I don't get it. There is no donut gasket, just a plain 3 layer gasket. That is "old fangled" in my mind.

 

just did this yesterday. wasnt a bad job just a little hard putting the rear bushing back into place. take off the tie rod end i know that u dont have to but makes the job easier!!

but now my steering wheel is ****ed to one side. alignment time. car drives straight and doesnt pull under easy nor hard braking?!?! also have a chattering noise. any ideas?? can the chattering be brake pads? they have about 20k NY driving. already did the hubs last year.

THANKS!!

 

The chatter could be tire scrub as you do mention you removed the tie rod, it may not pull but the tire will cup on the inside or outside depending on which way you went from the previous LCA in place.
under normal conditions if the front end has not been aligned with the bad LCA bushing, then you can replace the LCA and maybe get away without an alignment.
You threw that out the window when you removed the tie rod end and replaced the LCA which just means a simple center the steering wheel and point the tires in the correct direction.
Then worry about the brake pads if there is still that chattering after the alignment

 

That's what happens when get an alignment and the tech doesn't look for bad bushings. Once everything is back to good parts and a good alignment it should not need adjusting unless you hit a curb. The ONLY adjustment available is toe, unless somebody has added a camber kit.

I hope you did both sides before you get aligned or you'll be back to the shop with your $100 bill in hand.

 

Oh, removing the strut mounts is what would make it easier. I'm not sure how the tie rod end would effect the geometry.

 

great point Don, I have always replaced in pairs, and if the LCA bushing is shot then the ball joint gets replaced at that time, now remember, I drilled out my ball joint rivets and replaced the ball joint with a Moog greaseable part and pressed out my old bushings and pressed in new Moog bushings, so I shouldn't have a problem for a while.
I have replaced LCA's for a couple of HHR people up here, and they purchased the complete LCA from Primechoice and from GM dealer, easy job the 2 nd and 3 rd time !

Don the tie rod end would effect the toe in , or out! and a couple of degrees either way can scrub down a good tire in a short time.

 

I meant the ease of install. I know how fast the toe affects tire wear. When I did my LCAs the toe ended up being off thankfully the tires were already close to end of life. 1000 miles made noticeable wear.

 

Oh, for ease of install for the LCA's first I slide the rear bushing into the pocket for it and then I install the front two bolts of the front pivot bushing, then the ball joint , this requires some movement of the strut , I then slowly jack the ball joint end of the LCA till the rear LCA bolt starts to thread into the captured nut in the frame.
I torque the rear bolt first then the front 2 bolts, then the ball joint retainer thru bolt.

 

Takes a lot less muscle to remove the 3 strut mount nuts, then the strut swings freely. I didn't notice that until pair number three.

 

THANKS FOR THE INPUT GUYS!! I APPRECIATE IT!!!

yes, i did both sides. i wasnt going to remove it, the tie rod end, but in a video i saw i noticed the guy do that and plus i thought it did not effect the alignment. it made it easier to put the LCA back in place. are you talking about the 3 bolts for the strut under the hood? i thought if u loosened those you definitely need an alignment? hmmm

well the method that i used was the same. put the rear bushing in then caught the 2 bolts and slid the ball joint in.

i guess im getting an alignment this weekend. the car will remain parked until then. well last time that it was aligned was about 2 years ago and i occasionally drive it in brooklyn and queens, not the best road surfaces. maybe i would have needed it anyway. but i think that i may had an issue then with the LCA's.