Quote:
Originally Posted by thefreestate
I too am having the same problems. The end caps on the LCA were a pain to install. Used a shop press which worked but the end caps seem to be the wrong length/size. They dont fit quit as nice as the old one's. This is a Lemforder part-not aftermarket. The bearing bracket bushings have me stumped. Tried a shop press but they are still approximately 1/2" high. Any advice would be appreciated.
Wayne
|
I did the LCA bushing, the bearing bracket bushings, and the guide rod bushing today on one side of the vehicle.
My comments on the bearing bracket bushings:
1) To remove requires cutting the rubber flange off the lower part of the bushing to allow a supporting tube to sit beneath the carrier. When a tube of the proper size is found, the bushings press out without any difficulty.
2) The bores of the carrier are not clean and require a good hour with acetone and 80 grit emery cloth to polish them up. It's definitely necessary to get a good finish prior to the installation attempt.
3) The smaller bushing was coated in vaseline (didn't have the rubber slide compound).
4) Pressing the smaller bushing down (bracket is bottom side up in the press) resulted in it stopping about 1/2" from the seat. Keeping relatively high pressure on the press (center is down almost 1") and smacking the periphery with a rubber mallet moved it the remaining distance. It's surprising how soft they are in the axial direction between the core and the housing.
5) The larger bushing presented no difficulty after being coated in vaseline. It pressed right to the stop.
The LCA bushing presented more problems. Removing it was a complete PITA because the cap would not release from the bushing. Following the manual whereby a countersink into the end of the bushing to expose the end of the center radial bearing was necessary to free the cap. Once the first cap was removed, the second cap didn't present anywhere near the difficulty. With both caps removed, the rubber bushing easily presses out.
Installing the bushing was not difficult. However, the OE caps have an interference fit with the end of the bushing and it's nearly impossible to press them on squarely. They start on one side and it was necessary to finish them with a hammer on a surface plate. Clearly, this assembly is different than any of the aftermarket components that require fishing line to hold the caps in place. The aftermarket design, with clearance in the caps is clearly inferior to the OE design.
I also did the guide rod bushing at the same time.........no issues in tapping it out and installing the new OE replacement.
The four components took the better part of four hours including all of the sanding work to polish the housings.
One point of note..........the LCA bushing must have been replaced at one time in its past........the condition of the old bushing was excellent and I will pass on replacing the same component on the right side.