W208 Lower control arm bushing
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White 1999 CLKL320
W208 Lower control arm bushing
I just received new poly LCA bushings but had a quick question on doing the job myself. If I remove both of the control arm bushing bolts will the control arm move down far enough to work on the bushing? I realize I will have to use a jack to slowly lower the control arm since it is under spring tension. I'll see if I can do a full DIY writeup while I'm at it.
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From: SoCaL (LA / OC)
E55 AMG (SOLD), EvoSport CLK (SOLD), 2013 GsxR 750 (SOLD)
I'm pretty sure you'll have to use a jack for that. but my question is... do you have the compression tool to remove and replace those bushings?
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White 1999 CLKL320
If I separate the lower ball joint & detach the 2 control arm bolts will the entire control arm come off? I think pressing the old LCA bushing would be a bit easier if I could take the entire control arm to the basement workshop. I have a ball joint separator and new ball joints I am planning on installing. If I can do that and the LCA bushings the same time I would be quite happy.
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White 1999 CLKL320
Last weekend I successfully replaced the drivers side lower ball joint and lower control arm bushing. It took me 12 hours labor but since I know what I'm doing now, the next side will take half that. There are a few tips and tricks I learned along the way. My $10 eBay ball joint separator did absolutely no good. I should have used the Mercedes specific separator but a hammer worked with less force than expected. For the LCA bushing I used a threaded rod assembly and a torch to press the old bushing out. I'll get step by step directions and detailed pictures when I do the passenger side.
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Joined: Oct 2007
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White 1999 CLKL320
Yeah it broke free with a lot less effort than I expected. I had to grind a box wrench so it was thin enough to fit over the top nut of the joint. After that I had a bit more trouble because the ball joint would spin when I tried to loosen it. I know you should be able to use a hex key to keep it from spinning. Even after cutting a 5mm hex key to make fit I had no luck. The hex key did not fit snug so it kept popping out. I ended up using a wrench below the threaded portion of the ball joint to get enough grip to get the nut off. I was happy to see my work was not in vein as the ball joint had quite a bit of play and the LCA bushing rubber was cracked. The car does not wander or shimmy at 40+ as much as it used to and I still have the passenger side of the car to do!
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01 CLK 430
