how to remove rear spring insulators
03-02-2019, 08:00 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
how to remove rear spring insulators
Since I bought my 95, I knew that rear spring insulators - specially the passenger side was in dire need of replacing.
passenger side
Driver side isn't that bad, but still gonna replace it
So I bought Polyurethane replacement from energy suspension(part# 32123G).
So I went to replace it today, and I couldn't get old one off.
I thought if I jack up the rear high enough so that both rear wheels are off of ground, would remove the tension off of leaf spring, and allows me to take old one off relatively easy.
Well, I guess I was wrong, and that rear must be still under load.
I looked in to service book, and it says to use SST J33432-A to compress the spring(which I presume J33432-A is some sort of spring compressor?)
regardless of what it is, I need to find the way to compress the spring enough to take the tension off so that I can take off the old insulator.
What sort of trick do you guys use to do just that?.
passenger side
Driver side isn't that bad, but still gonna replace it
So I bought Polyurethane replacement from energy suspension(part# 32123G).
So I went to replace it today, and I couldn't get old one off.
I thought if I jack up the rear high enough so that both rear wheels are off of ground, would remove the tension off of leaf spring, and allows me to take old one off relatively easy.
Well, I guess I was wrong, and that rear must be still under load.
I looked in to service book, and it says to use SST J33432-A to compress the spring(which I presume J33432-A is some sort of spring compressor?)
regardless of what it is, I need to find the way to compress the spring enough to take the tension off so that I can take off the old insulator.
What sort of trick do you guys use to do just that?.
03-02-2019, 08:24 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Dec 2005
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I just use a small floor jack and a piece of 2x4. Try to catch the metal plate when jacking it and not on the composite material itself. Bottle jacks work well too...
03-02-2019, 08:26 PM
#3
Le Mans Master
Car on jack stands with suspicion at full droop. Using floor jack and a block of wood raise end of spring just high enough to take nut off bolt.
03-02-2019, 11:56 PM
#4
Race Director
with both posts above.
03-03-2019, 10:50 AM
#6
Pro
I've heard people complain about poly bushings on these cars. not sure what application exactly but I hope you post results after your done with how you like them. ps be careful. that spring has a bunch of tension on it. make sure jack doesn't slip out.. it's pretty easy job, you'll just be surprised of amount of tension. don't knock off stands jacking.good luck
03-03-2019, 12:37 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
been doing it these ways since the 1980's. quick and it works.
03-03-2019, 01:55 PM
#8
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Dec 2005
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I've heard people complain about poly bushings on these cars. not sure what application exactly but I hope you post results after your done with how you like them. ps be careful. that spring has a bunch of tension on it. make sure jack doesn't slip out.. it's pretty easy job, you'll just be surprised of amount of tension. don't knock off stands jacking.good luck
03-03-2019, 11:06 PM
#9
Le Mans Master
Yeah, poly on these bushings has almost no disadvantage to rubber. Poly sometimes squeaks in applications where it has to twist (control arms and other suspension links). But that isn't an issue on the spring end links. Besides, I'm not sure rubber bushings are even still available. So no worries with poly. To the OP, I've had a set of poly bushings in this location deteriorate too. So check them once a year and be prepared to replace them again eventually. At least they're cheap, and you'll know exactly how to do it the next time!
03-05-2019, 06:15 PM
#10
Instructor
Thread Starter
I've heard people complain about poly bushings on these cars. not sure what application exactly but I hope you post results after your done with how you like them. ps be careful. that spring has a bunch of tension on it. make sure jack doesn't slip out.. it's pretty easy job, you'll just be surprised of amount of tension. don't knock off stands jacking. good luck
As MatthewMiller mentioned, where twisting motion occurs(i.e. A arms, and sway bar bushing), its gonna squeak. Specially when its cold. The white jizz looking lube they provide do not like cold weather. I think if they come with some sort of grease nipple to lube them periodically, that may help. I do remember some mazda peeps would add grease nipple to A arms, but I'm not sure how they did that.
I think in my Miata's case, other then the squeak, I had no real ill effect. quality of ride did bot diminish, as far as suspensions are concerned.
But with that being said, they do make your ride more harsh - noise as mentioned, and some polyurethane bushing will transmits more vibrations in to a cabin.
I can feel what rear differential was doing at every turn as poly bushing did unmute it(so to speak)
I replaced both torque arm and transmission bushing on my old 93 Camaro Z28, and 97 T/A, and those two bushing transmit quite bit of vibration in to cabin...