VE Front Control Arm Bush replacement

[goldvn05]

Hi all,

planning ready to replace the front bushes with Nolatahne bush Kit(NVK10), and also replace sway bar links.

Noticed both the front Lower control arm and the Radius control arm are attached to the Steering knuckle via ball joints.
Have tried rocking wheel , and so far no play in ball joints, so seems good.

Question, the Nuts on these ball joints, are they ok to reuse? or are they one time use ?

if one time use, where do you source them from ?
Any advice from those who have done these bush replacements on the VE ?

Thanks

 

[greenacc]

Also what's the best way to separate the ball joint to pull the arms out?

 

[goldvn05]

Also in addition to above nut questions, what about the Bolts at the other end of both the Control Arms and Radius Arms where they bolt onto the subframe through the bush. Are the Bolts reusable ? or one time use?

 

[_R_J_K_]

Just reuse everything, the balljoint nuts are nylock and the bolts aren't torque to yield.

You can remove the balljoint the usual way by hitting the knuckle with a hammer or using a balljoint remover.

 

[goldvn05]

Hi guys,

am attempting to replace both front control arms bushes( Lower Control Arms and Radius Arms) on VE.
started with the lower control arm(rear), used one of those ebay cup pressing kits, great idea, got one bush off and the second one snapped the 12mm threaded rod. went to bunnings and bought 12mm 180mm long gal bolt and nut and attempted to redo with the cups, and ended up snapping another 12mm bolt. (inner sleave of old bush only allows 12mm through)

See pic bellow first bush out and second one which has me sort of defeated.

maybe haven't crushed the metal sleeve in enough?? before pressing, hitting it with screwdriver and hammer around and seems to have crushed in almost 1mm, but still will not let go when tried pressing out

Any advice from those that have done it on VE ??

IS there any tips for how to remove the Radius arm bushes ??

If remove both Radius arm and lower control arms at the same time from vehicle, there is no issues with steering tie rod ?
leaving hub/knuckle temporary hanging from strut and still attached to steering tie rod(with no control arms)

Thinking to remove them all and take up to mechanics on Mon and ask them to press them out
Any advise be appreciated
cheers thanks

 

[greenacc]

Short answer - You need to bash the old bush in much more than that, or as Arnie would say, Don't be a girly Man! When I have done similar bushes before without a press I drilled most of the rubber out first then went to town smashing the shell inwards until it virtually fell out.
The easiest option as you said is ask someone with a press to help. Alternatively a large vice can be useful.

 

[lazyc]

Or like me, ezmode buy the complete arms, but not budget ebay ones.
And slide in the new swaybar...f&r...

 

[krusing]

Spray them with WD40,
Press them out,
Dont bash them out, as you dont want to damage the Arm.

I Purchased a set (4) Superpro Arms and slotted them in,
Got a wheel aligment, Less stressful.


Side Note : I did press out the Bushs of my VY,
and pressed the new SuperPro ones in.
Got a Wheel Aligment,
the rest is history.

 

[goldvn05]

Thanks guys, made some progress until ended up breaking the Vice..

managed to get both front lower control arms (straight bar ones)and replace the bushes.

bought this Ball joint tool from Sydney tools.
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/...xTw8gaxhU6nMb8GSRLCEqVDhEY0G-pohoCg5IQAvD_BwE

as found the wider jaw opening needed to accommodate the VE ball joints....trying to not damage and reuse keep ball joints but

Got one of the Radius control arms off..great
But the other other one, cannot seem to release the Ball joint on the radius arm.
The tool above worked on one, but the other will not budge.
managed to borrow one of those fork type tools.

question

Any suggestions on how to release a pig of a stuck ball joint ?

if use the fork type tool, and damage the boot, or if use lump hammer on the ball joint shaft, and assume damage ball joint.
What are they worth to replace ? are there special types of ball joints for the VE ?

thanks

 

[_R_J_K_]

If anybody else reads this, you can usually use a hole saw to cut the centre out of the bush, then use a hack saw blade to cut the metal sleeve enough to the point where it can be bent with a chisel and hammer. Ditto for subframe bushes.

Any suggestions on how to release a pig of a stuck ball joint ?

if use the fork type tool, and damage the boot, or if use lump hammer on the ball joint shaft, and assume damage ball joint.
What are they worth to replace ? are there special types of ball joints for the VE ?

The ball joints aren't replaceable AFAIK (another reason you shouldn't bash the shaft), the LCA/caster arm just becomes a throw away. It's why there's so many complete replacement arms for the VE/VF.

Have you tried belting the knuckle with a hammer? You're not suppose to go for the shaft. I've also had luck tensioning up the ball joint tool and belting the knuckle.