Upper Control Arms

[Kyle Keller]

I went to have my tires rotated and balanced this morning and I've had my LT Pirelli ATR's for 15k and they are already starting to cup on the inside a little bit and I get a little vibration at 70mph. The technician pointed out the upper control arm and how the bushing was pretty much shot and that there was no cushion between parts. I've always had alignment issues with my ST and he said that this is probably the problem. He quoted me $400 for parts, labor, alignment, taxes and said that this would resolve any issue with alignments and even help with the cupping/vibration. A few questions are:



1. I have 83k on my 2004, are these bushings wearing prematurely?

2. Anybody else have any kind of experience with this problem?

2. Are they overcharging me? He wants $110 for each control arm from NAPA but I found Dorman control arms for $42 on Summit Racing. So is there a specific control arm I should go with or try and cut costs by ordering from Summit. Ive posted the link for control arms on Summit.



Thanks for the help.

Kyle

 

[swshawaii]

Seems unusual the UCA bushings would wear out before the ball joint itself.

Check out the Moog K8710T and K80068 UCA's with grease fittings. (Amazon, RockAuto)

Major suspension components are not the place to save a few dollars, do it right.

 

[EddieS'04]

Ditto.....



Spend the dollars on moog parts. If you grease them. They should last the life of your trac.

I wont buy any other brand.

 

[Yardsale]

MOOG.



Upper and lower ball joints replaced (with upper control arms) at 118k mi. on my '01 4WD.

 

[POJ Irving]

Kyle...I did both left and right the upper control arm on my ST in May this year just as the Trac was rolling over to 100k and my trac is 02. I had a similar issue, the arms where shot. I purchased MOOGs from Advance Auto parts for about $250. Greased them and installed them myself purely because I wanted to do the work, which was not hard to do, you just have to take your time and care, and also because I have a lifetime alignment warranty which means that even if I got it wrong a bit there is a second option to help me out.



Now that is $150 less than what your guy quoted you all inclusive. So base on that I would say that that quote if it holds up is not a bad price. When I first noticed mine, I got a quote from Firestone and their price was $800 plus.



If the parts being supplied are of good quality I would say that is not a bad price.( Base on my experience) Hope that helps.



PJ

 

[David Ponder]

I need to replaced both Uppers on mine... The right side is a two piece.



Do I need to replace with a 2 piece, or can I use the alternative 1 piece design?

Will either way affect the ability to get the front end aligned correctly?

Any pluses or minuses to single or two piece?



And lastly, those that have done this, did you have any problem with the pinch joint on the knuckle that these go into? IE: any broken bolts, problems, tips etc..



Thanks.

 

[swshawaii]

As previously stated, check Amazon or RockAuto for pricing.

Moog link below explaining two piece vs. one piece UCA's. GL

 

[POJ Irving]

Dave...Examine the bushing on the right hand side, if they are still in fairly good condition, I would just replace the outer part of the arm, that is what I did and I have not noticed any adverse effect with steering or driving. As stated previously I did change the left side as well.



Installation was fine, I had no problems with any of the parts. Make sure you pay attention to what you are doing. Do not over grease!!!!!! If you are going with the one piece right side when you buy or order, make sure they do say "LFH" or "RH" on the arm itself because the one piece "RH" looks very similar to the left side and you won't know the difference until you install it and take it for a test drive.



Good Luck...