Steering gear arm bush

[dave_hl]

Hello hello, couldn't find the info i was after by searching.

Finished my last exam today and driving home (car is a 280zx) noticed my steering clunked, turns out the the gear arm (as my hayes referes to it as) is loose, i think it's just a bushing that's needed. (Where it attaches to the side of engine bay not cross rod end.)

 

My question: is there a more common name this arm is referred to as? can't really seem to find anything about gear arms on auszcar or any bush kits. Seeing as the remainder of the bush crumbled in my fingers when i unbolted the arm it might be best to do other bushings too i guess!

 

cheers.

[dave_hl]

so i worked out that arm is also called a pitman arm.

 

Read a few posts regarding best places to purchase complete bushing sets, I only wanna do the steering linkage for now as i'll probably put new springs in in the near future and i'll play round with those bushings then. But is it possible to buy bush kits just for the steering linkage. Also how hard is replacement of bushings? Do the kits tell you where each one goes!? I don't really feel like completing a which-shape-fits-in-which-hole puzzle.

ta

[dorifticon]

HI mate

 

I have nearly finished replacing all the bushes in my 260z 2 seater, so I may be able to help.  Do you mean the steering coupler (round rubber deal with 4 holes)?

 

Anyway if you have photos I may be of assistance.

 

Andrew

[dave_hl]

nah it's not that one, it's underneath. This is an exploded diagram of it. (number 14).

http://nissan4u.com/parts/280zx/us_s130/1979_1/type_17/axle_suspension_and_steering/steering_wheel_steering_linkage_steering_column_shell_cover_and_steering_transfer_gear/illustration_5/

 

I guess i'll just buy a complete set and do the others anyway. Not really sure a) what i need in the set and b) what a good or bad price is. found this on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220329422791&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

postage is about 75US ontop of that.

[dorifticon]

That's a good price for a nolathane bushing kit, roughly what mine cost from MSA and I didn't get sway bar end links (just the bushes).

 

With the $AUD really strong now, it represents good value.

 

In terms of matching up the bushes, it is intimidating when you open up the box of nolathane but once you get under the car you will find that the bushes can only sensibly go in one place.  Mine had some labels but they were pretty vague (referred to things like c-arm, a-arm, etc etc), so I just put them where they fit.

[dave_hl]

sweet, he reckons he might be able to do it for less postage anyway. If i get stuck installing them i'll just ring lube mobile or something!

 

But that kit looks like everything i'd need? this is a larger image of it:

http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=987292&image=201040226&images=201040226&formats=0&format=0

 

cheers for the help.

[dorifticon]

Dude, I dunno what help lube mobile is going to be...

 

With mine, I didn't get to use all my bushes, because (it's a 260z) there is a particular issue with getting the spindle-pin out of the rear A-arm.  In the end I decided that it was more trouble than it's worth.

 

I don't know if there are similar problems with the 280, but being a 30 year-old car I suspect similar issues in terms of bolts and stuff being seized are going to arise.  Your main issue is not going to be sorting out where the bushes go, but separating all the components.

 

So, you will need to make sure the car is really, really securely raised up in the air, with a lot of redundancy in the jack stands, jacks etc.  Because you will, more likely than not, need to exert some fairly serious forces with a breaker bar and a good quality socket and extension set.

 

Best of luck!

[dave_hl]

yeah i anticipate their will be hours of frustration involved, but i'll at least be learning in the process. He can post for 53US so thats about 210AUD landed, sounds like a good option provided it does have all the main bushings i'd wanna be changing...?

[dorifticon]

yeah, so that is much cheaper than mine at AUD$280 landed, but remember the dollar was only 82 or 85c or something.

 

As I said, mine didn't have end links but I did get steering coupler, as well as steering rack bushes.  Your rear sway bar mount bushes (the square shaped ones with round holes) look the same as mine, but the front ones (the D-shaped items) seem to have 4 items - so there is either 4 mounts, or they are some kind of 2-piece item.

 

But in any case, if your existing bushes are as flogged out as mine were, it will be a worthwhile investment of time/money.

[dave_hl]

yeah i noticed there was no steering coupler. I'm just second guessing whether the kit has the main bushing im actually after... I just remembered that my hayes is back to front because its for left hand drive 280zx's... so the bushing im after is for the idler arm, not gear/pitman arm. Also bit silly me asking for advice from zed owners who would have rack and pinion steering systems not recirculating ball like the 280zx.

 

Anyway, i'll email him and ask.