General Suspension: How To change Control Arm Bushings
06-22-2013, 09:04 PM
#76
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Well, total freakin fail today!
The passenger side 21mm bolt was totally seized! It was seized both in the threads into the body, as well as the shaft of the bolt was seized to the middle bushing of the CAB!!!
My uncles impact gun did absolutely nothing, even when we cranked up the pressure way above max!
After finding a HEAVY 6ft pipe and a massive breaker bar (I purchased a new shallow 21mm impact socket for the job), we were able to get the bolt to spin. It fought us the whole way, we had to use the breaker bar the entire time! After a while we could hear the bolt "skipping" meaning it had been unthreaded from the threads in the body, but it still wouldn't budge! That's when we noticed the bushing was seized onto the bolt and spinning with it. We were able to pry up the control arm (the rubber was totally destroyed) and use vice grips on the center bushing. Then we put some massive pressure on the 6ft breaker bar and SNAP! I thought for sure we snapped the socket or broke the bolt, but NOPE, just broke the bolt free of the bushing!! Used the impact gun and was finally able to get it out! Insane
Threads are in pretty rough shape, lots of corrosion. I will probably order a new bolt before reassembling the car. I will use LOTS of anti-seize compound on the new bolt (in fact, every single bolt during reassembly!).
So, finally got the passenger side control arm off, the rest of the bolts/ball joint went really well. On to the drivers side!
I was able to take out the 21mm bolt WITH JUST A RATCHET! wtf?!? When I got the bolt out it was in perfect, like new condition, COVERED IN GREASE! Was someone sleeping on the GM assembly line and forgot to grease my passenger side CAB bolt?! The drivers side control arm came off easy 
I figured I would change the sway bar end links while I had everything apart still, OMG wtf. Do they just expect you to torch off the end links? The nuts and studs were so damn rusted the upper mount nut wouldn't come off, just spun the shaft inside the end link!!! There was no way to grab the shaft and stop it from spinning so I had to use a saws all to cut the end link studs!
But, that didn't really solve the problem
I tried to cut the stud as close to the mount plate as possible, bad idea. I left about 1/4" of the shaft, which has a "shoulder" or raised part that sits against the mount, which means even after I cut it, it still wouldn't come out! And, there wasn't enough of the nub left to grab with vice grips so I could try and get the nut off with the impact gun! That's how it sits right now, the lower end link mount I cut close to the end link instead of close to the mount plate, and was able to grab the shaft with vice grips and air gun the nut off, but that makes no difference because I can't install the new end links with the stud/nut still stuck in the top hole!
So, to fix that I'm going to replace the strut (that's where the top part of the end link mounts to, which has the stuck stud/nut in it), and it's leaking oil and needed to be replaced anyway. For the passenger side I'll just cut the bottom end bar link stud and remove the link with the strut.
I plan on having a shop press in my new bushings tomorrow (I don't even want to attempt it using my vice after all the problems I had today). After I reinstall the control arms I'll attempt to replace my struts, their bolts look to be in much better condition than all the rest I removed today, hopefully won't cause me any issues
Car is barely 4 years old! Can't believe there is so much corrosion, how about we use stainless steel bolts for the common maintenance items eh GM?!
-Jamie M.
The passenger side 21mm bolt was totally seized! It was seized both in the threads into the body, as well as the shaft of the bolt was seized to the middle bushing of the CAB!!!
My uncles impact gun did absolutely nothing, even when we cranked up the pressure way above max!
After finding a HEAVY 6ft pipe and a massive breaker bar (I purchased a new shallow 21mm impact socket for the job), we were able to get the bolt to spin. It fought us the whole way, we had to use the breaker bar the entire time! After a while we could hear the bolt "skipping" meaning it had been unthreaded from the threads in the body, but it still wouldn't budge! That's when we noticed the bushing was seized onto the bolt and spinning with it. We were able to pry up the control arm (the rubber was totally destroyed) and use vice grips on the center bushing. Then we put some massive pressure on the 6ft breaker bar and SNAP! I thought for sure we snapped the socket or broke the bolt, but NOPE, just broke the bolt free of the bushing!! Used the impact gun and was finally able to get it out! Insane
Threads are in pretty rough shape, lots of corrosion. I will probably order a new bolt before reassembling the car. I will use LOTS of anti-seize compound on the new bolt (in fact, every single bolt during reassembly!).
So, finally got the passenger side control arm off, the rest of the bolts/ball joint went really well. On to the drivers side!
I was able to take out the 21mm bolt WITH JUST A RATCHET! wtf?!? When I got the bolt out it was in perfect, like new condition, COVERED IN GREASE! Was someone sleeping on the GM assembly line and forgot to grease my passenger side CAB bolt?!
The drivers side control arm came off easy I figured I would change the sway bar end links while I had everything apart still, OMG wtf. Do they just expect you to torch off the end links? The nuts and studs were so damn rusted the upper mount nut wouldn't come off, just spun the shaft inside the end link!!! There was no way to grab the shaft and stop it from spinning so I had to use a saws all to cut the end link studs!
But, that didn't really solve the problem
I tried to cut the stud as close to the mount plate as possible, bad idea. I left about 1/4" of the shaft, which has a "shoulder" or raised part that sits against the mount, which means even after I cut it, it still wouldn't come out! And, there wasn't enough of the nub left to grab with vice grips so I could try and get the nut off with the impact gun! That's how it sits right now, the lower end link mount I cut close to the end link instead of close to the mount plate, and was able to grab the shaft with vice grips and air gun the nut off, but that makes no difference because I can't install the new end links with the stud/nut still stuck in the top hole!
So, to fix that I'm going to replace the strut (that's where the top part of the end link mounts to, which has the stuck stud/nut in it), and it's leaking oil and needed to be replaced anyway. For the passenger side I'll just cut the bottom end bar link stud and remove the link with the strut.
I plan on having a shop press in my new bushings tomorrow (I don't even want to attempt it using my vice after all the problems I had today). After I reinstall the control arms I'll attempt to replace my struts, their bolts look to be in much better condition than all the rest I removed today, hopefully won't cause me any issues
Car is barely 4 years old! Can't believe there is so much corrosion, how about we use stainless steel bolts for the common maintenance items eh GM?!
-Jamie M.
06-22-2013, 10:29 PM
#77
not news. Happens to many cars if not most. Dont be blaming the factory for not greasing the bolts. Might as well blame you for not washing and rust proofing the car.
Fact is, and I see it all the time, the guys that wash and look after their cars dont run into this; the guys that just drive them and wash them once a month maybe, suffer a lot. If you dont replace the cabs when they wear out then it just gets worse. Thing is, if you buy the Powell cabs and assemble correctly, you will never change the cabs again.
06-22-2013, 10:48 PM
#78
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not news. Happens to many cars if not most. Dont be blaming the factory for not greasing the bolts. Might as well blame you for not washing and rust proofing the car.
Fact is, and I see it all the time, the guys that wash and look after their cars dont run into this; the guys that just drive them and wash them once a month maybe, suffer a lot. If you dont replace the cabs when they wear out then it just gets worse. Thing is, if you buy the Powell cabs and assemble correctly, you will never change the cabs again.
Almost never the case working with cars.Shame when buying used cars, really. Second owner can't really fix years of neglect.
I did want to buy your spherical arm bushings, but I don't wanna tear up these brand new tires by driving on them by waiting for an order to come in.
I assume that cylinder piece is left behind from an old bushing, but what is that top piece with the big circle?
06-23-2013, 12:10 AM
#80
I don't. I read through this whole thread multiple times, hoping I wouldn't run into the problems we saw here. Almost never the case working with cars.
Shame when buying used cars, really. Second owner can't really fix years of neglect.
I did want to buy your spherical arm bushings, but I don't wanna tear up these brand new tires by driving on them by waiting for an order to come in.
I assume that cylinder piece is left behind from an old bushing, but what is that top piece with the big circle?
Almost never the case working with cars.Shame when buying used cars, really. Second owner can't really fix years of neglect.
I did want to buy your spherical arm bushings, but I don't wanna tear up these brand new tires by driving on them by waiting for an order to come in.
I assume that cylinder piece is left behind from an old bushing, but what is that top piece with the big circle?
spherical cabs take about 3 days to get to detroit by mail. lol
and it is true, the second owner cant fix years of neglect. In this case, I PBblasted the cab two weeks in advance when I was working on the drivers side ( the drivers side arm came out no issue, but I did not have a new passenger side arm in stock ( steel arms on an 07 Ion coupe) so I anticipated issues) but the PB blaster did not make a difference. It is also clear that passenger sides corrode more than drivers side, probably as salt gets plowed the to the curbside of the road all the time. Steel arms cant accept our spherical cabs, and most times ( and in this case) the arms are too badly corroded to accept a replacement bushing.
And the solid Malibu control arm bushings I have seen are not sized right for the alloy arms.
Its also clear that rust proofing works, properly applied.
06-23-2013, 02:47 PM
#81
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Is there a part number for those cradle bolts? After a pipe wrench and what not, got the bolt out, arm out, new bushing in, but I can't get the cradle bolt to start threading.
EDIT: PN# for those bolts should be 11589009
EDIT: PN# for those bolts should be 11589009
Last edited by Gelladuga69; 06-23-2013 at 03:08 PM.
06-23-2013, 10:07 PM
#82
^^^ the bolt's nut is probably spinning in the captive part you asked about. Fastenal, a nyloc nut and stainless washer, dig the captive nut out and replace is my advice. Lots of anti seize...CED has the bolts I dont have the part number handy I buy lots from them.
11-19-2013, 05:44 PM
#84
I'll be attempting this replacement this week. Thanks for the write up, and to everyone who responded with other bits of info.
Really hoping I don't have any issues with that 21mm bolt. I'll be soaking it in PB blaster for two days beforehand.
Really hoping I don't have any issues with that 21mm bolt. I'll be soaking it in PB blaster for two days beforehand.
11-19-2013, 06:16 PM
#85
dont forget if the bolt is seized on the center of the control arm bushing DROP THE CRADLE slowly each bolt a little at a time; the cradle will then have the arm with the bolt in it, still seized but you wont have wrecked the captive nut and you can heat, or cut the bolt out safely. IF at the get go the bolt is hard to turn, after you have broken torque a 1/4 turn, then 99% its seized on the cab insert sleeve.
12-15-2013, 12:49 PM
#86
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Finally got that **** done...car rides so much smoother and is so much quieter inside. Much of what I thought were interior rattles were actually the suspension. Of course, there are still plenty of other rattles. It's a Cobalt after all.
Last edited by Tomtwtwtw; 12-15-2013 at 02:39 PM.
09-14-2014, 01:21 PM
#87
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The info in this thread and the other Powell LCA thread is excellent. Made changing the control arms a lot easier. Luckily, my bolts weren't seized and did not have to drop the cradle. Thanks John!
12-10-2014, 07:36 PM
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Thought I'd throw my $.02 worth in too. The info in here was spot-on and helped considerably. I went with the '08+ control arms on my '05 and saved about $80 for the set. I didn't go with the Powell bushings (yet) because I have about 92k on my car and just wanted to replace the stockers for now. I really wasn't sure what I was in for and didn't want to get stopped by other parts being worn out.
Because the '08 ball joints are slightly larger, I had to dremel out the sockets as spreading them proved to be ineffective. I really didn't feel like removing them from the car.
My driver's side sleeve was frozen to the bolt, but using penetrating oil and a pair of vice grips did the trick. Both sides were pretty bad, but only the driver's side was torn completely.
As someone else mentioned, an alignment was necessary after doing this. After all was said and done, the car is so much more solid and quieter up front. I had already done the Moog end links. You don't realize just how much traction you're losing to those worn out CAB's.
Because the '08 ball joints are slightly larger, I had to dremel out the sockets as spreading them proved to be ineffective. I really didn't feel like removing them from the car.
My driver's side sleeve was frozen to the bolt, but using penetrating oil and a pair of vice grips did the trick. Both sides were pretty bad, but only the driver's side was torn completely.
As someone else mentioned, an alignment was necessary after doing this. After all was said and done, the car is so much more solid and quieter up front. I had already done the Moog end links. You don't realize just how much traction you're losing to those worn out CAB's.
02-15-2015, 01:38 PM
#90
Moog Control Arm Bushing K6698: Choose the best Control Arm Bushing - Lower at Advance Auto Parts
Says for FE1 suspension only. Any thoughts?
Says for FE1 suspension only. Any thoughts?
02-16-2015, 09:57 AM
#91
Moog Control Arm Bushing K6698: Choose the best Control Arm Bushing - Lower at Advance Auto Parts
Says for FE1 suspension only. Any thoughts?
Says for FE1 suspension only. Any thoughts?
02-16-2015, 11:08 AM
#92
Alright. I think my swaybar endlinks are bad but I wanted to keep an eye on the CAB's just in case, lol.
Side note - does anyone know if FE3 uses the same control arms as FE5? I see MOOG makes replacement control arms with the ball joint but it only says FE3 for the performance suspension.
Side note - does anyone know if FE3 uses the same control arms as FE5? I see MOOG makes replacement control arms with the ball joint but it only says FE3 for the performance suspension.
02-16-2015, 05:51 PM
#93
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so while my subframe is just sitting on the floor, would these moogs from advanced or orielleys be good for daily/spirited backroads driving/autox or will I be replacing them in a couple thousand miles. The Memphis area is a pothole minefield because of all the big truck traffic, and I don't want to upgrade to the sphericals and waste the money by over-doing them as I see they will be more rigid, but just want to make sure I wont have bad side effects because of the shitty roads here.
05-07-2015, 06:51 PM
#97
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Part number for the nut, if needed, is 11518529
05-07-2015, 11:32 PM
#98
http://m.summitracing.com/parts/mog-k200792?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwmqyqBRC7zKnO_f6i odcBEiQA9T996PgmjE5Fj16Ln75l9puy_0MECDaZRQt4OYYur1 ZohhMaAtsF8P8HAQUOTE=Staged07SS;7493817]Those are the ones I have. They are for FE5 & FE3 as well.[/QUOTE]
If those work how about this one
If those work how about this one
Last edited by LNFTX; 05-07-2015 at 11:38 PM.
05-27-2017, 10:37 PM
#100
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Constantly Replacing
I had it apart in about 20 minutes. Then took about a half hour to get it all back together (once I figured out how to get the control arm in place). I didn't press the bushing in though. I took it to a local machine shop that did it for $15. If you consider me having to go to work and the trouble with getting the back of the control arm in place it took me well over 12 hours. Again though actual work time was only about an hour. I could have it done in less than an hour if I had to do it again (am going to replace the driver side soon as well). Someone I know who works at the GM dealer in town told me that they are constantly replacing these bushings on Cobalts.