This thread is related to another thread I started not that many days ago here:
https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/mi...010-xls-56783/

I have replaced the two rear lower arms that control wheel toe. I have replaced the OEM non-adjustable passenger-side rear upper camber arm with one that is adjustable. It really surprised me that the old mounting bolts and nuts were in remarkably good condition, so I re-used them.

The driver's side arm removal and installation is going to be difficult. This is where I need some advice. Here are a few photos which illustrate my problem.

First, a photo from just outside the wheel well showing the cramped situation around the cross-member mounting point of the driver's side upper arm.



Next, a closeup view of the situation showing the fuel system hoses near the bolt head, and another hard line just to the right of the end of bolt's threaded portion.


I can barely install a 17mm socket on the nut, but it is impossible to attach a ratchet wrench or breaker bar to the socket. Luckily, I can put the closed-end of a combination wrench on that nut, but there is no way to turn it. All it can do is prevent the nut from turning ............. which means that I have to somehow loosen the bolt by turning the head.

The problem is that there is no way that I can find (other than using a super-special tool that I've never heard of) to turn the bolt's head. I can't even install a socket on the bolt head, let alone put something on it to turn it. I can barely install the closed end of a combination wrench on the bolt head, but, as you can see in the first photo, there is not enough space to rotate the handle to loosen the bolt.

The only option I can see is to disconnect one or more (possibly all) the rubber hoses in the "fuel system" where they connect to hard piping. This would include the large hose connected to the hard fill pipe. Luckily, these are accessible and should be fairly easy to disconnect. I believe that all of these hoses have no liquid gasoline in them, but they must at the very least have gasoline vapor, which I'm not too happy about.

Here's a drawing of the tank and the hoses attached to it. These are the hoses that are shown in the above photos and accessible in the front part of the wheel well.



Here's a drawing of the fill tube assembly near its attached hoses and clamps.




Finally, here's a photo of the lower part of the OEM Mitsubishi part for our vehicle (which is or was for sale on eBay). The photograph was taken from a rather weird angle. (Your head would have to be on the floor looking upward at that bottom end of the fill-tube and hoses.) The open end of the large rubber fill hose was attached to the tank. The loose clamp that at one time held the hose to the tank is up the hose a bit. The clamp that attaches the other end of the hose to the hard fill line is accessible in the wheel well and I believe I can remove it easily and detach the hose from the hard fill line.


To sum up all of this, I believe that if I remove those rubber hoses from the hard lines in the wheel well, by bending the freed hoses out of the way, I can attach a ratchet wrench with an extension to the bolt and loosen it (while using a combination wrench to prevent the nut from turning).

I'm certain that many owners have already replaced that driver's side upper arm. To those who have, is the way that you did this job different than what I suggest and, if it is, how did you do it?

Thanks.

 

The solution to removing the mounting bolt is indeed to first disconnect the three smaller fuel system hoses to the left of the arm's mounting bolt. I then used a 3/8"-drive 17mm socket/wrench on the bolt-head end to break free the 52 ft-lb bolt, then put the 17mm closed end of a combination wrench on the nut in order to prevent it from turning until the nut fell of the end of the bolt.

At that point I removed the mounting bolt on the trailing-arm bracket and knocked that end of the arm out of the bracket, freeing up the bolt on the cross-member bracket to the point that I coud remove it by hand. But the problem is that that bolt just barely fits in the allowable space, even when the three hoses have been disconnected. When the new arm bushing was put inside the bracket, I ended up having to lock a narrow vise-grip with long jaws to to bolt, at an angle, and use the vise-grips to maneuver the tip of the bolt into the bracket hole. It took me probably 30 minutes of fidgeting around with the bolt to get it through the hole and into the bushing.

Here's the result.



And the trailing arm end with adjustment mechanism visible, as well as the new lower control arm (that has an eccentric which adjusts toe) to the lower left.