Hi,
Has anybody ever attempted to replace these bushings and can is it be done DIY? I'm chasing a rear squeek and tracked it down to this part. I read here that it's also a "support joint". It's pressed into the bottom of the wheel carrier (hub) and the spring link (lower control arm) bolts into it. Its a combination ball joint/bushing. Will I need special tools?
Thanks,
Steif

However, I had to buy a special tool from Baum tools and I have access to a lift. I don't remember how much it cost but, ALL Baum tools are kind of expensive. The ball joint/bushing in my car was GONE .Both were rusted and barely there. If you don't feel like buying the tool I would consider taking the car to a professional.
I'd seen some pictures somewhere in this forum.
Good luck!

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J.H.
'86 300E

J Hidalgo,
Does Baum tools have a website? Also, do you recall the name or model number of this tool? It might be worth the investment as it looks like both my 300TE and 16V share the same bushing/support joint and will probably need to have all of them replaced sooner or later.
Thanks,
Steif

I suggest that you dont do it yourself, I had a similiar problem, but my mechanic barely took off the ball joint because it was in such bad shape that it wouldnt come off the wheel, so depending on how long you've been driving it with the balljoint problem that kind of determines how hard it will be to do.

I did with with the puller & pusher from Baum ~ $100. Use their web site to get their 800 number, then call them to order. I used an air hammer to "free up" the joint because it was very tight. When using the tool be careful not to damage the boots on the new part. I did not have a lift, but I did have the wheel carrier & subframe out of the car at the time. Without one of those two situations it does not look like a fun job!

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Brian Toscano

www.baumtools.com

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

Thanks for all the info and the link. I went to the website, but it is under construction. Does anybody know the model number for this particular tool so I don't order the wrong one when I call them.
Thanks Again!

Their phone # 800-848-6657. The catalog says 202-0043 but when I ordered they said its been replaced with 201-0543 for $102.17. The description is "wheel carrier supporting joint remover & installer tool". Their web site is hopelessly incomplete so I only use it for the phone #. Have them send you a complete catalog. Normally its $10 and refunded at your first order.

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Brian Toscano

Steif,

Check this thead out.

Sweaking from rear suspension????

Don`t take it all the way apart! I used a Snap On gear puller on the other side and did it in a few hours.

Tinker

Tinker,
Thanks for the tip. So, you were able to remove and install the support joint bushing without removing the whole rear wheel carrier from the car? Did you have to remove the lower control arm to access the joint and have space to work the puller? What kind of gear puller did you use? I have access to various pullers. A picture or model number of the puller would really be nice-if possible. I tried removing this joint on the other side a couple of months ago , but ended up taking it to the dealer. I'd like to do it myself this time.
Thanks,
Steif

When I did mine (removed from the car for other reasons) I did not separate the hub flange from the wheel carrier. I did have the emergency brake shoes removed which allowed me to unbolt the brake shield and roatate it to a more convenient position. But, you could probably just bent it out of the way and bend it back in place. Anyway you do it, its likely to be a "pain".

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Brian Toscano

all I had to removed was the tire. It took me a while to figured it out the first one but, on the other side, the old one came out and installed the new one in less than 20 minutes (with the baum tool). If you can do it with the puller, more power to you.
Good luck!

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J.H.
'86 300E

Can you tell us more ?

I'm in JAX, FL, too.

:-) neil

Can you tell me more ?

I'd hate to remove things unecessarily. . .

:-) neil

I replaced this bushing on my 1995 E320 wagon about 2 weeks ago. These are the highlights of my experience.
I removed the two bolts that hold the lower end of the shock and the sway bar end link and was able to lower the control arm out of the way.
I bent the dust shield enough to get good access to the bushing.
The next 4 or 5 hours were spent trying various options for removing the bushing. I ultimately made a puller from a short length (~1.5") of 1.5" i.d. steel pipe that actually measured about 1.6" on the i.d. I had to do some creative grinding to get it to mate with the cast surface of the knuckle. It is important for this part to sit relatively square with respect to the bushing so that the pulling forces are even. I positioned this part on the knuckle toward the rear of the car and used a socket on the other side to contact the outer part of the bushing. I used a 1/2" diameter bolt through a very thick washer placed on the end of the 1.5" tubing.

This removed the bushing without incident and I installed the new bushing from the inside of the knuckle and bulled it toward the rear the same as when removing the old bushing but had to fabricate a special thick washer to contact the outer part of the new bushing with relief for the inner part as the socket was too long to fit. One could probably use the tubing on the inside of the knuckle and press the new part in from the outside and have room for the socket. I didn't want to deal with getting the tubing to sit squarely on the inside surface that was difficult to see.

BTW this was done in my home garage using jack stands and a floor jack.