Just pressed 1 bush in with home made tools- pitman puller, threaded bar, some metal to spread load on the metal part of the bush. I used copper grease on the bush and lithium spray on the thread. It went in quite easily to be fair. Even though I thought I was installing the bush parallel to the axle on final review it looks like it could have done with being rotated clockwise a touch. What do you guys think - remove and start again or am I being too ocd about it and it will work just fine? Cheers
I would leave it and just install the one in the other side at the same angle. That said, if you are worried about it now it can’t hurt to just do it again and get it lined up.
True that is another idea re other side. I think I'm going to back it out as it has concerned me enough to post so will eat me away. It is still greased up and hopefully I'll have something in my bearing set set to push it back out.
When you mount the beam (with bushes fitted) to the brackets at the required 12 degree angle it causes the brackets to be tipped forward from the horizontal and their inner faces come very close to that larger metal 'ear' part of the bush. If you've the bush off center (can't get my head around whether clockwise or anticlockwise will be worse in your case) it may mean at best that gap is lost or even causes it to press against the bracket and physically prevent you adjusting the bracket to the full degrees needed as it's travel is now limited. Here's a tool my son made just for the job, cannibalized the spirit level found in the handle of an old set square. I found it was a bit of a pain of a job as the bolts are to be torqued to 60 Nm, everything wants to shift around applying that sort of effort - a two person operation if like me you're working on the garage floor without access to all the tools.
Thanks Zender, great tool. I am also thinking ahead to the 12 degrees and also how best to make sure I have lined up the brackets- they also came off for powdercoating. Currently I just centralised them on their bolts (there is a slight movement available with the holes on the bracket). Just to update on the bush - I have removed it and am starting again. I had to destroy it to remove it but didn't damage my newly refurbished beam. To be honest the way I feel right now I am probably going to save the hassle and put poly bushes in just so I can move forward. I have run out or threaded bar and have the exact same job to do on my mk3 16v too. Why I thought I'd do both at the same time I do not know.
No worries... you're not the first to say I'm a great tool, so well used to it by now. I did this last year following Bentley, so a little bit cloudy now - I've quickly double checked, but you do the same so as to be sure I've re-read and remembered properly! Check the small end of both bushes project out 8mm from the beam when fitted. Mount the brackets to the beam / bushes at a 12 degree angle and torque bolts to 60 Nm. Offer up the beam with brackets to the car and loosely fit the 6 x bolts. The (UK) drivers side first - center the bolts in the 3 x oblong mounting holes and torque to 85 Nm. The (UK) passenger side last - push the as yet untorqued bracket to the left so that the inside face of the bush and the bracket have a slight gap. When you've satisfied that, torque to 85 Nm.
Haha Zender, you're not a tool honest Thank you for the reply on the Bentley steps. I hadn't got it in my head that the brackets were to be installed on the beam off car and then the whole lot offered up to the car - did I read that right? The Haynes manual doesn't layout any steps in detail
It won’t make a jot of difference. One of ours is off by more than that and if it makes a difference we haven’t noticed it.
That's my reading of it, though no expert and always open to other advice. I'd imagine it'd be an even bigger pig of a job trying to set it up correctly if the brackets were on first. NB. They allow +/- 2 degrees error on the 12 degrees.
Just thinking about the 12 degrees - on a car with lowered suspension, say 30mm, would it not be more than 12 degrees - Would it be better to install semi loose and torque to spec on the ground?
No idea... just quoting what Bentley says is the way to do it when things are standard, doesn't allow for you straying from that.
The lower damper bolt, and the bolt through the axle bush should not be tightened until the weight is on the suspension. Same with front wishbone bushes.
All you do is nip them up gently and then reassemble the rest of the rear end of the car. Then lower it down onto wheel blocks so that you can get under the car while it is carrying its own weight. Then just torque all then bolts as per Haynes / Bentley manuals (or somewhere in between as the two never state the same figures haha).
It's as caddyboet said, the bolt should be just free to turn, personally I'd roll the car forwards and backwards to settle the suspension. That way the rubber in the bush isn't twisted in it's natural state. Working in the motor trade for 3 decades, I don't always have a manual with torque specs, so I have a good feel for what "tight" is.
Sorry, wasn't looking the torque of the bolt, that's 60Nm... was interested in reading any alternate instructions that require the pins to be tightened while the cars weight is on the suspension.
Tristan, I'm going to PM you the Bentley instructions. I'm not publicly posting them as they apparently rain down all sorts of crap on anyone who's found breaching their copyright and neither I nor presumably the forum want that. Unlike you I'm new to this, but even so I've read the manual umpteen times over and don't take away from it the requirement you mention in relation to the rear pivot bolts being tightened with weight on the suspension. I'm maybe putting too much credance on what they say, but for me it's the only reference material I've access to. If there's alternative methods or an improved way I'm keen to learn.
