What lube for pressing bushings into control arm?

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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:
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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
 
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Freezer first, your soap method won't hurt anything. Also, little removal trick, put a saw blade inside the old bushing and put a cut through the rubber, makes it alot easier to get out.
 
Quote:
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?


Because those Haynes-type manuals both assume that:

a) The average amateur mechanic does not have a press, or the knowledge to improvise one as you did, and

b) Don't want the liability of telling someone how to improvise something that might get them sued.

You did the right thing with dish soap. That is the first go-to lube for installing rubber and dries away harmlessly. You can also use dielectric/silicone grease which is for lubing rubber. It will remain as a lube and if that's not desired, dish soap is generally the 1st choice.
 
I used KY jelly.

I admit, I felt the need to tell the lady at the check-out it was for the suspension on my car
 
Originally Posted By: expat
I used KY jelly.

I admit, I felt the need to tell the lady at the check-out it was for the suspension on my car


I'm sure she's heard that one before.
 
+1 Torching them out is easiest and fastest. Believe it or not the best thing for inserting rubber and poly bushings, rubber exhaust hangers and O rings eg injectors into metal is WD40.
Just pray a little on the bushing repeatedly as the bushing is being drawn into the sleeve, ts harmless to rubber, lubes better than soap and dries completely.
 
Silicone permeates the rubber and can cause slippage, not really desirable in a torsional type bushing like the one the OP posted.
Freezing this type with the lip only makes it harder to draw through the tube in my experience.

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Silicone grease or silicone aerosol spray lubricant that you can find in the electrical products at Home Depot or Menards. Dow DC 111 is an excellent product for this application but is pricey. We used DC 111 at our generating station. Very good product.
 
Are you really sure that both silicone grease and WD40 will dry and fully seize up the rubber bushing such that it becomes immovable unless you use a press/vice to force it out?
 
WD40 leaves nothing behind that I can tell, the bushings don't slip, I cant see silicone going away as its used as a rubber lubricant.
 
Originally Posted By: expat
I used KY jelly.

I admit, I felt the need to tell the lady at the check-out it was for the suspension on my car


Knowing nothing about cars, now she thinks you are doing stuff with your car.
 
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