Front Bushing Installation - June 19, 2008
I decided to install the Energy Suspension Bushing Set in two days since there were so many bushings to replace. I started with the front suspension.
The bushings come with detailed instructions for how to install them, so I simply followed the procedure written by Energy Suspension.
- I raised the front of the car and placed it on jack stands.
- I removed the front wheels.
- Next, I removed the 14mm nut from the sway bar endlink on each side of the car and tilted the bar upward to move it out of the way.
- I now worked on the left front of the car. I removed the 17mm T/C rod nuts that hold the rod to the control arm. The rod can then be rotated upward to move it out of the way.
- Then, I removed the cotter pin and 22mm nut from the lower ball joint. I hit the spindle close to the ball joint with a hammer to break the ball joint loose.
- I took off the 17mm bolt that holds the control arm to the chassis. Now the control arm can be removed and the bushing replaced.
- I applied heat to the rubber bushing with a torch until the rubber burned on its own. I waited for the rubber to burn off a little and then pushed out the burning bushing with a large screwdriver.
- I sanded the inside of the control arm bushing hole to remove any remaining rubber.
- I applied the supplied grease to the Energy Suspension control arm bushing pieces as well as the control arm and slid in the bushings. I used a vice to press the bushings in all the way.
- Next, I applied grease to the inside of the new bushing and the corresponding bushing sleeve. I pressed in the sleeve into the bushing using a vice. That finishes up the control arm.
- I went back to the car and unbolted the T/C rod from its bracket. I used the vice to press out the old bushing.
- I applied grease to the new bushing pieces and inside of the T/C rod and then pushed the bushings into the rod with the vice.
- Then, I applied grease to the corresponding sleeve and pushed it into the bushing with the vice.
- I repeated the above procedure to install the T/C rod and lower control arm bushings on the right front.
- The last thing to do on the front end was to install the rack and pinion bushing set. I supported the center of the steering rack with a jack and loosened the two bolts on each side that hold the rack brackets in place.
- I removed the steering rack brackets and took out the old rubber bushings, which were completely falling apart.
- I inserted the new polyurethane bushings and bolted the steering rack brackets back into place.
- Finally, I re-installed the T/C rods and lower control arms. I bolted the stock sway bar back into place for now. I won't be installing the Energy Suspension sway bar bushings since I purchased larger Whiteline sway bars that come with their own bushings.
Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to do the rear bushings and install the Whiteline sway bars to be ready for Sunday's Porsche Club autocross at Giants Stadium.