I absolutely LOVE my '93 Dakota 3.9! It has just been a joy to drive since I got it in '97 with 43K miles on it. I rotated tires on it yesterday, and noticed the control arm and various other bushings could use some replacing. I am fairly decent shade tree mechanic, but wonder if anyone here has done this job? Any things/tools I should know about, potential problems I might run in to?

It's a 2WD.

Thanks!

 

Only thing I can tell you is that most people say to stay away from the poly bushings unless you are offroading, but I have never tried them myself. They are pretty fairly priced though.

 

Thanks, I don't do any off road stuff. I've been pricing some at Summit, etc, and they are cheap enough. I'm just a little concerned about difficulty of doing it. If I had it done, I think labor would probably be very high for this job.

 

If you have all the right tools, it is not very difficult. The hardest part will be getting the old sleeves knocked out. Look in the service manual before you attempt this job, so you have an idea if it is a job you want to do or not.

 

The "problem" with poly bushings is that they transmit way more noise and vibration from the suspension than the stock rubber ones. Whether or not that's objectionable is up to you.

 

Didn't know that, Tom, thanks! I'll try to get rubber bushing then. The original ones have lasted 20 years.

 

Do let us know how this goes, if it's doable in you own garage then I really need to look into it and save myself $700 in shop labor

 

Is yours 2WD or 4WD? I've done the bushings in the front end on a customers '94 2WD Dakota. The upper ones aren't bad to do, the lower ones suck *****. The crappy part is holding the spring in place/compressing the spring while you line up the lower control arm to the frame to get the bolts back in. I did it on a lift. Doing it on the ground could suck because you might not have the clearance to get a long enough pry bar at the right angle to put the leverage where you need it. Good luck.

A.J.

 

I just did the ones on the upper control arms in my 92' 4X4. They were pretty much worn down to the metal. As somebody mentioned earlier, the most difficult part was getting the bushings out of the control arm without damaging it. I had to heat them a bit and press them out. Other than that, they weren't unbearable to do on the floor. Just need one jack stand on the frame and a jack under the lower arm if it's a 4x4. I think the 2wd is completely different though.

 

Thanks guys! I read that you are supposed to leave the metal bushing casings (?) inside the arms, just remove the rubber bushings and reuse the casings. Oh me, I ain't so young anymore, crawling on ground working on my truck is something I like to do - BUT me old bones! I'll see how it goes. I plan to do this job this coming summer. I'll try to post photos when I do it.