Hi folks, first I’m another strangler from the wasteland that is trailvoy. Saw the Pittman puller photo, read the history of the exodus, signed up and here I am. Thanks for having me. Questions, yeah I got questions.
I searched the archives here and at trailvoy looking for answers, read the FAQ, read v7guy suspension rebuild thread. I feel like I’ve done my due diligence in trying to find the answer myself.
I’m midway through replacing several of the suspension joints on my wife’s 2007 Trailblazer LT 4WD. I have removed almost everything, cleaned up and am getting ready to install the new items. I’m doing upper and lower ball joints, upper control arm and wheel bearing hub, on both driver and passenger side.
With everything off I inspected the other joints and I noticed a couple of things
1) CV joint has a fair bit of slack in it. It’s not tight and I can push/pull to feel a definite plop. It’s not quite a clunk, it’s not loud. But there’s definitely 1/8” movement. Does this need replacing too?
2) Shock mount bushing on lower control arm is SHOT. I found the replacement part on RockAuto which is way more cost effective than replacing the arm and bracket unit. My only reservation is how much trouble I will have pressing the old one out and the new one in. I have a ball joint press, but will that be enough? If I can remove the LCA I think it might be best to pay a local shop to press the bushing in/out.
3) I can’t see any definitive slop or slack in the lower control arm bushings, but I’m thinking I should replace these while I’m at it? My feeling is to just replace the bracket with aftermarket as it’s only slightly more expensive than 2 new bushings and all the agro pressing them in and out.
I spent all morning searching the web and on YouTube for definitive answers and my head is spinning. Lots of questions regarding LCA bushings. Specifically how to get the shock arm mount off the LCA, and how to remove/replace the bushing ‘lower at shock’. Do I need to loosen the shock upper mount? How does the arm move off the pin? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated as I’m half way through this job and not sure where to turn next.
Thanks as always
Adam
I searched the archives here and at trailvoy looking for answers, read the FAQ, read v7guy suspension rebuild thread. I feel like I’ve done my due diligence in trying to find the answer myself.
I’m midway through replacing several of the suspension joints on my wife’s 2007 Trailblazer LT 4WD. I have removed almost everything, cleaned up and am getting ready to install the new items. I’m doing upper and lower ball joints, upper control arm and wheel bearing hub, on both driver and passenger side.
With everything off I inspected the other joints and I noticed a couple of things
1) CV joint has a fair bit of slack in it. It’s not tight and I can push/pull to feel a definite plop. It’s not quite a clunk, it’s not loud. But there’s definitely 1/8” movement. Does this need replacing too?
2) Shock mount bushing on lower control arm is SHOT. I found the replacement part on RockAuto which is way more cost effective than replacing the arm and bracket unit. My only reservation is how much trouble I will have pressing the old one out and the new one in. I have a ball joint press, but will that be enough? If I can remove the LCA I think it might be best to pay a local shop to press the bushing in/out.
3) I can’t see any definitive slop or slack in the lower control arm bushings, but I’m thinking I should replace these while I’m at it? My feeling is to just replace the bracket with aftermarket as it’s only slightly more expensive than 2 new bushings and all the agro pressing them in and out.
I spent all morning searching the web and on YouTube for definitive answers and my head is spinning. Lots of questions regarding LCA bushings. Specifically how to get the shock arm mount off the LCA, and how to remove/replace the bushing ‘lower at shock’. Do I need to loosen the shock upper mount? How does the arm move off the pin? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated as I’m half way through this job and not sure where to turn next.
Thanks as always
Adam