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Subject TECH: Replacing subframe and suspension bushings(VERY LONG!)
     
Posted by Bernie on February 13, 2001 at 2:53 PM
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Message OK, this is just a preliminary version of the writeup for those desparately waiting for some info... KiwiZ will be adding some additional information later. Thanks to Adrie, KiwiZ, and Kyle Kelly for input and some pics.

Go read this message I posted a while back on how good new bushings are...

[ http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=main&msg_id=622182 ]

OK... on to the tech:


WARNING: This tech is not a do-it-yourself process for the inexperienced mechanic. I would rate the difficulty as a little bit above changing out a clutch. It is a very time consuming process to change out the bushings... most of the time is spent removing the old bushings. It took me about 70 hours to do this using air tools. This can be done using just hand tools, but I wouldn’t wish that upon my worst enemy. If you’re still convinced you want to do this, read on...

After seeing how well the bushings perform, I would say that it is well worth the effort. The bushings can reduce about 40-50% of the wheelhop inherent in hard 1st and 2nd gear runs, but NOT totally eliminate it. To completely eliminate wheelhop, I used Tokico shocks set at "5" (hardest setting), Eibach springs, subframe bushings, differential mounting bushings, rear suspension bushings, 275/35/18 AVS intermediate tires, and a Racelogic traction control system. Using all of the above components, I get some nice wheelspin that is easily tuned to my tastes or eliminated using the traction control system. (I’m defining wheelhop as where the wheel actually bounces up and down while spinning, and wheelspin is where the wheel spins without losing contact with the ground).


Tools needed:
hydraulic jack and jack stands
10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22 mm wrenches and sockets (both deep and shallow)
8mm allen wrench (hex key)
needle nose pliers
impact gun (or at least 1 rubber mallet and 1 sledgehammer and a breaker bar)
two-arm pulley puller
hydraulic press (you can just take your parts to a shop that has one)
hacksaw (with a 32 teeth per inch blade for cutting hard metal)
dremel with heavy duty cutting discs
3 " long pieces of pipe with varying diameters
whole slew of thick metal washers with varying diameters
8-10" long bolt of high quality with corresponding nut (get at least stainless steel, but best to get head-stud grade bolts)
motor oil
a couple of concrete blocks/wood planks to support the subframe during disassembly
long zip ties
liquid wrench
sharpie permanent marker and whole bunch of ziplock sandwich bags (to keep all of the bolts properly organized... there are a TON of bolts that come out during this procedure... basically every single bolt in the back end of the car... so, this is HIGHLY recommended).

DISCLAIMER: I am not a mechanic... I just play one on the weekends. Although I am a Racelogic sales agent, this tech was produced by myself and is a totally independent project from Racelogic. All pictures are copyrighted by myself (read as "ATTN: Stillen, don't steal this post, claim it as your own, and use it to sell your products like you did with my HKS GT2530 post!") Proceed at your own risk... improper installation/assembly of your suspension can result in loss of control of your car.


Overview of bushings to be replaced:
green=subframe bushing
blue=diffy bushing
red=rear suspension bushing


1) Disconnect the black battery cable.

2) Unbolt the top of the shocks. To do so, remove all of the plastic panels in the trunk (or at least the ones that have the speaker covers on them). Remove the gray shock adjuster (if your car is a non-turbo, you don’t have these). Remove the metal bracket for the shock adjuster. Unbolt the two 12mm nuts that are on either side of the shock.

3) Loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheels.

4) Jack up the rear end of the car by placing the jack under the differential. Place jack stands under the jack support point seen in picture #1. There is a funky oval hole there (it’s where the car was supported on the assembly line). Be sure to use proper wheel chocks in front and back of the front tires. It’s also a good idea to lock your steering wheel. Lower the jack so that the car is resting on the jack stands, but the jack is still in contact with the differential.

5) Remove the rear wheels.

6) Remove the rear brake calipers (two 17mm bolts on the back sides of the calipers). You don’t need to disconnect the brake line, just place something underneath the caliper so that it’s not dangling by the brake line. (I used a spare set of jack stands and zip tied them on). You can also remove the brake discs at this point to reduce weight.

7) Remove the entire exhaust from the precats to the mufflers. I did it as one big piece.

8) Remove the exhaust heat shield covering the driveshaft (there are six 10mm bolts or nuts holding it in place).

9) Make an alignment mark on the center bearing of the driveshaft (so that when you reconnect it in the end, the two flanges are in the same exact orientation... otherwise you are risking center bearing failure and driveline vibrations). Unbolt the four bolts that hold the two halves of the driveshaft together. Remove the front half of the driveshaft from the tranny.

10) Disconnect the parking brake cable which is above the driveshaft. The ends of the two cables going to either rear wheel simply slide up and out of the metal bracket. Also unscrew the mount that connects the cables to the underside of the body.

11) Separate the HICAS steering rack from the subframe. To do this, unbolt the two HICAS mounting bolts. Then, using zip ties or rope, tie the HICAS steering rack to the rubber exhaust hangers or anywhere else connected to the body. Then, take out the clevis pins at the tie rods and remove the nut from the HICAS tie rod end. Using the pulley puller, disconnect pull the HICAS tie rod off from the knuckle assembly. You’ll need a two arm puller... there’s not enough room or proper angles for a three arm puller. It’s a good idea to place a quarter or something in between the puller and the bolt so that the thread doesn’t get messed up. You don’t need to disconnect the fluid lines going to the HICAS steering rack... by hanging it with the zip ties, it stays in place when dropping the subframe.

12) Remove the rear stabilizer bar (anti-sway bar) by unbolting it at the points indicated in the picture above.

13) Now you’re ready to drop the subframe. Make sure that the jack is supporting the differential before doing so. Remove the two 14mm bolts in each bracket holding the front subframe bushings in place and LOOSEN (do NOT remove) the four 17mm nut holding the subframe bushings in place. Once all four bushing nuts are loosened, the only thing keeping the suspension in place is the jack.



14) Remove all four bushing nuts and slowly lower the whole subframe/differential/shock assembly about SIX TO TEN INCHES. This will give you enough room to disconnect the ABS sensor connector on the upper passenger side of the subframe. After disconnecting the gray ABS connector, lower the subframe the rest of the way to the ground. Be careful not to jostle the HICAS steering rack or brake calipers on the way down. Once lowered, you can just pull the whole thing out from under the car.

15) Remove the shocks/springs from the rear end by removing

Bernie
Authorized sales rep for...

Datalogs every run... launches with boost in your 5-speed...
keeps turbos spooled between shifts... enables controlled power slides...
valet mode prevents abuse of your Z... unlike most factory systems, maximizes acceleration!

For more information, pricing, or to purchase a system,
feel free to e-mail me: bhsiao@newssun.med.miami.edu
or visit the website

     
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