MisterE22 Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Hey there, having some trouble installing new control arms in my 2005 Legacy GT. Was hell getting the old ball joint out and pinch bolt out but now can't get the new ball joint seated in the knuckle. Tried jacking up from the bottom of the ball joint but the car would start coming off the stands. Am I doing something wrong here or did I get the wrong ball joint in the control arm by some chance? I rented a press kit from Advanced but hadn't seen anyone mention they needed to use one. Last thing I want to do is mess up the knuckle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.lee89 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I just replaced mine and the hole is full of rust. You need to take the ball joint out of the knuckle again and clean the rust out. Once cleaned out it should slide in without much effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 We actually cleaned it twice, but maybe third time is the charm? I think I'm going to pick up a ball joint from Advanced and see if that fits by itself. If it does, I'll replace the ball joint in the control arm with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poconoracing Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I second the cleaning out the knuckle. I used an electric drill with a wire brush attachment. All kinds of crap came out of it. This might be stating the obvious, but you are inserting the ball joint with the pinch bolt out of the knuckle, correct? If the bolt is in the knuckle it will stop right about where yours appears to be in the pic. I just did two on my wife's forester, and all I needed was a few taps with a mallet and they went right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 I second the cleaning out the knuckle. I used an electric drill with a wire brush attachment. All kinds of crap came out of it. This might be stating the obvious, but you are inserting the ball joint with the pinch bolt out of the knuckle, correct? If the bolt is in the knuckle it will stop right about where yours appears to be in the pic. I just did two on my wife's forester, and all I needed was a few taps with a mallet and they went right in. Yep, no pinch bolt in there. Will try grinding it some more tomorrow! It's soooo close to the shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notorious Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I used a small amount of grease and used a rubber mallet to get it to seat right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d22597 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 IMO, all the work with the pinch bolt, getting the old ball joint out and cleaning the knuckle to receive the new one isn’t worth the $200 for new knuckles. Especially if you need to purchase a tool to remove the old one. If you can spare the additional cost, new knuckles are a huge time and frustration saver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I think buying a ball joint is a good idea. I gather that LCA is not OEM ? 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 I think buying a ball joint is a good idea. I gather that LCA is not OEM ? I'm starting to think RockAuto sent me the wrong arm. The number stamped on the arm doesn't match the packaging and when I looked it up, it's for a later model Impreza. Even if I get a new ball joint and it works, still have the wrong arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 If I had shoes on I'd walk out to the shed and check the part number on the spare ball joint I keep. It's just a $20. part. But if you have the wrong arm... 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Impreza LCA is easily identifiable by comparing the rear LCA bushing mount to the LGT. Totally different mounting system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 23, 2018 Author Share Posted October 23, 2018 Rockauto confirmed it was the wrong arm, CMS801178 is what they had sent me. It seemed to fit alright but the ball joint was giving us this issue above. Any recommendations for new arms? Rockauto and Amazon have these Mevotech ones which don't look anything like OEM. Mevotech Control Arm Or should I go with something standard like Moog/Dorman? Will take sway bar bushing suggestions too, might as well while replace them while I'm down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 Rockauto confirmed it was the wrong arm, CMS801178 is what they had sent me. It seemed to fit alright but the ball joint was giving us this issue above. Any recommendations for new arms? Rockauto and Amazon have these Mevotech ones which don't look anything like OEM. Mevotech Control Arm Or should I go with something standard like Moog/Dorman? Will take sway bar bushing suggestions too, might as well while replace them while I'm down there. CMS801178 is definitely the wrong arm, that's for 2011-2014 STI's, but it should be aluminum, which yours isn't. Ball joints seem the same though, which means it would still fit. Mind finding out the exact part number? Because if the STI arm did indeed fit, we could have a nice upgrade to STI arms (since they have nicer rear bushings!) Now if part of the arm that reaches the knuckle is longer, that would also increase our camber and track width fairly cheap! But if it's shorter it would reduce camber and would be a downgrade. 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poconoracing Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 Wow, that sucks. I hope Rock Auto is giving you a hefty discount! Haven't used them on a Subaru, but I used Mevotech upper arms on my son's Ranger. They fit perfectly, had tight ball joints and bushings and seemed to be a quality product. Half the price of the Moog arms too. Had the truck for another 10k miles with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmP6889928 Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 CMS801178 is definitely the wrong arm, that's for 2011-2014 STI's, but it should be aluminum, which yours isn't. Ball joints seem the same though, which means it would still fit. Mind finding out the exact part number? Because if the STI arm did indeed fit, we could have a nice upgrade to STI arms (since they have nicer rear bushings!) Now if part of the arm that reaches the knuckle is longer, that would also increase our camber and track width fairly cheap! But if it's shorter it would reduce camber and would be a downgrade. Think about this before trying it. Your axles are made for a certain track width and you'll put a lot of strain on the inner plunge joints, even if it's only 1/2". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 23, 2018 Author Share Posted October 23, 2018 CMS801178 is definitely the wrong arm, that's for 2011-2014 STI's, but it should be aluminum, which yours isn't. Ball joints seem the same though, which means it would still fit. Mind finding out the exact part number? Because if the STI arm did indeed fit, we could have a nice upgrade to STI arms (since they have nicer rear bushings!) Now if part of the arm that reaches the knuckle is longer, that would also increase our camber and track width fairly cheap! But if it's shorter it would reduce camber and would be a downgrade. That was the number stamped on the arm followed by a "NO. 49". The rearward bushing didn't seem any different. Wish I could give you more info on them but I only got them as a fluke in the first place. Saw the ball joints are the same across a lot of Subaru models so I'm going to take some of the suggestions in this thread once I get the new arms. Wow, that sucks. I hope Rock Auto is giving you a hefty discount! Haven't used them on a Subaru, but I used Mevotech upper arms on my son's Ranger. They fit perfectly, had tight ball joints and bushings and seemed to be a quality product. Half the price of the Moog arms too. Had the truck for another 10k miles with no issues. Thanks for the feedback. And actually, I was lucky Rockauto would even take them back because it was after 30 days but within 12 month warranty period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 Think about this before trying it. Your axles are made for a certain track width and you'll put a lot of strain on the inner plunge joints, even if it's only 1/2". Some cars have adjustable forward facing LCA attachments from the factory, but come to think of it, I think they are all RWD only (Miata and S2000 in particular). Our axles do have a good bit of in and out movement on the inner joint, but if you stretch it too much it might pop out of joint at full droop. So yeah probably not a good idea 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 Alright so I got these new fancy Mevotech aluminum control arms from rockauto that people have apparently installed before with no issue. I was able to get the new bushings seated but now I'm having trouble guiding the new ball joint into the cup (cleaned it out again by the way) What am I doing wrong here? I can't push the axle in any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 I usually insert the ball joint into the cup first, then insert the threaded part into the control arm. Make sure you're axle didn't pop out of joint on the inside, also make sure you unbolt the strut from the knuckle, your not stronger then that spring heh. You can check the axle by pushing on the top of the knuckle (gotta be unbolted from strut), and it will move in and out couple inches, if it doesn't then the inner joint is indeed out of place and you'll probably have to undo the boot sprints and reguide it in (this will require new grease and new bands). 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 I was able to get the new bushings seated but now I'm having trouble guiding the new ball joint into the cup (cleaned it out again by the way) What am I doing wrong here? I can't push the axle in any further. Yup this is the strut doing it's thing and pushing the knuckle out, along with pulling the axle out of socket. You wanna remove the 2 strut bolts attached to the knuckle (mark the top bolt, since it's a camed bolt!). That will free up the knuckle to pop back in place and will let you pop the ball joint as it is into the knuckle too (this way you don't have to remove it from the arm). Here is how I did mine couple months ago, I didn't have to unbolt the strut, but the axle did pop out at one point, which made it much more difficult to reinstall but I was able to get the axle back in place. What part number did those control arms have on the box btw? 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 Thanks again CovertRussian. These are Mevotech Supreme CMS80181 and CMS80182. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covertrussian Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Ok good, those part numbers are correct. Yeah so the strut/spring pushed out the axle and now your fighting the spring to get it back in, once you unbolt the strut it should be fairly easy to pop it back in place. Do keep in mind that if the inside joint really pops out, the rollers inside the joint will fall out and you will have to remove the boot to reinstall them, or kill an axle (ask me how I know heh). 05 LGT 16G 14psi 290whp/30mpg (SOLD) 12 OBP Stock 130whp/27mpg@87 Oct 00 G20t GT28r 10psi 250whp/36mpg 22 Ascent STOCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.lee89 Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 I would recommend to install the ball joint in the spindle first then to the arm. Your axle may have popped out hopefully the rollers hasn't fallen out inside the boot. You can try to slowly turn the hub and push at the same time to see if it moves. Sometimes I have even tap the cv nut with a hammer to pop it back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterE22 Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 Thankfully the axle did not pop out, it wasn't loose or anything. Was able to get everything buttoned up but then the new pinch bolt wasn't grabbing onto any threads. Going to pick up a bolt and nut and go from there. What a fun job this has been! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatingInternet Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Clean out the hole for the joint in the knuckle, keep the ball joint semi tightly attached to the lower control arm and put a little but if antisieze along the top. Get the lip if the join to go in and start smacking the bottom of the control arm with a mallet/hammer/deadblow. Helps to have the car on stand so you have a little space to swing. Keep tapping until the pinch bolt has a clear path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.