Oops...I annihilated a control arm

[jg09]

First off, let me say this: Outbacks do not enjoy being slid into concrete berms sideways at 30 mph. My rear driver side wheel now has way too much positive camber (can you say 20 degrees??) and waaaaay too much toe in (again, about 20 degrees) because the lower control arm is now kinked. As far as I know, it's only the lower control arm and nothing else damaged. My question is this: any special tricks I need to know before I replace it? The car was towed to my house and I'll be doing the work myself.

And surprisingly, there's a rock about the size of my pinkie finger in between the wheel and tire bead and it's still holding air!!! :shock:

Pics will come soon. I don't really want to get under the car quite yet (it's snowing and cold).

[SilentRacer]

Yes, there is a bushing that goes into the control arm that needs to be pressed in. Save time and money by buying a control arm with it already inserted.

[jg09]

That's what I'll be doing. I'll see if I can find one in a junkyard. Will the strut need to come out when I take off the control arm?

[Black Sunshine]

You're lucky it is a stamped steel part, the cast ones don't bend, they just transfer the energy. I bought a parts car once because of this. The control arm had caused the frame to shear apart and roll under. I took the control arms off of it and used them! (I was paranoid around curbs)

[jg09]

News flash: I've been having a brain fart and have been calling a lateral link a control arm. Just ordered a new one from Bellingham's Dewey Griffin's Subaru for $74.95, plus an additional $5 for rush shipping so I can have it by this weekend. No way am I not having it installed by the time that I have to go back to school next week. I've ridden the big yellow shame train enough!

[decke48]

good to see it going back together. get around to geting some pics

[jg09]

This weekend has come and gone and still no part...grr! They said it ought to be in by tuesday. :eek:

[jg09]

The Outback is back out on the streets!!! (like how I did that? Outback, back out? ah, nevermind).


I replaced the lateral link, which was hella bent! It was bent at about 45 degrees right at each mounting point, then kinked at about 90 degrees in the middle. It's still in the back of my car, I'll try to remember to take a pic of it. One of my concerns, though, is that the wheel is still obviously kicked forward a little in the front. It's not noticeable on the road and there are no symptoms saying that something is wrong, but it is still slightly off. I'm hoping an alignment can cure this problem. My steering wheel is now also off center. It must be turned a few degrees to the right for the car to go straight. I also finally saw the damage done to the rear passenger side door grab handle. The person who stupidly wasn't wearing their seat belt grabbed onto that and pretty much tore it off the door. I think the electric window switch is still in good working order, though.

[sexystover]

kicked forward means your caster is off and thats why you need to have the wheel turned to go straight

[jg09]

That'd be toe angle. I had the local alignment guy just push in the back of the tire where the toe adjustment is all the way in and he inspected the rear suspension (which he did for free, Dave Bailey, you're the man!). Something else is bent. I'm just going to replace all the other links and the control arm together. It's still driveable now.

[97legacygt]

You can still drive it if you don't mind destroying your tires. :smt012

[jg09]

Right now, it's the camber that's off. Too much negative, but not bad. The toe is close, but there's barely any clearance between the tire and the control arm on the left side, and I can get my hand between the right side tire and control arm.

[decke48]

http://shogun.shafted.com.au/temp/post.gif

[sexystover]

i ROFL every time someone says toe makes the car pull, if ur toe is off on just one wheel the car will still go straight as long as ur caster or camber arnt off, toe just exagerates other problems such as caster and camber, yes it is true that if both tires are equally off on toe to one side you will have to have the wheel turned but if its only one tire off it wont affect it if caster and camber are correct