Took my tires to get rotated at firestone since I was getting crazy wear on the front tires.

Put it up on the rack, and all of the lower control arm bushings are gone.

G.O.N.E.

No idea how I didn't feel that through the steering wheel..

Anywho, how much $$ am I looking at?

The tops are still there but no in the best shape in the world.

The ball joints are still good (The tech is used to dakotas and was shocked mine were still good).

Is it just a matter of jacking it up in the driveway, unbolting the rack, releasing the spring, dropping the LCA, and using the loaner tool? Or do you have to break the ball joint and take it all the way out?

 

I cant say I have done them on a Dakota.I have done them on a few other vehicles. Energy suspensions has a kit available.The poly bushings went in the are a bit of a grunt the leaflet included says to use dish soap and a bit of water. My friends wife (nurse) suggested we use NOT JOKING, KY jelly and a bit of water the went in easily. My buddy and I had all kinds of wise cracks all day. When we pressed them in using a long bolt and a couple washer and a nut.

 

just pop the arm off take to a shop have them remove and install the bushings doing them yourself is a pain but then if you dont have the money to pay a shop you can do it but PITA is all I can say.

The bushings are cheap $21 each at the local store like these

 

are you sure they are bad never take a shop for there word jack it up and look yourself this is a big con game for many shops (YOUR BUSHINGS ARE BAD) we want $500 thank you sucker/customer.

Never trust a shop even the ones you trust will rip you off at one time when they have your trust.

 

I don't let a damn shop hand out of my sight if they're touching my truck. The guy was familiar with dakota's and had no problem letting me in the bay with him (not sure if he's allowed to, but....). While it was on the mono-post, he held one front tire and I held the other, pushing and pulling against eachother to check the tie rods and ball joints, and they're all solid. Put the tires back on, drive it over to the alignment jig, lifted it up, and crawled under it after he took the readings. First thing he looked at were the LCA's, and that's where he had me look. They're gone. It's metal on metal. I just can't feel it through the steering wheel.

For reference, 3/4 of a degree over a 15 inch tire radius is a quarter inch of total toe-in.

Front Left:

-0.8 degrees camber
1.6 degrees caster
0.44 degrees toe
11.47 degree SAI
11 degree Included Angle

Front Right:

-1.1 degrees camber
0.0 degrees caster
0.33 degrees toe
8.1 degree SAI
6.9 degree Included Angle

Front Cross Camber: 0.4 degrees
Front Cross Caster: 1.6 degrees
Front Cross SAI: 3.7 degrees
Front Total Toe: 0.75 degrees

Rear Left:

0.2 degrees Camber
0.16 degrees toe

Rear Right:

-0.4 degrees camber
0.21 degrees toe

Rear Cross Camber: 0.6 degrees
Rear Total Toe: 0.37 degrees

 

I’m just surprised your truck wasn’t all over the road if the bushings were metal to metal not to mention clanking around like all Billy hell on you.

I just don’t see it with the bushings gone your ability to steer straight would be impaired considerably it should be like having a bad ball joint clacking popping down the road and your tires should be badly worn on the inside you have none of this going on?

 

Both front tires look like this. Outside is worn to 4/32nd and inside is 8/32nds. Rear tires were 7/32 all the way across. That's the strange thing, my truck doesn't wander or anything, but I have been having all kinds of hell trying to stop straight and without one front tire or the other locking up (presumably whichever one is more inclined at the time?)

 

magnethead

What you going to do have the shop repair it or you going to do it either way take some good pic's of the trashed bushings and how you repaired it I think more is going on than the bushings.

Good luck

 

college kid + loaner tools + $84 of bushings = hopefully at home before school starts up.

I have $12.07 in the bank right now. Can only afford what x-mas money can buy....