control arm bushing movement

[tonycajjo]

so i replaced the bushings / ball joints in my control arms and tie rod assemblies. after an an alignment and after putting a few miles on the X i can say that it feels great. one thing i noticed is that the driver side front control arm bushing is not centered anymore. the arm is closer to the center / back of the car. the X handles great but that thing should be centered no?

what can be for the cause of the arm moving down the bushing? can the control arm be bent? (maybe the poly bushings would hold it better in the center?)

[tonycajjo]

can someone post a pic of the poly bushing setup. is it a two piece part?

could the control arm be bent? the bushing has moved even further from center.

[NY98M3]

What did you use to get the stock bushing out?

[tonycajjo]

brought it to a local ford dealer where a buddy of mine works and he pushed the old ones out and the new ones in. when i removed both OEM to put in the power flex bushings i used brute force... the one pictured below came out fairly easy the other i used a combination of a vise, C clamps, a large receiving cup and a sawzall cutting from the inside enough to weaken the outer metal of the bushing after the innards came out and leaked oil everywhere so i could bend and push out. the power flex moved right into place fine using a bolt, nut, and a couple of large fender washer. (and i used some copper anti seize for lube)

here's a pic of how the bushing moved.


i currently have a bit of a shimmy up front when braking at higher speeds...(65-80MPH) i think its a warped rotor, brake deposits, and / or poor tires though, not any powerflex bushing or any of the new suspension parts up front... i think i drive her to hard sometimes putting excessive strain on tires and brakes.

[wallyx5]

Tony,

Here is a pic of mine. It looks as thought power flex changed the bushing or you got the wrong one. Because mine had rubber like flanges to hold the arm from moving.

[tonycajjo]

my pic was of the OEM bushing showing how it moved. i do not have a pic of the powerflex. (but it looks similar to your cept bright purple.)

[flyingmachine]

Originally Posted by tonycajjo

brought it to a local ford dealer where a buddy of mine works and he pushed the old ones out and the new ones in. when i removed both OEM to put in the power flex bushings i used brute force... the one pictured below came out fairly easy the other i used a combination of a vise, C clamps, a large receiving cup and a sawzall cutting from the inside enough to weaken the outer metal of the bushing after the innards came out and leaked oil everywhere so i could bend and push out. the power flex moved right into place fine using a bolt, nut, and a couple of large fender washer. (and i used some copper anti seize for lube)

here's a pic of how the bushing moved.


i currently have a bit of a shimmy up front when braking at higher speeds...(65-80MPH) i think its a warped rotor, brake deposits, and / or poor tires though, not any powerflex bushing or any of the new suspension parts up front... i think i drive her to hard sometimes putting excessive strain on tires and brakes.

that's certainly not right. did you get the arms(tension struts to be exact) with bushings already pressed in or someone removed the old bushings and pressed in the new ones for you?

[flyingmachine]

Originally Posted by NY98M3

What did you use to get the stock bushing out?

It can be done by using bmw special tool or you can use shop press.

[mywidebody02]

I'd make sure the arm isn't cracked. That
Bushing is supposed to be centered. It definitely should not have mobbed if installed properly and the arm isn't worn.

[tonycajjo]

had the old pressed out and the new pressed in. i now have power flex ones on there and all seems well. i had hecked the arm and was concerned it may have been bent or something, but it was probably just poorly installed and therefore loose.