Bad moog parts

It seems I have also fell victim to the out of spec shims that come with the strut rod bushing kits that they sell. Fixing it is easy, but detecting whether you have one without actually measuring it is not easy. The handling suffered enormously. The only reason I found out that I had a bad kit was because I just rebuilt the entire front end and noticed the strut rods just hanging there. They were so loose they would swing when I pushed on them.

I'm going to email Moog and let them know what's going on. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's run into this. If any of you folks got the bushing kit that connects the strut rod to the frame, you might want to have it checked out.

RE: Bad moog parts

Where did you buy them? I'm in the market for lower control arms, and I figure I might as well do the strut rod bushings too. I've got a ton of front-end problems and have put this off for too long.

I was looking at rockauto.com, but I'm totally confused as to what parts I need or how many to order.

Do the arms come with bushings or do you buy them separately? They do sell the bushings by themselves.

As for the strut rod bushings, do you order one of each and get a pair, or do you have to order two of each?

Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but I figured this was as good a place as any to ask since you just got a set.

In any case I'll be sure to check the lengths of the inner sleeves (I assume that's what you're talking about) before I have them installed.

Thanks.

RE: Bad moog parts

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Where did you buy them? I'm in the market for lower control arms, and I figure I might as well do the strut rod bushings too. I've got a ton of front-end problems and have put this off for too long.I was looking at rockauto.com, but I'm totally confused as to what parts I need or how many to order. Do the arms come with bushings or do you buy them separately? They do sell the bushings by themselves.As for the strut rod bushings, do you order one of each and get a pair, or do you have to order two of each?Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but I figured this was as good a place as any to ask since you just got a set.In any case I'll be sure to check the lengths of the inner sleeves (I assume that's what you're talking about) before I have them installed.Thanks.
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No problem at all. I've rebuilt the entire front end on these cars twice, so I'm getting good at it.

I did buy them from rockauto. And the lower control arms come with both bushings and lower ball joint already installed. It's an excellent item.

As for order quantities, it is a bit confusing. The control arms are sold as "left" or "right", so you know you have to order one of each. As for the bushings, (and tie rods and end links should you ever need them) you actually have to order 2 sets of each - strut rod to frame and strut rod to strut. Otherwise, you end up short, like I did - twice.

Depending on how many miles you've got on your car, you may want to go ahead and do the complete rebuild. At 100K, everthing is pretty much worn out - especially if you've done a lot of driving on bumpy roads. All of the following parts can be had for about $700 from rockauto:

Upper left control arm
Upper right control arm
Lower left control arm
Lower right control arm
(2) end link kits
(2) inner tie rods
(2) outer tie rods
(2) rod-frame bushing kits
(2) rod-strut bushing kits

The work is technically easy, but very laborious. It took me about 6 hours, and I was sore for a couple days.

There is one technically challenging part: removal and installation of the lower ball joint to the wheel knuckle/hub. The bolt comes off easily enough, however the shaft will be stubborn. Being that you will have new ball joints, you can put a monkey wrench on the threads and turn it loose. Installing it will be harder. I did it by using a clamp to drive the conical shaft into the hole, thus preventing it from turning. The lock nut makes it difficult though.

RE: Bad moog parts

My strut rod bushing were replaced last year w/ no event with Moog parts. This weekend my car's scheduled at the shop for likely ball joint(s). Estimate for full replacement of uppers/lowers and the annual four wheel alignment is about $800 complete, parts and labor. Hopefully it may only needs the lowers. I suspect it to be the source of the intermittent squeak from the front end. I guess we'll find out.

RE: Bad moog parts

Thanks for the info Wayne. I had the uppers replaced about six months ago, but they didn't make a bit of difference in the problems I'm having. So I'm going with lowers and strut rod bushings next. If I'm still having issues I'll go with the tie rods.

The problem is difficult to describe, but basically, when you have the wheel hard over, the outer wheel seems to "skip" or trip over itself. I mean it's really obnoxious, the whole front of the car dips. Drives straight as an arrow though, nor does it pull when I hit the brakes.

I took it to one shop and they could get it to do it when driving in a circle, but when they got it on the lift everything seemed nice and tight. They could have tried to tell me that I need EVERYTHING, like the Lincoln dealer did, but they didn't even charge me for the time they spent checking it out. They were baffled (the owner of the place used to own a Mark VIII), so they suggested I buy the parts and they would install them.

Anyway, it's matter of trial and error at this point.

RE: Bad moog parts

As far as the self-locking nut on the lower ball joint goes, there is an easy way to handle that: get a standard, non locking nut of the proper size. Use that standard, non self locking nut to pull the ball joint uo into the control arm and lock it in the taper, firmly. Then remove that nut and install the self locking nut.
I reused the original lower control arms with new bushings in poly-graphite from MN12 and greaseable lower ball joints from NAPA But it takes a good 12 ton press and the proper supports and such for the press.