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Hello everyone,
This is my first post, and in grand noob fashion I’m going to ask a question. But I think that others can benefit from the answer. My fiance’s 2005 Cobalt has a bad suspension noise. It was diagnosed as “failed lower control arm bushings” by the dealer and they want $600 to fix it. I’m going to do it myself. Here’s my question: should I replace the entire control arm, or just replace the bushing in the old one? I don’t have a shop press, so I would have to ask someone to press it out/in for me. I attached a picture I found on the internet that shows the issue. Also, if you have any general suggestions, that would be really helpful (I’ve never replaced a control arm).
Thanks,
Matt
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Replies
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That looks easily pressable. You could rent a ball join press from autozone (essentially for free, once you get your $100 deposit back upon the tools return) and put in your $20 control arm bushing and call it a day… saving you about $580 banana:
This is a fairly easy job. first about your question – the lower control arm ( complete ) is about 60.00 dollars from rockauto.com. the bushing kit ( you would want to do both ) is about 13.00 dollars . depending on the condition of the ball joint I would say change that as well – around 25.00 dollars. then labor to remove the bushings. I would just get the control arm complete. much easier in the long run. changing the unit out is fairly easy but some people have run into a situation when removing the long bolt that goes through the control arm and into the sub frame. this bolt threads into a nut that is welded inside the frame rail. if the weld breaks loose the nut will just spin and the bolt will not come out. just throwing this info out as an FYI. I would say go for it as far as the repair and if you hit any snags along the way ley us know and we will assist you.
+ 1 on loaded control arm.
I’ve done them both ways, and simplicity I much prefer doing the whole arm. No other difference. Either way the control arms have to come off. Also you really should do both sides, even if only one side is visibly bad.
On this model, there are 2 fore/aft movement limiting brackets on the control arm forward bushing. Make sure both of these are reinstalled or handling may ‘feel strange’.
Thanks so much for the input. I have one quick follow up… Should I use air tools or hand tools? Will an impact wrench strip that nut you mentioned?
There are probably many youtubes on how to press in & out a control arm bushings… the tools you’ll need include:
- a ball joint press
- a ball joint puller (to get access to the control arm)
- a large air compressor (the larger the better, more power for your tools)
- a big 1/2″ drive air impact wrench
- 1/2″ impact sockets (you can get by w/ regular sockets if you are in a pinch)
- a bench vice (something or someone to hold the control arm whilst you press it in)
- white lithium grease or silicone (something to lubricate the bushing before you press it in)
- PB Blaster
- Air Hammer
- Oxy/Acetylene Torch
and since you are probably about to break into some rusty suspension, you’ll probably benefit from the additional items:
Not necessary, but will make life easier:
[ul][/ul]Pressing in ball joints and control arm bushings aren’t that difficult… it will be worth your time and effort to do it a couple of times yourself just so you have the experience and save yourself $$$ in the future… a good skill to learn. 🙂
Bushing tip o’ the day:
*Make sure you jack up the control arm before you put the ‘final torque’ on the control arm bushing bolts. If you tighten them all the way down w/ the control arm hanging down, it will apply a heavy binding load on the bushings when the car sets down and the control arm is pushed all the way back up to its normal position.
[quote=”matthewross1987″ post=47475]Thanks so much for the input. I have one quick follow up… Should I use air tools or hand tools? Will an impact wrench strip that nut you mentioned?[/quote]
If you have air tools I would us them. alot of times the ” shock ” from the impact loosens things with out damage verses using a ratchet. if the front of the sub frame is ” open ” you can shine a good light in and possibly see the welded nut I am refering to. top of the long bolt should be sticking up through ( this is just some more FYI ) keep us posted on the project.
I also recommend just replacing the lower control arm. The cost is negligible compared to the trouble you’d have to go through to press the bushings in and out. Keep us posted on how things turn out.
I think I’m going to try it. The only thing that really worries me is the cage nut that 619Diofan was talking about. Basically, the nut that secures the control arm in the rear breaks loose from the frame and spins freely. I read about this problem on a lot of chevy forums. I feel like there’s a very good chance of this issue occurring. I also read that if it happens, you need to cut into the frame to access the nut. I don’t have the tools to cut into a frame. If this ends up happening when I attempt the job, what are my options? I don’t want to get stuck in the middle of the job with no way out.
Here’s a link to what 619diofan mentioned…
If anyone has any other advice about how I can avoid this problem, it would be greatly appreciated.
From your link to the cobalt forum:
The bolt that goes through the Front Lower Control Arm Rear Bushing goes up into a nut that should be captive in the frame. This nut is no longer captive, so I can neither tighten nor remove the bolt!
I can’t see it, but I can feel it. It seems that this nut is not welded to the frame, but simply slipped into a sheet metal “box” in the frame to hold it captive. My guess is that this “box” is no longer square and the nut is simply spinning inside it.
In my opinion, the nut is where it’s supposed to be… and it’s not supposed to be held in place… and from the sound of it, could be hard to get to… which is probably leading to this gentleman’s frustration. All he has to do is use the tools necessary to hold the nut and remove the bolt. Granted, it will be more difficult since you will not have a lift and be able to work under the car with great ease… but you will have access other ‘specialty’ tools, like universal extensions, swivel sockets, and flex head wrenches.
If you can, get up under the vehicle and take a look for yourself. Send us a picture of what you think potential problems might be for you… and we’ll give you advice on how to tackle the situation. Good mechanics have derived strategies for ‘hard to get to’ bolts. Some strategies that might apply for your scenario might be to just cut off the head of the bolt and drive it out, or the use of ‘specialty’ tools to get it out, or to cut an access panel to get to the bolt, or try hitting it with an impact, or try applying a ‘tension’ force to the bolt that will ‘pull down’ on the nut & hold it in place. Additionally, once out the bolt could be installed backwards if you feel it might facilitate easy removal for you on future repairs.
In any case, you should take time to look for yourself and evaluate your ability to gain access to the bolt in some manner as to ensure it’s removal using a method that you feel will ultimately result in getting the job done.
Tips:
Air tools are your friend when it comes to busting through rusty suspension. You can also start the process by continuously soaking your suspension bolts in PB blaster 2 to 3 days prior to starting the job. If you have a good torch, even the most rusty bolts can be taken off with great ease.Even if the worst case scenario occurs and you break that bushing bolt… not a problem. Use a punch or a screwdriver or something and drive out the broken bolt. It is a collared (mostly smooth & non-threaded) bolt so it will slide out relatively easily once you break off the head or the nut. Get a replacement bolts cheap from the yard o’ junk, or more expensively from the dealer.
[i]
This bolt is easy to remove if broken:[/i]If you have any q’s, just throw up a pick and we’ll resolve any issues ye’ may have.
This ain’t rocket surgery… it’s all nuts and bolts.
-El Davo.
Wrench Turner: I don’t think that is the same design as the control arm I’m working with. Here is a picture of the exact part:
The bushing is bolted vertically into the frame. The nut is actually above the frame, so you can’t see it or access it when the control arm is installed.
Here is a diagram of what I mean:
Do you see what I mean about the nut being hidden?
An excerpt from the original observation made from the cobalt forum:
I can’t see it, but I can feel it
To me, this is all i need in order to put a wrench on a bolt. 😉
I have never encountered a manufacturing practice where the nuts were welded to the frame. I would proceed with this repair as I would with any other suspension job and remove the free-spinning bolt. Try using flex-head wrench or you can make your own tool by purposely bending a wrench.
part of being a wrench turner is learning to work on things you can’t always see. B)
At 23:00 you can see Mr. CarGuy cutting an access panel in order to access a hard to get to bolt:
**Cutting an access panel to a hard to get bolt will always make future repairs easier.
[u][i]
extra bonus:[/i][/u]
There is a light at the end of the tunnel: although the bolt is located in a tight confined box, when you do eventually get a wrench on it, the torque you apply on the opposite end of the bolt during it’s removal will turn the wrench against the box and hold it in place… making this bolt removal a one-hand job. (what you decide to do with your other free hand at this time is your own business. :whistle: )additional and unecessary information:
Whenever you are working on something that is hard to get to, or had to put back, it is important to yell “Jenga” as loud as you can upon successful completion of the task.Did some lower ball joints today off the car, here is kinda what the process looks like. This is the same tool you will use to do control arm bushings:
Nice Ball Joint Press Kit
Break loose with huge torque
Hit it with the impact
Moment of victory when it finally drops out
The first adapter configuration I came up with didn’t work (I applied the press but nothing happened) But the second adapter configuration I came up with worked great. This makes it a self-correcting process. 🙂
Thanks for the pictures. This makes it a lot easier for me to see. I’m waiting for the parts to come in (they should be here by Friday). So I think I’m going to attempt it this weekend. I’ll send updates and some photos as soon as I attempt it.
Update: I did the job today, and everything went great. I decided to replace the whole control arm and I did the job with hand tools and PB Blaster. I felt more comfortable using hand tools because I could control the torque and feel if I was breaking the weld on that nut.
Now I can take my time replacing the bushings in the original control arms, and I’ll have another set in case I ever need to replace them again.
You guys helped me save $500, so thank you!
P.S. PB Blaster is some pretty strong smelling stuff. :sick:
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