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Subframe bushings need to be pressed?

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architechnik

15+ Year Contributor
690
10
Jun 21, 2007
Glad, Oregon
As the title states: do the subframe bushings need to be pressed out?

I'm in the process of replacing all of my front end bushings with ES poly's and I'll be sending some parts to my shop to have all the pieces pressed that need it. While the control arm and engine mounts were at the shop I was going to work on replacing the subframe bushings if I can.
 
As the title states: do the subframe bushings need to be pressed out?

I'm in the process of replacing all of my front end bushings with ES poly's and I'll be sending some parts to my shop to have all the pieces pressed that need it. While the control arm and engine mounts were at the shop I was going to work on replacing the subframe bushings if I can.

Take a torch, burn out the rubber. Clean up with a wire brush. You should be able to push the new bushing in by hand or use a rubber hammer/mallet to hit it in. Also my control arm bushings did not require a press, just burned them out. Be sure that you read the directions, some bushings require you to leave the outter original metal sleeve in place. This is why its easiest to burn them out.
 
I have the Energy Suspension set and the only thing that I have found it specify is that he outer sleeve must be removed. Most of the boxes come with no more instruction than a picture for the orientation.

Do you know which ones might need the outer sleeve?
 
I think energy everything comes out(it was that way on my 240)Just take a hack saw and saw from the inside of the bushing out thru the sleeve then knock it out with a hammer.Yes they will have to be press in.
 
I have the Energy Suspension set and the only thing that I have found it specify is that he outer sleeve must be removed. Most of the boxes come with no more instruction than a picture for the orientation.

Do you know which ones might need the outer sleeve?

I know on the couple 1g awd cars I did the front lower control arm needed the sleeve to stay in. The rear arms may be a different story, I think the toe arm may need it to come out, the upper camber may stay and the lower arm I believe comes out. You maybe able to take a measurment before doing anything. But if the directions say to remove then go for it. I just know I did front arms and removed one and then needed it so I made my own sleeve :/
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I ended up having to scrap getting the subframe done this weekend. I ran into a few delays... some of this stuff had never been off since it was built 15 years ago.
I'll try to get the rear done today and come back to the subframe this summer when I completely pull the engine.
 
Well, when you do get to this. I just did the subframe bushings last weekend using the Energy Suspension kit. All I had to do was knock the rubbers out with a ball peen hammer from the top, no burning or cutting at all. Then I tapped the large part of the new bushings in through the bottom of the subframe with a mallet. I drove the inner sleeve in an exrta 1/4 - 1/2 inch to allow the thin other part of the bushing that goes on top of the subframe to be held on the sleeve for installation. The thin polys go on top of the subframe with the flat part up and a washer on top. A washer will also be used under the larger part of the bushing underneath. Once the subframe was out, replacing the bushings took less than half an hour.
 
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind for later.
When I realized I wouldn't have time to remove the steering rack with the other complications, I was actually thinking of trying to do it while the subframe was in the car! I actually contemplated dropping it just slightly while on bottle jacks and trying to pop it out like that. (really just trying to avoid steering fluid mess)
 
You can leave the rack, control arms, and stabilizer bar in when you drop the subframe. The outer most control arm bolts will have to come out of the body, they have a rubber bushing they go into to identify them from the others, the rest can stay. I undid everything but the four main subframe nuts then I dropped one side at a time onto a stury block of wood, then slid it out from underneath.
 
Well, when you do get to this. I just did the subframe bushings last weekend using the Energy Suspension kit. All I had to do was knock the rubbers out with a ball peen hammer from the top, no burning or cutting at all. Then I tapped the large part of the new bushings in through the bottom of the subframe with a mallet. I drove the inner sleeve in an exrta 1/4 - 1/2 inch to allow the thin other part of the bushing that goes on top of the subframe to be held on the sleeve for installation. The thin polys go on top of the subframe with the flat part up and a washer on top. A washer will also be used under the larger part of the bushing underneath. Once the subframe was out, replacing the bushings took less than half an hour.

If you "knocked" the rubber bushing out your bushings must have been shot. I've done several set of bushings on 1g's, 2g's and even a full 3000 and torched them all out. When doing subframe bushings I removed the subframe. Then again I also cleaned them and painted.

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Yeah, I knocked the bushings out with a hammer. This isn't the only set I've done this way either. You should try it and save yourself some time. I do not see where I wrote that I did not remove the subframe to replace the bushings. I just didn't remove everything from the subframe itself. I painted my subframe flat black, gloss black looks like some kind of fluid leaked all over it, but that's just me. :rolleyes:
 
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