[Goatman]

I just want a car that works and doesn't immolate my pockets...

 

[dblanehopr]

you can always take it to an suspension shop and give them free reign to wrestle out a good alignment, but that might end up costing you a lot. be better to just get new ones.



i think it finally clicked in my head on why it's the upper control arm.. the way it attaches, if you hit a pot hole it's going to push directly up and slightly bend it, holding the upper part of the wheel too far in.

that blows..

i'll have to make sure i stop driving my legend like cars that don't break so easily.

 

[Goatman]

But why would it affect both wheels the same? I only went over the pothole with one wheel! That seems to defy the laws of physics to me.

 

[l4zy415]

Check the bushings on the control arm. Both top and bottom. See how they are.

 

[l4zy415]

But why would it affect both wheels the same? I only went over the pothole with one wheel! That seems to defy the laws of physics to me.

I bet the bushings were never replaced, since the car is old, age is taking its place on the bushings.

 

[Goatman]

Well, I found upper control arms for left and right at autozone.com.

Not too bad.

AutoZone.com | Shopping | Parts | Product Detail - Control Arm

and

AutoZone.com | Shopping | Parts | Product Detail - Control Arm

Now, why is one side $70, but the other $150?

 

[Goatman]

Where would the bushings be located, and what do they look like? Or rather, what are they supposed to look like?

 

[l4zy415]

You should call them why lol.

 

[l4zy415]

They look like rubber. It should be at the front part of the control arm like this:

 

[Goatman]

lol ok.

Now how the heck do I find the bushings, and how to I determine if they're bad?

 

[Goatman]

Oh, ok. That big orange thing?

 

[dblanehopr]

there's a possibility your parents not really bottomed the car out, but kept hitting a particular dip in the road bending both sides.

but if it's just bushings... checking bushings is like checking a chicks ass out.. if it's good, you'll know. ;]

i've seen 40 year old cars with original bushings. the car was a little 'boaty' but it rode fine.




edit: no, the orange thing is your upper balljoint. the control arm bushing are the two bushings at the other end with the threaded studs coming up from them. there's two.

 

[l4zy415]

If its bad, you'll see cracks in them, just like motor mounts. Plus it might not be orange, but black cause of dirt build-up

 

[Goatman]

I guess it's time to spend a little time under my car.

Maybe I should google some diagrams of the underbody. I have no idea where to look.

 

[l4zy415]

All you gotta do is remove the wheel. It'll be right in front of your face. It not that hard to find.

 

[Goatman]

Oh, ok. See, I was assuming I'd have to ramp it up and crawl under it.

Do I need to check both sides?

I hope my stepdad has a torque wrench... I'm sure it sounds silly, but I don't like the idea of my lugnuts being put back out of spec...

 

[l4zy415]

Ya check both sides just to be sure.

 

[dblanehopr]

that's always a good thing, but i'd be more worried about putting your suspension back together the right way.

you've got some research you need to do, if you're not sure where the control arms are. check out the suspension section in the FSM. you can read the FSM in the newbie FAQ under the Forum link

 

[Goatman]

Alrighty. Now, are these bushings easy to replace? Or would I still need a whole new control arm for that?

 

[l4zy415]

Sorry to say, but the bushings are pretty much attached to the control arm. The only way to replace them is if you know a shop that can take them out. If you can't find one, the only option is to replace the control arms.