control arm bolts to the top of the frame. From underneath I can't fathom any extension/wrench combo that would be able to get on them.
There must be someway to get to them because if you had your car at a frame and wheel shop, the guys would have to get to them somehow.
It's just the way that the control arm bolts to the top of the frame. From underneath I can't fathom any extension/wrench combo that would be able to get on them.
There must be someway to get to them because if you had your car at a frame and wheel shop, the guys would have to get to them somehow.
Also those shocks are pretty stiff for the first 1k miles. At least they were on my truck.
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