05LGTLtd Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 There are good vendors that support this site. Try infamousperformance.net and AZP Installs. Here's another oldie, but goodie vendor: http://www.fredbeansparts.com/subaru-legacy-gt-oem-lower-control-arm-bushings.html I love the fact that these are listed under "Maintenance". All I need now is a hill holder and a center passing light... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted December 6, 2012 Moderators Share Posted December 6, 2012 Question to those that have done this. If the ball joint is so difficult to remove, how the hell do you get it back in one you finish pressing in new bushings? Also, if I have a donor set of LCAs to speed up install, do I need to undo the castle nut anyways to transfer the ball joint from original LCAs to new LCAs? "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm5094 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Question to those that have done this. If the ball joint is so difficult to remove, how the hell do you get it back in one you finish pressing in new bushings? Also, if I have a donor set of LCAs to speed up install, do I need to undo the castle nut anyways to transfer the ball joint from original LCAs to new LCAs? It's so difficult to remove because the rust causes a "mechanical weld". I would avoid removing the pinch bolt all together. I would undo the castle nut and hammer a pickled fork between the ball joint and pry up and down. It'll come off..... Eventually. You can always come to my place to do it. I have a press and all the tools to do it. Shouldn't be too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BarManBean Posted December 6, 2012 Moderators Share Posted December 6, 2012 It's so difficult to remove because the rust causes a "mechanical weld". I would avoid removing the pinch bolt all together. I would undo the castle nut and hammer a pickled fork between the ball joint and pry up and down. It'll come off..... Eventually. You can always come to my place to do it. I have a press and all the tools to do it. Shouldn't be too bad. I'm down with that. Gonna be throwing the konis on as well, figure to do it all in one swoop and get an alignment. "Bullet-proof" your OEM TMIC! <<Buy your kit here>> Not currently in stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm5094 Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Cool. Just hit me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtClassShank Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 You need a press to replace these. You can pull the arms and have someone else swap the bushing, but if your going to do it, just wait a month and do it once. Ya I've decided to just drop the cash on this thing once, give me some piece of mind. Are there any symptoms while driving that indicate your LCA bushings need replacement? I've taken a look at mine, and they' def. cracking. But lately I've been having my steering feel weird going over bumps, gets all light and you can feel the bumps in the wheel. Think this might solve my problem? I'm getting steering rack bushings as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05LGTLtd Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Replacing both the LCA and the steering rack bushings will definitely give a more precise feel to your steering. The most common complaint with failing LCA bushings is a vague feeling to the steering response.. All I need now is a hill holder and a center passing light... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyDan Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 can you still buy these AVO pressing tools? if you dont have these tools to press them out what can you use instead? My friend has a press in his garage i think i could try do these myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famaya26 Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 I will be tackling this install this weekend and have a question, is it possible to install this without the AVO tool? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lingling1337 Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 My mechanic has a press and a ton of races and was able to find one that worked after a lot of tries. I wouldn't try it without a suitable race or the ability to make one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm5094 Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 I own a press and a press plate kit and for me, there was a perfect size. It was difficult to get mine out with a 5ton press. Once you break them lose they will come right out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wicknetzel Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Fwiw, I just replaced mine today and the proper size races were in a ball joint press kit I borrowed from my local advanced auto store. Also, I found that a wedge shaped punch to spread the pinch back apart on the strut to remove and replace the ball joint was very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benton78 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I just removed my LCA today to do a bushing swap, i agree that getting the ball joint free from the arm was very frustrating... until... i used a pitman arm puller! It worked like a charm, a couple turns of the wrench and POP! the arm was free... just thought I'd throw it out there for anyone struggling with this job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc6 Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Sub'd 2005 Satin White Pearl Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Unlimited 5EAT (Project Car) 2019 Agate Black Ford Explorer XLT 4WD (DD) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugoStiglitz Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Can the ball joint be removed/replaced without removing the other bolts to the bushings? I guess there would have to be enough play in the bushings, I know they allow movement of the LCA. I'm afraid to disassemble the bolts on the damaged bushings, I feel as if they're being held together by them. Its a job for another day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outahere Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 ……..Also, I found that a wedge shaped punch to spread the pinch back apart on the strut to remove and replace the ball joint was very helpful. Be careful. Several people here have cracked the knuckle by using a wedge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heticor Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 very good walkthrough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dortiz19 Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Going to try and tackle this tomorrow, thanks for the great write up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amp583 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Reviving a semi old thread here. I'm up to replace my LCA bushings as well. I'm thinking of going Group N for Rear bushings from Rallispec: http://www.rallispec.com/mou_bush_rstbk3.html Chicago potholes are a nightmare so the Poly bushings might suck. I'm running WL sway bars as well on 18", does anything else Group N make help better alignment? I'm not tracking my car so ultimately, I'm looking for better freeway stability and control. While my LCA's are off and I (shop) has access, should I: - replace front bushings as well? - replace steering bushings? - transmission mounts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dispatch20 Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 This DIY comes up pretty prominently in the Google results, so I wanted to share what I learned. I found a tool at Autozone that fits our front LCA rear bushing perfectly for pressing out/in. And it turns out the outer wheel bearing race from older Subaru's is the perfect size receiver for catching the pushed out bearing. It's the Great Neck 4WD Spindle Nut Wrench ($20): http://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tools...?checkfit=true I had to grind off the little notches down with my angle grinder to flatten the surface of the tool. It really was the ideal fit, though. WARNING: My Spindle Nut Wrench socket measured 59.45mm, which fit well inside the 60mm control arm hole. Another member bought a similar/identical socket and it measured 60.4mm, which is too large to be of use. I recommend you actually measure the socket in-store before buying it. At the time, I believe I brought in my new bushing to use as a comparison. I could visually tell the socket was slightly smaller. See attached for pics. The press is the 12-ton Harbor Freight. It's a great value, and never lets me down. The last two pics are the Whiteline OE-style bushing being pressed in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 subscribed. Going to be doing this on both the Forester and Legacy soon. Fock those stock bushing and their cracks! GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olderthandirt Posted September 30, 2016 Share Posted September 30, 2016 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esq Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Great walkthrough! Wonderful money saver when you can do it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d22597 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 This DIY comes up pretty prominently in the Google results, so I wanted to share what I learned. I found a tool at Autozone that fits our front LCA rear bushing perfectly for pressing out/in. And it turns out the outer wheel bearing race from older Subaru's is the perfect size receiver for catching the pushed out bearing. It's the Great Neck 4WD Spindle Nut Wrench ($20): http://www.autozone.com/loan-a-tools...?checkfit=true I had to grind off the little notches down with my angle grinder to flatten the surface of the tool. It really was the ideal fit... Just purchased this socket and it is .4mm larger than the outside diameter of the lca bushing. My whiteline bushing is 60mm and the socket measures 60.39mm. I believe the ideal size is 59mm, making the socket 1.4mm too large. Not sure if the socket changed or if there is variation in tooling, but wanted to warn others before they tried this tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dispatch20 Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Just purchased this socket and it is .4mm larger than the outside diameter of the lca bushing. My whiteline bushing is 60mm and the socket measures 60.39mm. I believe the ideal size is 59mm, making the socket 1.4mm too large. Not sure if the socket changed or if there is variation in tooling, but wanted to warn others before they tried this tool. Interesting. I'll bring my spindle socket and whiteline bushing to work tomorrow to measure with calipers. If I understand what you're saying, the socket wouldn't even fit inside the empty bushing hole in the control arm. Another way of saying it is that it wouldn't be able to push out the original bushing because the socket was too large. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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