306 Lower arm P Bushes

thedadio · Post by **thedadio** » 25 Mar 2005, 23:24

I replaced my lower arm bushes recently and all was fine other than major brake judder.... once the judder was fixed ( new discs) the front suspension has felt very loose.. ie when i slam the brakes the car thuds and the steering wheel straightens up sharply...
How much flex should these bushes provide? I can jolt the front wheels back a tad with a kick.... the drivers moves about 2cm and the passegner moves about 1cm back.. then springs back... looking at the rear p bushes they seem very flexible.... Could the major brake judder have caused these bushes to wear quicker than normal? Would the fact that they are the cheapo bushes from GSF be a problem?
the car just doesnt track properly, just seems to follow the road more than anything... Should i just buy two new arms inc bushes from gsf?
How to i check for worn top mounts?
Anyone know of a trustworthy mechanic who will diagnose for money??
Cheers

tonespeed1999 · Post by **tonespeed1999** » 27 Mar 2005, 18:11

i would consider changing the front bush on the arms aswell,if the rears are worn, then the fronts will be weak!
the bushes from GSF are normally OE spec,but in a different box.
take your car to a good tyre outlet that can do "four wheel geometry" check,that will tell you if theres a problem ie: caster/camber etc.

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 28 Mar 2005, 04:37

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by thedadio</i>

the drivers moves about 2cm and the passegner moves about 1cm back.. then springs back...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
That is heavily excessive movement. You shouldn't be able to move the wheel in the wheelarch of a car more than a few mm, and that should take a major shove, possibly with a lever/bar.
I would say that your lower track control arm bushes are completely shot. Change them all.
Brake judder can indeed ruin bushes. If the judder is severe, it can rip the rubber from the metal of the bush, or cause it to overheat from excessive flexing, and break up. Oil contamination will ruin them too, but I doubt that's the problem here.
Excessive out-of-balance front wheels can also have an adverse effect on bushes, especially if they are a little worn already.
How bad/long was the brake judder?

solara · Post by **solara** » 29 Mar 2005, 19:28

Replacing the bushes alone is a false economy.
Much cheaper in labour costs to replace the whole wishbone (about 40 quid each). Trying to chisel out the old bushes without damaging the wishbone is near impossible.