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Tools Required for the Job
My Homemade Bushing Press:
I borrowed a balljoint press from Advanced Auto Parts. The part
information is: Alltrade Tools Ball Joint/U Joint Tool Kit, Part No.
648617. Out of that kit I used receiving sleeve and plate. This
tool is free to use, you just have to leave a deposit.
From Lowes I bought: one 3/8" threaded rod 12" in length and
two nuts. Total was around $3.00
From around the house: I used two thick washers and two thin
washers, plus a 2.25" OD washer.
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Secure vehicle on jack stands. I prefer to raise the entire
vehicle, as it's easier to work under. You will need the floor jack
free later. Always use jack stands when working under the
vehicle.
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Remove the rear section of the exhaust. You will have to
remove the mufflers and mid-pipe. If you decide to leave the
mufflers in place secure them so that the tips will not damage
your rear insert.
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Place two shop towels on both sides of the rear cradle, just below
the axle boots. This protects the axle boots from being damaged
when lowering the differential. The boots will rest on the cradle.
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Loosen, but do not remove the rear differential mounting bolt.
Secure the floor jack and wood block under the differential
housing and apply slight pressure. Remove the nuts and bolts
from the front differential mounts. With the mounting bolts
removed, hold the driveshaft and lower the jack. This will allow
the front of the differential to pivot down. With the front of the
differential tilted down remove the driveshaft off the differential
output shaft and secure it off to the side.
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The information for this tutorial is a combination of the instruction provided by Pedders (as I
remember it) and my own experiences. It is meant to be working instructions for the DIY'er
attempting to perform this job at home. These instructions are how I performed this procedure. I
take no personal responsibility for any damage you may incur by following these instructions.
Disconnect the negative battery terminal and place the car in
neutral. The car needs to be in neutral so that you can rotate
the drive shaft to access all the bolts.
Prior to disconnecting the driveshaft from the differential,
clearly mark the orientation of the components the driveshaft
and differential so that the driveshaft can be reconnected to the
differential just as it was before you disconnect it. This way you
can be sure that there will not be any timing or balance issues
later. Disconnect the driveshaft by removing all six nuts and
bolts connecting it to the differential output shaft. Just leave it
in place for the moment. You will push the drive shaft to the
side later.
With the two front bushings visible and plenty of room to access
them, perform the following. Take a small chisel and bend the
edge of the bushing jacket inward. You don't have to bend the
entire edge of the jacket, there is not enough room to access all
sides of it. What you are doing is providing enough contact area
for the 2.25" washer to bite onto when you begin to press it out.
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With one nut threaded about half way down the rod, place the
components on the rod in the following order; thick washer, thin
washer, receiving cap, and receiving sleeve. Slide the rod
through the bushing from the back side of the differential bushing
(the side that was not bent inward).
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CAUTION!!! DO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY WITH
HAMMERING THE EDGE OF THE JACKET INWARD. MAKE
SURE YOU DON'T CREATE A SHARP CORNER THAT WILL
DAMAGE THE INSIDE OF THE DIFFERENTIAL EYELET.
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This photo is an example of how the assembly surrounds the
bushing. This is so you have an idea of what components go
where. The silver piece in the center is an extracted bushing.
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These photos are of the rear bushing being extracted. All the
bushing come out the same way. I used the rear as the example,
because it was easier to photograph.
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With the rod through the bushing place the 2.25" washer, thin
washer, thick washer, and nut on the threaded rod, in that order.
Center the receiving sleeve over the bushing so that it will
not obstruct the bushing when pressing it out.
Center the 2.25" washer in the center of the differential
sleeve, so that it will not damage the differential eyetlet when
pressing the bushing out. Make sure it is biting the edge of the
bushing jacket. Tighten the nuts on the press enough so the
2.25" washer and receiving sleeve remain centered and in place.
With the 9/16" wrench and ratcheting wrench tighten the nuts
of the bushing press, slow and steady, assuring that the 2.25"
washer remains centered. You will hear the pop everytime it
moves.
Repeat for the remaining front mount bushing.
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With the front bushings removed, clean the differential eyelets.
Ensure the inside surface of the eyelet is clean and smooth. If
the eyelet was damaged during bushing removal, you'll need to
repair the surface prior to installing the new bushings.
You shouldn't have any trouble; my three bushings came out with
no issues.
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Install the new bushings in the front eyelets. No special tools are
needed for the new bushing installation. Ensure that you only
use the bushings marked 9167A in the front. There will be four
halves labeled 9167A. Once you have the bushings inserted into
the eyelets, use the provided grease and coat the inside surface
of the bushing. Next slide the metal insert into the bushing and
wipe off any excess grease that is pushed out.
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Align the driveshaft and rubber insert to the differential output shaft assuring that all marks are
lined up.
Jack the front of the differential into place assuring the driveshaft and output shaft line up
correctly, but do not install the nuts and bolts for the front differential mounts or driveshaft.
Remove the rear bushing mounting bolt and pull the rear of the differential down. Remove the
rear mount bushing using the same procedure as earlier. You may have to pry the rear down,
lift the front up or down some, or both in order to gain full access to the bushing.
Again, ensure the inside surface of the eyelet is clean and smooth and the eyelet was not
damaged during bushing removal.
Install the new bushings in the rear eyelet. Ensure that you only use the bushings marked
9167B in the rear eyelet. There will be two halves labeled 9167B. Once you have the bushings
inserted into the eyelets, use the provided grease and coat the inside surface of the bushing.
Next slide the metal insert into the bushing and wipe off any excess grease that is pushed out.
With all three bushings installed jack the differential into place and install the differential mount
nuts and bolts. Torque the differential mounting bolts to 59 ft-lb's.
Install the driveshaft mounting hardware (I applied locktite blue to the bolts) and torque to 85
ft-lb's.
Don't forget to remove your shop towels from the cradle.
Reinstall the exhaust. Lower the vehicle.
All done! I do however highly recommend installing the rear xmember bushing (EP1169) while
you have the exhaust off and the vehicle in the air.
Time required to complete the job: ~2.5 hours
Perform at your own risk!
