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A Arm Bushings - can I do it? Any video of it being done??

Buckeye Bleau

New member
It seems that I need new A Arm bushings on my 2013 RTL. The dealer wants over $450 to replace them, I look at it and wonder if I could do this one.

I am sure some of you have done it, any advice, positive or negative are welcomed. Are there any videos out there that you know of for this?

Joe
 
as long as you have access to a press it should be a piece of cake. I would also replace the ball joints while you have it apart, whether they are bad or not. bushings at cheap cycle parts are shown at $13.97 each, ball joints at $45.97 each.
 
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Hey Freddy, I am not looking at the area where this bushing fits, but I have replaced A frame bushings before (in a 1970 ford car) and they are a super "TIGHT" fit to put back into the housing of the A arm assembly, when you pull the links apart (when the bushings are bad) they fall right out, and the new ones almost seem like they will be 1 1/2 sizes too big, which needs to be pressed in - or using a super-size "C" clamp/heavy duty C clamp will press one in if you are careful and have extra hands to help hold the A arm and the C clamp while someone with a cheater bar spins the clamp to press in the bushing!



Most likely need a bigger C clamp than this one, a deep throated C clamp.
 
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All of this, thus far is very helpful. I was not planning on the press, so thanks, also the idea of a super clamp is interesting. I figure if nothing else, there are small shops around, if I take the arms off, bring it to them they will press them in for a minimal charge.

Thanks for the pricing, that is sure a lot less than $450.00.

Has anyone done it as a DIY? Other the aforementioned challenges, is difficult is it to remove and reinstall the arms. I did it on a 1963 Ford Falcon about 100 years ago when I was young and stupid.

Joe
 
I think our friend may nearly be able to do the job with little more than his bare hands, basic tools.and care. :ohyea:

Search should give results.
 
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I think our friend may nearly be able to do the job with little more than his bare hands, basic tools.and care. :ohyea:

Search should give results.

Yes, thanks, I tried to search the topic and could find nothing.

Though I visit here abou every day, and I glean much from the conversations, I find the search function totally uncooperative.

Joe
 
2013? How many miles? Seems strange you've worn out the bushings in 4 years.

There are 28K miles on the byke right now.
I thought the same, but when I took it in for an alignment, they said that it would be a waste of money because of the slop in the bushings on the right side. I said show me. The right seemed tight, the left is loose, not terrible, but it has movement.

Joe
 
Yes, thanks, I tried to search the topic and could find nothing.

Though I visit here abou every day, and I glean much from the conversations, I find the search function totally uncooperative.

Joe

I've found Youtube to be far more likely to have DIY videos than this site.
 
How was it shown to you?

I have a 2014 RT Ltd with 39,000 miles. I would like to assess my front suspension bushings before I trailer it to Arizona in February. I have put the bike up on my 4-post lift and then used a floor jack under the outer strut of the frame to raise the front wheel off the platform. I could not find any slop in the bushings with this approach.

Just curious if this was the set up the dealer (Johnny K's?) used when he showed you your problem?

Thanks
 
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The A arm bushings are easy to replace. Jack up the Spider and block it; Remove the bolts from one A arm at a time; Tip it out, pull the steel spacer in the center bushing and pull out the bushing on each side. To replace ball joints, you need a press or ball joint C clamp.
 
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Looks easy enough
 

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Looks easy enough

:oldpost:

Gordon, firstly, welcome to finally getting your first post up on the boards! :ohyea:

That said, it ALWAYS pays to look at the date on the very first post in any thread you might think about posting anything into; THEN check the dates on the last few posts in the thread too! ;)

In this case, the FIRST post went up in September 2017; and the last few posts before yours were made at the end of that month waaay back in 2017 - about 7 years ago!! So it's well and truly an old post! :yikes:

Not that it's such a bad thing to add to the knowledge base by posting more pertinent info in an old thread; but you shouldn't expect any answers or responses from too many earlier posters! :rolleyes:

And please, another point - if you are adding a post/replying to an existing thread, don't use the 'Title' field at all! 'Post' titles aren't able to be seen by all readers, so anything you put in there won't necessarily be visible to all; and they really mess with the Search facility's ability!! By 'post' titles, I mean the titles on any subsequent posts in a thread; as opposed to the 'thread' title on the very first post in any thread - that very first title that should always briefly try to ask the question, or at least tell us what you expect from the new thread! ;)
 
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You won't need a press for these bushings. The problem is that they need to be lubed on a regular basis. But no one does. They get dry and start to wear. Once that happens, they have to be replaced. I highly recommend using a fully synthetic grease as it will last much longer.
 
The problem is that they need to be lubed on a regular basis. But no one does. Except me. :ohyea: Done every 8,000km (5,000m). :cheers:


Is there a way to do this without dismantling everything and turning it into a fairly major job? That depends on what you consider major. But a 2017 F3 doesn't have bushes that need grease, so you're :roflblack:
 
The attachment that gordon.yee5 shows grease zerks. My manual for a 2015 also show grease zerks.

IIRC, BRP stopped adding the grease zerks after the 2013 models; so while your 2015 manual might show them, does your Spyder actually have them?! :dontknow:

BRP are notorious for issuing poorly updated manuals, often including info that's long been superseded &/or doing dodgy cutting & pasting jobs from year to year &/or model to model so that they often contain a lot of info that just doesn't apply! :banghead:

So just cos your manual shows anything, it doesn't necessarily mean that actually applies to your Spyder year &/or model! ;)
 
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