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| twr7cx |
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About 12 months ago I Nolathaned the wagon, I've done around 5,000km's in that period. In the last couple of months the car developed a clunk when braking, and some wobble in the steering and a pull to the left when driving.
Finally got a chance to get under and have a look the other day, and noticed this: 
Ok, I thought I just need to tighten that up. But then I had a further look and found the cause: 
Part of the Nolathane bush has cut off. Any ideas how/why? Is there a bigger issue here causing this or just possibly bad luck? I did manage to park the front of the car over a 1meter ditch last Christmas (the front wheels were in the ditch just hanging in the air), smashed the front bar, some scratches on the underside of the front and knocked the wheel alignment out, but the wheel aligner got her lined back up straight away and nothing looked bent or broken, still doesn't, and it's been fine up until 2 months ago. |
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| relaxed_diplomacy |
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A thick washer should have prevented the bush from travelling backwards. Check if there is a washer there. I don't see how the bush could pass the washer. Unless the washer was made into a severe cone shape by your incident, but even then it's hard to imagine. Significant forces can be generated in even seemingly minor incidents, although i had an incident in my XG and it just damaged the thread on the radius rod and put the wheel alignment out.
_________________ wrecking 9/97 EL fairmont sedan burgundy 6cyl auto 270k modBAintake |
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| twr7cx |
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relaxed_diplomacy wrote: A thick washer should have prevented the bush from travelling backwards. Check if there is a washer there.
Where do you think the washer should be? The bush sits in the lower control arm, I don't see how/why there would be a washer on the viable side in the pictures. |
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| twr7cx |
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Actually, just took another look and it's the wrong bushes the ones that I thought were wrecked. It's actually the strut rod to chasis bush that the rign is from. The bushes in the lower control arm are not damaged.
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| gogetta |
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yeah thats what i thought was damaged...the bush that is furthest forward and joins the control arm strut to the k frame...
there is 1 washer in contact with the bush, only one the front side. the rear side doesnt have one... under normal driving and braking this washer stops the arm moving rearwards....there is no washer to stop the arms moving forward under a reverse braking situation...probably because its only ever at very low force and speed... that is unless the front wheel got stuck in a ditch and the car was pulled out backwards....then in that case maybe enough force was put through it to damage it
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| twr7cx |
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gogetta wrote: that is unless the front wheel got stuck in a ditch and the car was pulled out backwards....then in that case maybe enough force was put through it to damage it
The wheels weren't stuck, the car was resting on it's belly about in line with the drivers feet. The front wheels were in the air. RACT truck just happened to drive past half an hour later and pulled me out - he didn't have any trouble. It was up at a small coastal town in the NE. Ah well I guess I'll replace the bush and see if it happens again - if it doesn't then just assume either bad luck or from the bingle, if it does then there's a bigger issue at play. |
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| gogetta |
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look at the way the bush is installed/designed, its the only way that could fail....ie major rearward force on the bush...maybe didnt happen like how i expl;ained but the machanism of failure must have been similar
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| twr7cx |
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Hmmmm... Is it going to be hard to replace the bush? Last time I did it the entire suspension unit was out, can I get to that bush without removing the lower control arm?
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| relaxed_diplomacy |
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I've pulled that radius rod out numerous times and i thought there should be a washer there, but i can't remember for sure. Sorry if i'm wrong.
The nolathane arrangement might not be as strong under backwards loading as the OE setup. If the car was sitting on it's belly with the wheels at full droop, and pulled backwards, there could have been a lot of force against the wheels until the suspension compressed and the front of the car lifted and the car resumed a normal status. It would mainly be dependent on the sharpness of the ditch against which the wheels were loaded, sharper equals more loading.
_________________ wrecking 9/97 EL fairmont sedan burgundy 6cyl auto 270k modBAintake |
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| relaxed_diplomacy |
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twr7cx wrote: Hmmmm... Is it going to be hard to replace the bush? Last time I did it the entire suspension unit was out, can I get to that bush without removing the lower control arm?
You can either get the radius rod out by itself, or at worst you might have to remove the lower control arm's inner bolt. Easy peezy.
_________________ wrecking 9/97 EL fairmont sedan burgundy 6cyl auto 270k modBAintake |
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| snap0964 |
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IIRC with my blue poly bushes, there was a washer that slipped onto the front radius rod, then a crush tube that butted against it, then rear bush, then front bush, and original front washer and nyloc nut.
You'll need to drop the lower control arm to remove the radius rod - so inner control arm pivot bolt, upper swaybar link nuts and lower strut mount bolt need to come out.
_________________ 96 XH Longreach 'S': LPG, Alarm, 3.23:1 LSD, Cruise, Trip Comp, ABS, Power Windows, Mid Series Dome Lt, Climate Ctrl |
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| gogetta |
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definitely doesnt show a washer in the factory manual
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| snap0964 |
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gogetta wrote: definitely doesnt show a washer in the factory manual The std rubber bush setup doesn't have a rear washer - aftermarket bush kits may have it as an addon like I've described earlier.
_________________ 96 XH Longreach 'S': LPG, Alarm, 3.23:1 LSD, Cruise, Trip Comp, ABS, Power Windows, Mid Series Dome Lt, Climate Ctrl |
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| joolz |
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My Super Pro bushes definately had a washer behind them. I think your kit may have been short of these or you just didnt think you needed them as the factory didnt have them.
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| twr7cx |
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joolz wrote: My Super Pro bushes definately had a washer behind them. I think your kit may have been short of these or you just didnt think you needed them as the factory didnt have them. No, the Nolathane kits definitely do not have them. I got a second Nolathane kit when the bush sheered and having read the above posts by that stage I most definitely would have noticed had there been washers in there. I still have the kit here with 3 unused bushes in it and no washers - there's a sticker but... |
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