The_Ginger_Stig Posted April 5, 2023 Report Share Posted April 5, 2023 I got the mks steering coupler replacement in a while back ago and while it did help with a little bit of slop I felt, but I still get vibrations in my wheel. Diagnosis lead to me discovering a torn idler arm bushing which brings us to the question: Can I get the idler bushing mount out by itself or do I have to pull the entire drag link out? Last time I was under the car I remember it looked like I might be able to just undo the idler arm and its mount but I was asking here to see if anyone has any experience in that area before I go gung-ho and find out I don't have a ride to work As a side note, I have tie rods and ball joints ready to go so would pulling out the idler arm change the alignment enough to warrant doing the rest of the suspension "items" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psu_Crash Posted April 5, 2023 Report Share Posted April 5, 2023 Idler arm is just a pivot point so it shouldn't affect the alignment. Pretty sure I did the idler arm bushings without taking everything apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCuda Posted April 5, 2023 Report Share Posted April 5, 2023 If the idler arm is loose enough it can cause enough movement to effect the toe a small amount but changing it alone won't put you in a bad spot from an alignment standpoint. I'd plan on a day when you can just change it all at one time and get to the alignment shop. Measure your tie rods before you change them so you can get a "ish" setting good enough to drive it to the alignment shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Ginger_Stig Posted April 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 I just got under there and it looks like what I thought was a bushing was just a dust boot. This leaves me thinking maybe there's just play in the steering gearbox??? i get pretty decent vibrations in my steering wheel at like 38 - 46 mph and it goes away at lower, higher, and way higher speeds. The car only has 45k so I wouldn't think the box would be worn out but maybe there's a dead old bushing hiding somewhere? I'll investigate and update as I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsi_tom Posted April 9, 2023 Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 How old are the tires? I had vibrations until I had all the tires rebalanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCuda Posted April 10, 2023 Report Share Posted April 10, 2023 I had vibrations or wobble in my steering wheel also. I had all new tied rod ends and MKS steering coupler already installed. I got new tires, wobble still there. What took the wobble away was a better idler arm(I had another used one that was much tighter) and new lower control arm bushings. I did both of those at the same time and I think the idler was the likely cause for the wobbly. The LCA bushings were worn but they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. This is probably the easiest car to change LCA bushings on since the ball joint unbolts from the arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Ginger_Stig Posted June 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2023 (edited) Sorry for the ~very~ extended reply on this but as life goes things got pushed around and I just got back to it today. The fronts are a few months old and were balanced @tsi_tom. I'm doing all new tie rod ends and ball joints but got stuck after I got both the tie rod ends out ( with sooo much PB blaster and half a propane can ) and realized there wasn't really a way to get the two bolts that hold the knuckle to the strut out with the struts disconnected from the center link because either the knuckle would rotate into the LCA until the LCA bushings started to reallly move, or I'd risk snapping the driver side tie rod connecting piece which is sadly no where to be found to order. Sorry if it's kind of a stupid question Cuda, but I'm not the most well versed in how much stress parts like these can take before they break so would you mind telling me how you got the two bolts that connect the knuckle to the strut out? Also from the FSM it seems like there's a non-reusable locking nut on the top of the ball joint that I can't find the size of so on the rare chance anyone has it written down or magically knows it please do tell. In regards to that nut as well, all the hardware stores around me only have grade 2 self lockers would that be okay? phew, what a wall of text sorry for all of that Everything is out and I'm on my way to doing a decent alignment tomorrow to get it a shop. Will update as I progress Edited June 10, 2023 by The_Ginger_Stig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Ginger_Stig Posted June 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2023 The car feels absolutely amazing after everything mentioned has been replaced and I'm absolutely jealous of anyone who got to drive these cars new. Steering feels like butter and incredibly responsive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts