Hi,

After swapping out my Front Lower Control Arms, I still had a slight 'knocking' sound. Midwest 08 LR3 with about 125,000 miles.

I think the only Suspension component that I haven't swapped out in the last year or so was the Sway Bar Bushings. I had these in stock. Part number for Front Bushings is LR015339. Same part number for both sides - They are identical, for driver and passenger.

I swapped them last weekend.

Good news, that final annoying little noise is gone. Rides very smooth now. Very happy.

Doesn't seem as if I need a new Alignment.

Anyway, I took some photos, showing the old Bushings, and the Tools that I used.

Link to folder with photos -
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...5J?usp=sharing

As reported by many others, the U.S. spec Drivers (left) side 'top' nut that secures the Bushing Bracket is difficult to get to, so I figured I would share my experience.

I was able to get to this top nut quite easily, although slowly, using the following tools, as shown in the photos -

1. 18mm 1/2 inch drive Socket, 6 sided, (although 12 sided would probably also be ok, except more chance of 'rounding' the Nut) which, as you can see, has been ground down. Used a basic grinder - took less than a minute. Reason this is necessary is because otherwise I could not fit the Socket onto the Nut of the top Bushing Bracket Bolt - There's some other piece of car in the way!
2. Attach a short 'wobbler' to the socket. I think I had to use 2 different sizes, at different times. One is about 4cm long when the Socket is attached, and the other is about 7cm long when the Socket is attached. These were purchased from Harbor Freight, and allow a slight movement between socket and handle, so that handle can be moved into position as necessary.
3. Use a small or medium size handle.
4. Undo (loosen) the Nut 'enough' - Enough so that you can still remove the Socket from the Nut.
5. Switch over to using an 18mm Offset Wrench. Purchased as part of a set from Harbor Freight. You will only be able to make very small turns, small movements, but it's definitely not difficult at all. Just need to be patient.

I think I had the Nut taken off in about 10 minutes start to finish.

Fitting is the reverse.

Bottom nut is easy to remove and put back.

Passenger Side, both the Top Nut and the Bottom Bolt (smaller sized head - 14 or 15mm I think) are easy to get to.

Please use lots of penetrating lubricant, ideally a few hours before starting this project, just in case you have nuts and bolts which are seized together with rust - I only let mine sit for about 30 minutes after lubricating, and they came apart ok.

This is not intended to be a complete write-up, but I mainly wanted to share some visuals. Including my old Bushings - You can see how they have worn, at each end. The new ones touch together perfectly, without the 'curved gap' in the rubber.

Good Luck!

Cheers from Simon in Madison, Wisconsin.

 

Thanks Simon. I’ll have to check my bushings if changing the upper arms doesn’t solve my clunk.

 

Form what I have read, with these bushing you will want to go OEM only. Never go URO brand and be cautious of others. Its a high stress item.

 

Anyone done this on an LR4? Same issue, took my 18mm socket and it seems like I'd need to grind away 1/2 the socket to get it to slip on. It's the Front Differential that's in the way. Can that be raised a few inches somehow?

 

I dont recall if it would help, but I think someone else asked about doing it and the answer was no. You can always try and report back. I think grinding a socket down would be quicker and easier. Here is how I modified mine.

 

Looks like you used 3/8 socket?

 

Correct.

 

I usually remove the diff,/unbolt from the mounting bracket and let it rest there to gain access.

 

For clarity, do you remove (It looks like two) mounting brackets and just let it rest? That seems like it would drop the obstruction (diff.) making the bushing mount bolt more obstructed. I was considering removing the mounting bolts and using a jack to lift the differential an inch... but I wasn't sure the diff. would lift or I would cause damage to the drivetrain. Gonna try the grinding method first. I have an angle grinder, I guess that will do the trick.

 

I remove the 3-24mm bolts that attach the diff to the mounting bracket, they are located behind driver wheel. From there you can use a pry bar to manipulate the diff position to gain access.