1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main 9000 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Upper torque arm bushings Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:05:58 In Reply to: Upper torque arm bushings, Bill Kirk, Thu, 21 Dec 2000 22:02:55 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
A small crack or two is no big deal. If the cracks start to spread, or the material starts to look dry or brittle, then it's time to change them.
I haven't looked in the engine compartment of a '96 recently, but if the arm is like that of the older cars, you'll notice that one of the bushings is actually mounted on the engine. The arm has one bushing at the chassis end, and just an open fork at the other.
Removing the arm with the bushing is pretty easy - two bolts and some wiggling. Yes, the bushings are pressed out, and new ones pressed in. The mount on the engine can either be removed (a major pain) and the bushing pressed in on the bench or it can be done in the car with a little special tooling. I've bought aftermarket bushings for about $25 each mailorder. However, I recommend that you buy OEM bushings - some of the aftermarket ones are stiffer, and on some cars will increase vibration at idle. This happened to me on one car, but not another. If you have the arm out, any machine shop should be able to do the job for you very cheaply.
But again, I recommend just keeping an eye on them. If the crack doesn't spread, and is only very small, leave it be. Do inspect the lower engine mounts, as they tend to go first, and that's what kills the upper mount. Look down on the belt side of the engine with a flashlight. Look for cracks in the rubber of the mount.
Good luck!
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.