Thanks! I saw that tool but don't plan on making this a career so..Ill go the pickle fork route!


Is an alignment needed after the arm replacement?

 

Yes, any time you loosen a suspension part...re-align. That is why I replaced both my arms when the bushings failed only on the passenger side. Moog arms are like 45 bucks on rock auto and we'll worth the extra time to do it all at once rather than to get multiple alignments done. Figured if one side failed, the other couldn't be too far behind. Now they are both done and off my mind.

 

Did the drivers side today..went pretty smoothly but vertical bolt is a pita!
Was wondering if you did the passenger side as well? Can you tell me what the little dogbone looking thing is that is connected to the passenger side control arm? It doesnt look like it serves much of a purpose... Also, any tips on getting a seized ball joint pinch bolt out of the knuckle ?? I got the nut off and could not drive the bolt out === I even threaded the nut partway on and used a socket and hammer--no luck

 

My ball joint cross bolts were a PITA to get out also. I used a chisel punch and put it into the center slit, then tried to pry the slit apart a little to help straighten it out. Then put the nut on and hammered from the other side, it came out after that. Also pry a little on the ball joint to get the cross bolt loose, but not too much.

I also used an impact gun on the head of the bolt to break the rust free. Once the bolt spins, you're good.

 

Thanks I'll try prying as well...I tried an impact on the bolt but was hesitant about shearing the bolt head off.
btw-- what happens if you tighten the bolts before putting weight on the suspension? when I did the other side I snuggly tightened the bolts and then lowered the car before I hit them again with an impact wrench to make sure they were tight. I'm wondering now thinking back if they might have been too tight before I lowered the car?

 

I tightened to spec with a torque wrench, you should never use an impact to tighten bolts, it's possible to overtighten bolts. When you overtighten bolts, you bend the threads in the opposite direction. This is bad because it's the stretch in the threads which causing tension when you screw on a nut. When you over stretch them backwards, you lose some effective tension. You also run the risk of over torquing and breaking the bolt.

You should invest in a cheap torque wrench, luckily i have a torque wrench calibrator at work, and i bought a cheap $30 1/2" torque wrench at walmart. I measured the accuracy of the torque wrench and it was within 5% accurate in the clockwise direction(tightening). This is actually within ISO spec, so i was happy with that. It was about 10% inaccurate in the counter clockwise direction, but i didn't care about that because that measures loosening torque.

I think all torque specs assume before weight on the suspension. I think torquing after weight is placed on a part is good for things like wheels, where you need to get things centered properly.

 

Thanks. btw do you happen to remember the correct torque for the bolts?

 

Not off hand, i usually print out the sections of the workshop CD that i'll need for a project, and highlight text of importance like torque specs. Then do my project and throw out the paper after i'm done.

 

well I finally got the passenger side arm done as well...ball joint pinch bolt needed half a can of liquid wrench , prybar in the knuckle seam, three pound hammer and a torch ....

One observation though-- the passenger ball joint was VERY stiff -- could barely be moved by hand, while the driver's side stud could rather easily be moved with my fingers .( though not as loose as the old one that was replaced) The arms are both Moog R series. I'm just wondering if the noted difference is ok.
Thanks again to all for your much appreciated help!

 

I did mine last year. Since I was replacing the whole arm which has a new ball joint already pressed into it I used the pickle fork to disconnect the ball joint from the knuckle. Then undo the other two nuts and bolts.

I was working by myself and I simply used a floor jack under the new arm and a prybar to angle the control arm back in. I also lubed the new bushings to help them slide in(slight spray of WD40) and used a rubber mallet to get things in place. This was the worst part but once I figured out the technique the other side was a breeze.