hit a gutter. rubber mount popped out of place. help please!!

[jackvanlawick]

so hi everyone. I am only new to this but hopefully someone can help me.

Im located in newcastle, nsw.

A few weeks ago i was in an accident and hit a gutter. I ended up bending my lca and some other rod attaching it to the front frame of the car. I replaced them both but couldnt tighten the rod up enough so i just left it for the time being. Now the rubber and the rod have moved forward and the rubber has popped out of the car frame. do i just pop it back in place and tighten it properly ot what??
Please help if

[jackvanlawick]

pictures shown below. Sorry if i am not good at explaining

[Jxw]

that needs to be pressed back in, you won't just push it back in.... get a set of aftermarket 2 piece urethane castor rod to chassis/k frame bushes and replace both sides, make sure you do the nut up tight to stop this sort of thing happening.

you'll most likely need a wheel alignment also after replacing bits to do with the front suspension like that.

[VPRob]

I have replaced those rubber bushes while rebuilding my front suspension so know a little about them. The big question is what other damage might have been done in your accident but if the back rubber is in place correctly then take the nut right off and remove washer and rubber bush from the front. Then use some rubber lubricating grease ( not ordinary grease cos it will rot the rubber) and this will help in getting the bush to slip into place. Those bushes should be regularly greased too. The nut should be reinstalled pretty tight so you need a good ring spanner or better yet a torque wrench. Tighten to 140 155 Nm. The radius rod is very important in the handling of your car so if you are unsure or inexperienced I advise you to consult your trusted mechanic or a suspension specialist. Hope this helps

[hi_ryder]

wonder if your k-frame has damage too....

[mr calais 5.0]

How fast we're you going when you hit the gutter and I would look at the whole front to see what else is bent or worn out too while your there..

[Jxw]

wonder if your k-frame has damage too....

wasn't to sure on that myself, 1 pic is to blurry and the other it looks like it's been pushed in and distorted, could be optical illusion with the flash and dirt though....

[jackvanlawick]

okay so here is what happened.

a few weeks ago another driver swerved out infront of me whilst he was going around a corner. i then braked and slid right into a gutter at about 40km/h.

the only physical damage i could see what the radious rod and lower control arm. the k frame looks fine and the suspension is still in tact. i have since replaced the lower control arm and castor rod. but a friend of mine said i would need to tighten the castor rod first as it is what pulls the wheel into the center of the fender (stupidly enough i forgot to.) and afterwards when i was tightening it i couldn't go any further than shown in the picture. so i thought after awhile i would have another go at it because at that time i was busy working and so forth. now i think i hit the acellerator to quick whilst in reverse and because i hadn't tightened the nut up completely it must have pushed the bushing out. i can see the washer and it looks lke i just need to press it back in place some how and then keep the rod pulled towards myself while i tighten it up correctly.

just went and bought another torque rench set last night so i was hoping that just popping it back into the frame and re tightening it should be fine yeah?

or am i wrong? there is no other damage to the car just the castor rod bushing has come out due to myself stupidly not tightening the nut enough...

[VPRob]

If you can get the bush back into position and tighten the nut it should be ok although I would imagine a wheel alignment would be a necessity. I think the original bush may be one piece and need pressing but replacements are in 2 pieces and go in from opposite directions. I think you have
to take the lower control arm off to remove and replace the rear half though. Remember the rubber grease: most things are better with the right
lubricant

[jackvanlawick]

yeah thanks mate,
i'll go to my local hardware store on tuesday night and pick up some rubber grease then when i have some spare time i'll jack up the front end and pop it back into place. the back piece of the bushing looks fine just that the front end was knocked out. should be a simple fix. hopefully this time i can tighten the nut all the way. i knew something like this might happen but i'm fairly sure it'll be okay once i pop it back in and tighten her up. next thing to do is pay the $68 i was quoted for a 4 weheel alignment and i'm all done.

i'll take some more pictures of the car when i have it jacked up and if i have any more problems i'll let use know.

thanks heaps for the help.
i'm not as knowledgable with this stuff, only when it comes to engines and electronics. haha

thanks,
Jack

[Jxw]

as per post #3 and #9 unless you are superman you won't just push that 1 piece bush back in, it requires a hydraulic press to "press" it back into place.
(if you're lucky and it hasn't come out completely then perhaps jumping on the brakes really hard while in a forward motion may work but probably not)

I'm still not convinced the k frame didn't sustain damage, below is what it should look like, yours looks to be bent inwards which could be part of the cause along with not doing it up tight enough that it actually popped right out, if this is the case then even doing it up tight may not help and it may just chew the bush to pieces as it pops/moves in and out from normal driving, worst case it may have even fractured the welds holding it together and could be quite dangerous.


ok i know this is a vl but vb-vs all look basically the same and use the same bush



Now after market 2 piece urethane bushes are a different matter, they are very easy for the someone without the right equipment to put in.

[jackvanlawick]

i'll have to look at it tonight when i get home.
i know for a fact the k-frame is not bent and my mechnic said the same thing. looked like because it wasn't tightened up the front of the bushing fell out from braking force or soemthing along those lines.

i'm gonna push it back in with a g-clamp and then tighten the bold up and see if that helps.

otherwise i will need to find another set of bushings.

anyone know where to get them?

[HoZy]

Are you blind or just not all there...
How can you say your K-Frame is not damaged...

THIS IS YOUR K-FRAME


That looks to be out of whack by atleast 10mm... It's been pushed in & pulled down. Compare it to the other side as well.

[Jxw]

nah i'm ignoring the bush in your pics, i'm looking at the top holes above the bush, that face where the bush sits should be flat, level and be in front of the rest of the kframe as per my pic of an undamaged kframe.

and some more of what it should look like, tried to get these from the same angle as your photo, even though mine are taken from more towards the front of the vehicle the top hole on the inside is still barely visible compared to yours (if yours was correct the images below would be clearly showing it, i'm using the tow points as a reference to compare angles).


when replacing the castor/radius rods i'd find a set of VS ones as they are thicker and stronger as shown in the bottom of those 2 pics and are less likely to be bent like vb-vr

[jackvanlawick]

well even if my k-frame is bent a bit. i mean i can see your pics and it looks straighter then mine... but will i be okay? or do i need to replace the k-frame? i was thinking pushing the bushing in an d tightening should be okay for now.... yeah? or new k-frame and bushings?

[Jxw]

..........even doing it up tight may not help and it may just chew the bush to pieces as it pops/moves in and out from normal driving, worst case it may have even fractured the welds holding it together and could be quite dangerous.

i'm partially convinced that the hole is out of shape enough to not be able to hold the bush in place even if it is done up Factory Tension, without looking it over in person i can't say for sure, it may even make it impossible to get a wheel alignment, there just isn't enough adjustment in these cars to make up for damage like that
If that was my car i'd be replacing the kframe for sure, i don't trust important parts of a car that are damaged to that extent, imagine if the welds are fractured in behind where you can't see and the castor rod comes completely free at 100 kmh?.

[jackvanlawick]

yeah i'm not too sure. i have been driving on it like that because i am stupid and needed to get around. but i have done more then 100km/h and it felt fine. just when turning left it slipped abit. should i try re tightening it? or a new k-frame? i think a new k-frame is gonna cost me heaps and i don't really wanna have to go to the trouble inr epalcing it if i can avoid it...

[matty94]

I cant be bothered reading the whole thread but your k-frame is bent and your caster rod is stuffed and more then likely so is you control arm, all this will be easy and cheap to fix if you can do it yourself but if you cant a mechanic will charge heaps.

Seen this done that meany times its not funny but its a pretty common thing to happen when you hit a gutter.

[jackvanlawick]

Castor rod and lca are new and were just replaced. How do i fix the bent k frame?????

[matty94]

Castor rod and lca are new and were just replaced. How do i fix the bent k frame?????

So you fixed the caster rod and control arm after you hit the gutter? In that photo the caster rod look stuffed and you don't fix a bent k-fame you change it other wise it will never pass a roady again.

[jackvanlawick]

Yeah might have to sell the car. Cant afford to take it to a mechanic atm. Ill see how much it is for a s/h k frame online

[Jxw]

*shakes head* i've shown you comparison photos, i've explained why it's unsafe and potentially dangerous, i've said if it was my car i'd be replacing it, if you don't want to listen that's fine, all i can do i have.

[matty94]

The damage wouldn't cost anymore then $200 to fix and its a pretty easy strait forward job to change the k-frame but i take it your not mechanically minded. If the cars nothing special and you cant be bothered fixing it cut your losses sell start again.

[jackvanlawick]

I took in what you said. although i dont have the tools to replace it or the money. so only option is to either wait or sell it to someone who can afford to fix it

[matty94]

wasn't to sure on that myself, 1 pic is to blurry and the other it looks like it's been pushed in and distorted, could be optical illusion with the flash and dirt though....