Strut rod bushings

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Ok, gotcha. So my question still stands, what is the proper procedure for torquing these if we can't get a torque wrench on them?  The how-to says to torque them properly but what is "properly"?

[AMC of Houston]

Well, just "good and tight" will work.    There is no real big force acting on these to try to loosen them while driving.   Just give them a good yank or two with a big wrench.   The only real reason to have a torque spec on them is to keep from over-tightening them and crumpling up the inner sleeve on the bushing set.   If you go too tight; you'll feel the sleeve start to "give" and crumple up.

While I'm here, I'll put in a plug for the MOOG K3090 "improved-design" bushing set (the ones with the sleeves and washers built into them).   I love them -- have them on all my AMC's.   Been using them for a loooooong time.

Watch out what you get tho; there are a lot of K3090 MOOG boxes floating around in the parts systems that are Chinese knockoffs.   They'll be labeled as MOOG K3090's, but will just have plain old rubber bushings in the box (they look like the cheapie junk $10 bushing sets you can still buy).

[jim]

I too was unable to get a socket on.  I used box ends.  I used 2 together as a cheater.

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Watch out what you get tho; there are a lot of K3090 MOOG boxes floating around in the parts systems that are Chinese knockoffs.   They'll be labeled as MOOG K3090's, but will just have plain old rubber bushings in the box (they look like the cheapie junk $10 bushing sets you can still buy).

I ordered the K3090's from Rock Auto.  The picture shows the built in washers and sleeves, so if what I get doesn't look like the picture I'll send them back.  Thanks for the heads up.

[vangremlin]

Thanks!  I almost forgot, saved me 1.49.

That will almost buy you a half a gallon of gas   

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Trying to replace these worn out things, so far it's not going as well as I would like.  Everything loosened up ok, but something's binding up.  I'm following the eaglepedia how-to, which says to leave the tires on the ground, instead of jacking the vehicle up like the TSM says.  The more I loosen the nut on the bushings, the farther forward my front wheel rolls.  I have the nut almost all the way off, and both the nuts on the control arm are off, yet nothing is loose.  WTF?

At this point even if I do get it to come apart, there's no way I'll ever get it back together.  What's causing the wheel to keep rolling forward, and what's putting pressure on this strut rod?  I've tried lifting up both the chassis and the control arm, nothing helps.

[vangremlin]

I believe that when I replaced my strut rod bushings I lifted the wheels and car off the ground

[mudkicker715]

I have done mine with it on jacks

[WoodenBirdOfPrey]

Lifted it all the way up off the ground, that did it.  Thanks!