what are some of the symptoms they will create? What kind of symptoms would worn out body mounts cause?
Worn bushings will clunk when putting the car into drive or reverse in a worst case. Mainly just creaking and squeaking. What sort of problems are you experiencing?
Same experience as Jason here. Lots of clunking especially in slow parking or turning situations. If you think they are original then they are worth replacing. Lots of work. I have done several and they always give me fits but I get it done.
Frequently, but not always, when the body twists such as when when turning into a driveway which is higher than the street I hear a "crack" noise. To me it sounds just like it did when the rear control arm bushings needed replacing. Body mount? Also have periodic shimmy. That's why I thought maybe it was the control arm bushings. All steering mechanism seems tight. What about lower ball joints? Uppers are new. I wonder if the same problem is causing both symptoms. o No: o No:
Put a jack under the lower control arm. Get a long prybar and a block of wood to act as a fulcrum. Have someone put the bar under the tire and pry up as you watch for movement in the joint. There should be no play at all. Worn control arm buxhing are easy to spot. If you look at the control arm shaft that goes through the bushing, the shaft should be centered in the bushing. With a worn bushing, the bushing looks offset from the shaft
for what its worth, i just bought a van with a worn control arm bushing. the thing would suddenly pull right at about 30-35mph! I didn't have the time/patience to change out the whole thing, so i just tightened the giant nut on the giant bolt that runs through the bushing, and that was enough to keep it from pulling at speed. still 1/4" bushing-on-shaft play, but it's almost not noticeable. the 'crack' sound you're getting sounds like a worn sway bar end link(s), which can be a real PITA! the shimmy could be worn tires. rotating tires is free and easy! :TU: if the problem persists, jack the front end up. wherever you're getting play, that's probably the problem. good luck! :beers2:
Sway bar, sway bar bushings, and links are all new. Tires are relatively new and the front ones have been balanced 3 times by 2 different shops. I need to get those control arm bushings checked out. Maybe the "crack" noise is the same as the "clunk" noise you guys are describing. Anybody else have any ideas or suggestions.
here's the big question- are the Buick rallys you have original or aftermarket/ repros? The difference being is that the repros you cant balance through the center hole, you MUST balance them through the lug nut holes. Also make sure you find a shop with a diagnostic balancer like a Hunter Road Force or a Snap On BFH 800 or 1000 series that can determine radial and lateral runout of the wheel and tire
They are original Buick rally wheels but I wonder if I shouldn't find sombody who can balance those using the lug nut holes for mounting. Sometimes I'm not sure half these "mechanics" at these shops even know how to properly balance and tire and wheel.
Howz about excessive tire wear? And I mean real excessive! I went through two sets of tires real fast in my GSX with totaly wasted bushings. They were metal to metal - not a lick of rubber left.
X2 Been there, done that. Easy way to check for loose bushings is to jack the car up by THE FRAME and when the tire is off the ground pull back and forth on the top of the tire. It should be obvious.
If the toe is out by an 1/8 of an inch, its like dragging the tire sideways 28 feet for every mile. They can wear down like erasers if its really whacked out
