I am in the process of putting in a new tranny in my ta. I was looking at the torque arm mount and seen that it is in need of a new bushing. My question is how do you get it out and install a new one.It looks as if you have to grind those lil pins down that hold it together, almost like rivets, and install bolts when you put a new one in. And when i do get the bushing, i was wondering what the advantages of polyurethane is.Thanks.

 

The advantage of polyurethane is that it is stiffer than rubber and offers improved handling since it deflects less. A side effect is that it can also cause a bind condition in the suspension. For a torque arm I would prefer to replace the torque arm with an aftermarket unit that uses a slide joint at the front like the ones available from Spohn.

 

im just gonna use the stock one, i dont have the money for anything else. I still need to know how to replace them, or should i say, get the bushing out, and then back in correctly.

 

I removed the entire torque arm bushing mount from the tranny, and drilled out the studs you refer to. My new poly bushing came with bolts to replace the drilled out studs.

 

there ya go, exactly what i was wantin to hear, Thanks man.

 

Let me say this .... it's a mjor PITA to get the torque arm back in with the new bushing. I had my tranny out at the time, so I drilled the studs, replaced the mount, and put the assembly back on the tranny, and put the tranny back in the car. It was a huge battle to get the torque arm back in the bushing without opening up the entire assembly again under the car. Since metal doesn't slide into poly mount very well, and the new bushing is very tight - I had a struggle. I knocked on the rear end of the torque arm with a hammer and a wood block to get it in.

Lesson learned - get a dab of the poly lube and grease the end of the arm when trying to get it back in the bushing - and tap it gently from the rear, all the while checking to see if it meets up with the hogs head. The only thing harder than getting it in, is getting it back out if you knock it in too far like I did. (Do you get the sense that, if it can go wrong, it ALWAYS goes wrong in my world?)

 

AMEN!

i feel the pain

lol

 

We live in the same world then! It isn't your world it's just THE world!

 

just a quick question... will a bad torque arm bushing cause a vibration?

 

Sure, any bad bushing could cause a vibration. Vibrations are usually hard to track down though, so don't be depressed if you think it's one thing and it turens out to be something completely different.

 

hey thanks TKO i completely agree with that, this vibration just doesn't seem to want to go away. i've tried some things on my 'maro like check fluid levels, change tranny mount, check u-joints, clean off the rust on the driveshaft, and i still have the vibration? besides bushings, what else should i check?

 

your GM parts dept will sell you the inner and outer bushing including a new metal mount for $25outer and $18 inner....no drilling required....just replace.

 

Motor mounts, make sure all bolts in the suspension are torqued to spec, make sure all the wheels are balanced (if you can find a shop that does this on the vehicle that's the best way, but those shops are gettign hard to find).

If the vibration is just from a certain speed to a certain speed then it is probably just natural tire resonance. All cars and trucks have this to an extent. My solution is to turn up the radio...

 

it's not really a noise, but a vibration that i feel in my seat. i can also watch my shifter shake like there's no tomorrow. could this be a lack of engine power? the reason i ask is it seems like the vibration worsens with engine load. my RS has 165k on it and it doesn't smoke and still has all of the smog equipment hooked up.
i'll still check engine mount and suspension as well as tires. thanks

 

LOL - vibrations! Good Luck! LOL
OK - some other possibilities -

BAD TIRE - check the tires to see if there are any bulges or creases in the sidewalls

BENT RIM - would be checked when wheels balanced

DRIVE SHAFT - If you've removed, maybe it needs reinstalled 180* - they should be marked before removal and installed the same way, otherwise the balancing is off - Bad U-Joints also a possibility

FRONT SUSPENSION - check ball joints, tie rod ends, and steering idler arm (I think that what's it called) - it's an arm that connects at pass side fender below battery to the steering linkage - all these things are cheap (15-25 each) at Autozone, and Autozone has "loaner tools" for things like ball joint removal tools

IF YOU GO into the front suspension, I HIGHLY recommend the WONDERBAR addition while your there, and even if your not, do it anyway. I had bad ball joints, that I didn't even know about, until I put wonderbar on - I INSTANTLY KNEW on first drive. $50 look above at ads (TDS) - VERY VERY worth $50 - it will instantly let you know when if there is something else bad, and it will save the power steering box (which tends to break/crack where it mounts due to the stress on it with parking lot (tight) turns. Every Fbody should have had one!

TRANNY MOUNT - not hard to replace, need to jack up car, jack up tranny, remove and replace mount - be carefull not to let tranny drop far enough to bust dizzy cap on firewall.

BRAKE COMPONENTS - check the caliper pins, clean off rust, replace if necessary, grease them before reinstall so that calipers open back, make sure piston not stuck, pry open pads (forcing piston open) with screwdriver (do not open bleeder valve, just force fluid back into m/c, and be careful not to scar rotors)

WHEEL BEARINGS - jack up car, check for left/right wiggle in wheels - should be very minimal - fronts - easier to change, rears require removing rear end cover and removing axle clips, removing axles, and changing - along with rear end gasket and new rear lube

Anyways, some ideas - good luck - with 2 3rdgens both over 190k miles, I've had my share of vibrations. I'll post others if I think of them.

 

The easiest way to reinstall a torque arm while laying under the car is as follows. Bear with me guys this may be hard to describe. It should also be noted that I am 6'4", so my method may work a little different for you guys that are shorter or taller than me.

You will first need to grease the end of the torque arm that slides into the torque arm mount. Next get under the car and get the torque arm started in the rubber/poly mount, usually 1/4-1/2" will be enough of a start. Now with the torque arm started, lay on your back facing the underside of the car. Place your left foot on the passenger side axle tube, and your right foot on the drivers side axle tube. Next slide a 1/2" drive breaker bar or a piece of strong tubing through the center hole in the middle of the torque arm and firmly grasp the breaker bar with one hand on each side of the torque arm. The torque arm should be right above the center of your chest, you should have a hand on the breaker bar on each side of the torque arm and both feet on the rear axle. Now using your legs push against the rear axle and pull up with your arms and the torque arm will slide right in, you will be amazed how much force you can easily exert on the torque arm to push it in its mount. Removal is "reverse" of installation (all puns intended) Simply turn around and put your feet on the trans cross member, slide the breaker bar through the torque arm hole and pull the torque arm back out, easy as pie!