ryan4096

Yesterday, I had my 2007 GT/CS worked on; a local shop installed J&M LCA and J&M relocation bracket.

I drove it around afterwards, felt great. Drove into my driveway and heard a weird lowtone squeek. Backed out, drove in again, heard it again.

I looked under the car at the LCA's and found a bushing on one LCA seemingly squeezed out of place? torn? not even sure how this could happen ...

http://www.picpaste.com/IMG_3263.JPG

The bushing is definitely squeezed out somehow, I can't even feel the bushing when I run my finger over the top of the LCA, all I can feel is bare metal from the sides of the LCA itself. All the other bushings are even all the way around and I can't feel any bare metal.

Does anyone have any ideas? The shop is closed today, but I'm taking it back Monday morning to have them take a look and fix it.

I noticed in the instructions for the LCA install 'the J&M sticked should not be upside-down' and 'the offset (bigger part of the rear of the lca) should be inwards on the car. Now ... the offset IS inward, but the stick is upside-down. I asked the shop guy about this on Sat before I drove off, he said only the offset needed to be inside and the sticker doesn't matter.

I'm looking for advice on what to ask the guy to do/look at. Also, do I need a new bushing? can I somehow tell if it's been damaged? I drove for 5 miles around the city last night ... spirited though.

Rubrignitz

They torqued your rear down wayyyy too tight, to the point of major overload. It may not be damaged "yet" but not good.

Good job checking your work. Not many do this and leads to disaster later on.

Offset may be fine. they just cranked on your bushing too much. shops will use airtools on suspension components which I think is assinine.

ryan4096

Thank you! I thought it looked way too tight, figured that'd be the only way to manage that. Should I have him take both arms off and put back on and retorque them? or can he do them in place?

I also don't see how the sticker has much to do with the placement, as long as the offset is right ... but in the instructions it literally says 'Once properly installed, the J&M sticked should be facing the outside of the car and not upside down'

I suppose if I make him switch them left to right, he'll have to retighten all the bolts again.

Rubrignitz

Are the rear arms offset or do the bushings/bearings offset? If the bushings.. I shouldn't actually call them bearings but different arms have inserts. The arms are most likely same length etc but the inserts determine right/left? The offset should be inner on the axle side towards the axle.

It looks like they just torqued the rears too tight causing bushing overload.

I call my rod-end components bearings cause thats what they are actually...

Riptide

lol

They make torque wrenches for a reason.

Rubrignitz

I would just back off that bushing preload yourself, and immediately. If they f-ed your bushing up you have pics. Make them pay for your new CA.

Riptide

I know the Steeda's want something like 139 ft. lbs. I wonder just how much they torqued that down.

ryan4096

The arms themselves are welded so they have an offset, the bushings look to be the same size on each side ... like the pic below, you can see on the lower arm in this picture on the right side of the pic that the arm itself has an offset. I figured it'd be hard to screw that part up, and I don't think that the offset would matter if it was 'upside down' as long as it faced inward; which it does.

This is a pic of the arm:

http://www.lmperformance.com/image.asp?p=jm23861&m=225


On a side note, the other thing that is worrying me a bit now is along with this I had him do an adj. UCA also; actually it was a laundry list of stuff, adj tokico shocks, springs, camber plates, lca, adjustable uca, relocation and adj panhard. He's used to doing shocks/struts, and springs, I was referred on that as much ...

But, everything I can see from the underside looks right, nothing else looks squished or installed improperly ... hahaha, however I've never installed @#%$ myself, just been reading the forums for a year since I've wanted to do this.

ryan4096

I printed out color instructions for him ... J&M LCA's wanted 129 ft. lbs.

ryan4096

Heh ... any idea how 'ft lb' per turn? :-) I don't have a torque wrench. I could loosen it until it didn't look squished anymore, but I can't imagine that thing going back into place properly without being removed. Also ... can this all be done with the car sitting on the ground? Or is it possible something could fall on my face? ... and hurt. haha

Also ... can it do damage just sitting there in the driveway, then tomorrow a mile drive to his garage?