Disco 1 Radius arm bush replacement

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Saline0809

Member
Posts
31
Location
Margate, South Africa
Hi all,
I am needing to replace the Radius arm and panhard rod bushes on my 1996 D1. As I need to send it to the engineers to have new bushes pressed in , my question is can I remove both radius arms and panhard rod at the same time without causing any issues or should I be doing them one at a time?
Thanks
Steve
 
You can but you just need to be aware that you have to jack and then support the chassis and then be very careful as the axle is very heavy, and awkward, plus I wouldn't want to let it dangle on just the shockers!
So if it were me I'd stabilise and support the axle too, either on axle stands or yet more jacks.
Be prepared to have to use ratchet straps to help you reposition things so that you can get them back on!
 
Saline0809 said:
Hi all,
I am needing to replace the Radius arm and panhard rod bushes on my 1996 D1. As I need to send it to the engineers to have new bushes pressed in , my question is can I remove both radius arms and panhard rod at the same time without causing any issues or should I be doing them one at a time?
Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...
Only one side at a time, then is just a bit of DIY logic to refit, as the axel will have moved a few millimetres what ever precautions are in place.
 
I did my Defender and did one part at a time, think its asking for aggravation dismantling it all at one go.
Did my son's Ninety bushes without any special tools at home, hard work but had plenty of time as we were in lock down!
 
Have you considered doing the job yourself? It can be done via a "bush fix" method so could save you money and you would only have to remove one at once.

I have done both mine at once as I changed an axle case. However, when I changed my axle case my steering went slightly out of alignment (off centre) so something to consider.

Depends if you have a bit of a tool kit and some DIY knowledge.
 
engineers? you not got a vice? use supapro poly .....simples
One side at a time and use a podger, a jack, a mallet, and a mate.....
Check out trailerfitters tool box on you tube, chris has a how to guide.....
or see my build thread on here, I did not need ratchet straps just used axle stands and a jack...
 
Just a note, the radius arms come in two different widths, so if you are purchasing these yourself make sure you get the right ones. I think the change came between 200tdi (being the slightly thinner ones, to the 300tdi being slightly wider. (I swapped from a 200tdi axle case to 300tdi and I had to also swap to the wider radius arms because of this).

Also worth considering changing the bolts too. I think the nuts are nylock.

The bolts I believe are very tight, I think just under 200nm, which is tight under the vehicle. From memory I think you do the final tightening with the wheels on the ground so at least you are not swinging on it with the vehicle on stands. I think the bolts are 24mm, but again worth checking. I know I was grunting by the time the torque wrench clicked!

Have a look at some videos of how to do the job so you know what to expect. I didn't need a ratchet strap to align mine but I did have a large screwdriver to use as a podger as you don't want damage the threads forcing them through.

If you have questions just ask on here. Lots of knowledgeable folk with good advice. If you decide to fit the bushes yourself, again just ask for hints and tips.
 
Thank you all very much for the information, I would prefer to change the bushes one at a time but was under the impression that a large press was needed to do that. The LRTV vid shows easy enough way to remove them but getting them in seems a bugger.
Any links to how to do that without a press would be great ! I have a fair amount of tools and equipment on hand but not a press!
 
I have done mine a number of times and had access to a 20 ton press that made the job easy

If I remember correctly a 20 mm socket fitted perfectly on the rim of the bush as you don't want to press on the centre bush at all - don't ask how I know

Then it's worth it to replace the bolts at the same time as they also wear a bit and given the brits stupidity of throwing salt on the roads I imagine rust is an issue

I bought 2 extra second hand radius arms so I could do them both at the same time as the first one always took 2 hours of jiggling to get in place and the lessons learnt on the first side made the second side a 15 min job
 
You can use a long bolt and nut and some large sockets as spacers and wind the bush into the arm, hard work though. Its worth paying your local garage to press them in.
 
I'd say if you can, get yourself a 20 ton press and you'll be set for a thousand other jobs besides this one. They are affordable (€200), take very little space and you also get a 20 ton hydraulic jack in the process. I got one when I needed to change the bushes on the Watts linkage and for such a rudimentary tool, is worth its weight in gold.
 
I did the job one radius arm at a time, to try and avoid too much disruption on the axle. Taking the bushes out I drilled the rubber, as they wouldnt press out, and used a big hammer and chisel, that I had sharpened a cutting edge onto it with a bench grinder. Then beat out the bush. Pressing the bush in is pretty straightforward, with a press.

+1 on finding someone to do the job if you dont have the tools or ability.
 
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