I have yet to see the upper bushing themselves fail catastrophically but the
upper ball joints can. An experienced shop should be able to do the upper
bushings and ball joint in ~1 hour plus the wheel alignment. Maybe it makes
sense to do both sides. The upper joints sometimes fail long before they
should but if the van is high mileage/age it may be time to do more front
end work. The radius rod mounts need to be done if they have not been done
recently. Lower ball joints need to be checked for play.

The major downside of loose top bushings is the resultant tire wear and
reduced traction/handiling especially in wet weather. Having the tires
changing alignment can make for some unpredictable handing once things get
wet.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Peter Krogh
Sent: Sunday, January 6, 2013 9:38 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Urgency of Upper Control Arm Bushing replacement?

Okay, so question 1 was answered - T3 lugs it is.

But #2 is also an important question. The Upper Control Arm (A Arm) has
loose bushings that are thunking over bumps. An examination shows pretty
deteriorated bushings on the A as well as upper ball joints that have
cracked rubber boots/bushings.

I looked online and saw one narrative of control arm removal that indicated
removal of the bolt to several hours of frustrtating knuckle-banging.  It
also appears that I need to be able to weld the new bushing to the arm.
(Which means take the arm to shop, I assume).  All this makes the repair
less attractive to do right away.

Here's the link I saw:
http://www.vanagonauts.com/Upper-Control-Arm-Bushing-R&R223.htm

I'm wondering what the real ramifications are of driving with a thunky
bushing. Am I in danger of putting excessive wear on an expensive part (like
the A arm)if I put the repair off a few months?  Any safety concerns? I
assume loose steering is at least somewhat of an issue.

Also, any recommendations on needed parts for the repair?  Does the long
bolt generally need replacement?  I assume the washers need replacement. I
also assume it makes sense to replace the ball joint while the thing is
apart.  I'm assuming that I'll just buy the parts from Van Cafe and try to
do this myself, with the help of my mechanic to press in and weld the
bushing.

Peter

>
> Also, I've got a bit of a thunk in the front suspension.  When I
> pulled = the wheel, I can definitely feel play in what I think is the
> front = bushing of the upper control arm (that wishbone-shaped piece
> that = attaches around the to of the shock).  For the record, I did
> have some = of the front suspension bushings replaced, but not this one.
>
> I assume that means that this should be replaces ASAP.  Anyone care to
> = comment on the safety/PIA factor of this job?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Peter=

Peter Krogh
Author, The DAM Book, Digital Asset Management for Photographers Second
Edition May, 2009 www.theDAMbook.com