Front Upper Control Arm (UCA) Bushing Replacement

Zorba

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
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Need a bit of a CLUE...

I've replaced all other control arms, now I'm at the front uppers. No lift, minimal tools, no experience with this...

The axle end bushing looks like a bitch of a job, at least on the driver's side. Passenger's side looks doable, and I'll start there. Not much rust to worry about. Any hints or techniques would be appreciated. That driver's side looks like something somebody else needs to do - its seems completely over my head at the moment. Getting the bolt out on the axle side looks bitchy, but doable. Getting the bushing out of the axle holder looks pretty impossible. Too close, too much in the way, blah, blah, blah...

I can't see this job costing much if I do end up farming it out. Somebody with a lift and experience wouldn't have much problem methinks. For today, I hit everything with PBlaster and came away. I do have a ball joint press, but I don't see getting it in there without removing a bunch of stuff that I'm not sure I'm prepared to do...
 
I replaced both bushings on my '98 XJ some years ago....
I was able to use the ball joint press on the one bushing, but needed to use an air chisel to remove the other one...
When installing the new bushings you will need to support the inside of the stamped steel bracket with a socket or piece of steel otherwise you will crush or bend the mount. The cast mount did not present a problem.
 
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CharlesHS said:
When installing the new bushings you will need to support the inside of the stamped steel bracket with a socket or piece of steel otherwise you will crush or bend the mount. The cast mount did not present a problem.
Click to expand...
Same lesson I learned, the hard way. Definitely wedge something in there to support the gap. That side was way more difficult than the cast mount presented for me...
 
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I’ve seen some videos on this. Sorry I can’t remember what company posted it but they sold a separate tool to help with removing and replacing the bushing. It was very basic and you could definitely piece together your own tool from common hardware parts. Will see if I can find it.
 
Zorba said:
Need a bit of a CLUE...

I've replaced all other control arms, now I'm at the front uppers. No lift, minimal tools, no experience with this...

The axle end bushing looks like a bitch of a job, at least on the driver's side. Passenger's side looks doable, and I'll start there. Not much rust to worry about. Any hints or techniques would be appreciated. That driver's side looks like something somebody else needs to do - its seems completely over my head at the moment. Getting the bolt out on the axle side looks bitchy, but doable. Getting the bushing out of the axle holder looks pretty impossible. Too close, too much in the way, blah, blah, blah...

I can't see this job costing much if I do end up farming it out. Somebody with a lift and experience wouldn't have much problem methinks. For today, I hit everything with PBlaster and came away. I do have a ball joint press, but I don't see getting it in there without removing a bunch of stuff that I'm not sure I'm prepared to do...
Click to expand...
Replace the whole thing.

You will be light years ahead with less irritation, tool throwing etc.
Get some mopar's and fuhgetaboutit
 
Zorba said:
Need a bit of a CLUE...

I've replaced all other control arms, now I'm at the front uppers. No lift, minimal tools, no experience with this...

The axle end bushing looks like a bitch of a job, at least on the driver's side. Passenger's side looks doable, and I'll start there. Not much rust to worry about. Any hints or techniques would be appreciated. That driver's side looks like something somebody else needs to do - its seems completely over my head at the moment. Getting the bolt out on the axle side looks bitchy, but doable. Getting the bushing out of the axle holder looks pretty impossible. Too close, too much in the way, blah, blah, blah...

I can't see this job costing much if I do end up farming it out. Somebody with a lift and experience wouldn't have much problem methinks. For today, I hit everything with PBlaster and came away. I do have a ball joint press, but I don't see getting it in there without removing a bunch of stuff that I'm not sure I'm prepared to do...
Click to expand...

You can do it on the ground. Pull the passenger upper arm and use the ball joint press to drive out the passenger side bushing from the mount. Be careful not to bend the mount, its just sheet metal, install the new bushing the same way. Reattach the arm. Remove the driver side arm and run a drill bit into the rubber part of the bushing working it all around the inside. The goal is to drill all around the circumference to you can beat the center out of the bushing. You can use a hammer and cold chisel to fold the outer metal cylinder of the bushing into itself and drive it out. Its a bitch but doable. An air chisel would make short work of it. To reinstall the driver side borrow a set of offset ball joint cup from you local auto parts store. Use them along with the ball joint press to install the new bushing.

Only picture I have of when I did mine. Its not terrible if you can swing a hammer.

IMG_5489.jpg
 
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AMS417 said:
You can do it on the ground. Pull the passenger upper arm and use the ball joint press to drive out the passenger side bushing from the mount. Be careful not to bend the mount, its just sheet metal, install the new bushing the same way. Reattach the arm. Remove the driver side arm and run a drill bit into the rubber part of the bushing working it all around the inside. The goal is to drill all around the circumference to you can beat the center out of the bushing. You can use a hammer and cold chisel to fold the outer metal cylinder of the bushing into itself and drive it out. Its a bitch but doable. An air chisel would make short work of it. To reinstall the driver side borrow a set of offset ball joint cup from you local auto parts store. Use them along with the ball joint press to install the new bushing.

Only picture I have of when I did mine. Its not terrible if you can swing a hammer.

View attachment 253941
Click to expand...
Thanx for this - my concern is finding the room to swing the hammer!
 
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Rubicon88 said:
Sorry about that...I was being pulled in different directions and the threads here are all broken up. Sometimg up with my Google. I'm experimenting with a blackout browser and some sites don't show up like they should.
Which control arm?
Click to expand...
Upper front. The ones with the bushings on the axle.
 
I got a smaller drill bit and rolled it around the outer ring on the inside to separate the rubber, the pushed it out with a hammer . The used a small sawzall metal bit to cot the outer ring… wen5 pretty fast this way.. burning them out didn’t work so well
 
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primetime4 said:
I’ve seen some videos on this. Sorry I can’t remember what company posted it but they sold a separate tool to help with removing and replacing the bushing. It was very basic and you could definitely piece together your own tool from common hardware parts. Will see if I can find it.
Click to expand...
I actually purchased one that sounds similar that can be used with the ball joint press...
Made the process much easier when I assisted a friend to replace his bushings.
 
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A hammer won't get it done. Charles gave you the tips. You'll need a bushing press, most like an air chisel, and a lot of patience. Be careful not to bend the brackets on removal or install. I ended up pressing the rubber part out, hitting the remaining shell with an air chisel from a couple angles, and eventually it came out. It wasn't pretty, but the new ones are in there just fine...

I also don't have a lift nor any fancy tools. I can tell you however, it will cost you as much to have someone else do it as a new bushing press or the air chisel will, but you won't have made your toolbox any better...
 
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Zorba said:
I do - and I already own one. Just not quite sure how to get it into the tight space! But you guys have convinced me to give it a try - I can always take it to the man if I fail...
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Thanks for the thread; I plan on replacing my front upper and lower control arms this weekend so all the advice helps.
 
duncanator said:
Thanks for the thread; I plan on replacing my front upper and lower control arms this weekend so all the advice helps.
Click to expand...
Good luck. The Jeep is at the mechanic's right now getting those damn things pressed/beat/chiseled/whatevered the hell out. What a horrid design.
 
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Zorba, what did it end up costing at the mechanic? I'm in the same spot, replaced all of the control arms, but I'm not sure I want to lay under there beating on those two axle-end bushings for hours.
 
oldbuzzard said:
Zorba, what did it end up costing at the mechanic? I'm in the same spot, replaced all of the control arms, but I'm not sure I want to lay under there beating on those two axle-end bushings for hours.
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Too damn much, about $400 as I recall. I got bit in the ass because I didn't bolt in both the UCAs ahead of time, so they dinged me $100 to "install" the one that I didn't do. So I'd say install them both, THEN let the mechanic deal with the bushings.

With that said, they told me the passenger side bushing - the one that I had tried several different ways to remove - "came out like butter". Coincidence or because I'd been pressing/beating/cussing it I don't know. But the driver's side they had to earn their money the hard way.

Whatever, the damn things are replaced, so I'm happy regardless of the cost. A completely stupid design.
 
Drill out the rubber of the bushing til you can punch out the inner sleeve. Then take a hacksaw and cut the outer sleeve and it will lose tension and can be hammered out. I boxed welded my passenger side upper mount, along with a cross piece inside the mount just under the bushing hole to keep the mount from collapsing. Then using some all thread, hardened washers, and oversized sockets, I made a press to drive the new bushings in. I made a similar (but much longer) press with all thread when I installed the inner axle seals for the front diff. Obviously it's alot easier with the axle out.

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