W124 Rear Suspension Bushings
 

A week or so ago I was doing a tire rotation on the 260E and inadvertently 'confirmed' in my mind where the clunking noise from the rear end is most likely coming from when going over a bump. While I'm not sure which it is, camber or torque strut, the bushings were pretty much toast! So of course, the little back-yard-mechanic in my head starts thinking about making plans to replace these sometime in the not-to-distant future but I thought it good to throw this out here and get some feedback from those who have done this project. I'll need some sort of tool to press them out and back in, yes? If so, is it a Harbor Freight available tool? Can it be 'rented' from the local auto parts store? What is the most difficult part of the job? Bear in mind, this old guy will not have the luxury of a lift, just jack stands and a hydraulic jack. Any other pointers would be appreciated. :)

Your not going to get a better idea of what's involved than reading this thread:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/284067-subframe-question-just-beginning.html

Thanks man, LOTS of useful information for sure! It's a bit more involved than what I'm looking to do as I really only need to replace a few links bushings...but still a lot of information :)

The links come with the bushings installed, not expensive. I don't believe that you can buy the suspension link bushings separately (or why you would).

First off, the bushings aren't available separate from the control arms. Replacing the arms isn't a big deal, easily accomplished with just jackstands. But one thing that will be helpful is an impact wrench. I use a Ryobi battery powered one, it's fine for the job. There is no need for a press, they just bolt together. Maybe a bit of persuasion with a drift and a hammer is all you need. I like to use a spring compressor while I work on the rear suspension, but if you're only doing one or two links, you can get by without it. Just put a jack under the LCA for safety.

If you replace the camber link, you will need a 4 wheel alignment afterwards. You will need an XZN (triple square) socket to remove the camber link.

You don't need a spring compressor, the LCA has the spring and the shock both, the spring stays compressed by the max. extension of the shock. All links including the hub carrier can be removed with the LCA attached to the subframe and spring contained properly.

Bump
 

Bump gps

LOL, after looking at these links online, it's pretty obvious that they come with the bushings. So I don't know why I had it stuck in my brain cell that all I need to do is replace the rotted bushing! Duh :o


Huh??? :confused:

I believe the rock place was once selling the link arm bushings separately for a couple of dollars a piece. The real problem would be installing them in the arms.

As I said in another post, I do not know what ever possessed me into thinking I'd want to replace only the bushings! My gosh, buy the whole arm WITH the bushings intact... That's the way to go [emoji851]