[Josdek]

2002 Aero - Subframe is out of the car. I'm putting the 2006+ versions in the 4 corners and then the original style in the 2 middle positions. So far one of the corner bushings have gone in and one of the middle ones have gone in. I've ruined a middle one and a corner one, on the corner one I ruined the rubber ripped, on the middle one the metal part of the bushing started to crush. I've cleaned the holes in the subframe, filed any high spots and sanded them smooth, lubed them and the bushings with vaseline. It feels like the rubber is just too big to go in the hole/socket on the subframe.

Can I trim the rubber a little without impacting the effectiveness? I'm using the Sealy set of bushing tools with a 1/2" threaded rod and nuts. I've been trying to get this done for a day and a 1/2 and I'm wide open to any suggestions. I think I've read every thread on the topic. Thanks for any input.

 

[unclemiltie]

It's been a while since I did these (but I'm in for another round with the 01 Aero wagon) but the corners went in pretty easily. a bit of grease on the metal parts lets them slide easier. I did mine with a couple of threaded rods and miscellaneous pipe fittings from the local hardware store.

The center ones were a bit more difficult since they have a fiber outer shell. I finally figured out that I was trying to push them in the wrong way, that is I was trying to push on the rubber parts and it was destroying that instead of pushing from the other side on the fiber parts. Again grease helps.

 

[Josdek]

Grease on the metal part - it's the rubber that's getting stuck, I don't even think it's going in far enough for the metal to enter the barrel, if that makes sense. From everything I've read you push them up from the bottom, rubber part goes in first. I know for the corners it has to be done this way because there's a lip on the bushing.

The center ones have a fiber outer shell? I wonder if that stopped after 2001 - mine are all metal. Maybe it's the lubricant, someone somewhere on the web said use vaseline but I can try it with grease and see what happens.

 

[unclemiltie]

There is a lip on the bushing (at least mine for my 2003 had them) so that's the end you push on. you have to get the rubber into the thing you are using to push (I don't remember which way, top down or bottom up since it was a long time ago)

yes, my center ones had a fiber outer shell this was for the 03 Aero and they were a pain in the *** to get in.

 

[Jeremy R.]

It sounds like you may have the wrong center bushings. The 1999-2001 bushings had a metal sleeve, but starting in 2002 they went to the plastic/fiber-sleeved ones in the middle. I've done two complete sets of bushings in the last year. I used a ton of dishwashing detergent both times to liberally coat the entire bushing, both the rubber and the metal parts. They all pressed in fairly easily using a combination of some 3/4" drive sockets, a threaded rod, and some various washers and nuts.

 

[Josdek]

I stand corrected - the middle ones are some sort of fiber, they look metallic but are not magnetic.

I'll try the dishwashing detergent and try it again. Maybe the vaseline feels slippery but just isn't doing the trick. Getting them to stay straight is a challenge, on the fronts you can't really see too well if they are in fact going in straight.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Jeremy R.]

I had the most awful time getting the front bushings in on the first subframe I did. I think I ruined about a half dozen bushings. Good thing they were cheap Lemforders! I eventually noticed two issues on the fronts that were making them much more difficult to press in, especially since you have to do those more or less blind, as you've noticed. The bottoms are slightly domed, which kept a socket from sitting completely flat on them, which then makes it more difficult to get a straight press, and the steel shell was almost perfectly cylindrical. In comparison, the rear bushings have a flat bottom and a metal shell that tapers in noticeably at the top. Once I tried using rear bushings on the front, which have the added benefit of being solid rubber, I got those in on my first attempt, and didn't ruin a single bushing when doing the second subframe. The second subframe has solid rear bushings in all six positions, but that was on a 2000. Starting in 2002, you have to use the plastic bushings in the middle.

 

[Josdek]

Well 5 of 6 are in using massive amounts of dishwashing detergent. The last one, front corner, is being difficult but it'll go in eventually. I tried grease, vaseline, WD40, so far only the detergent has worked. Thanks for your input.