2012 Legacy Front Control Arms

[colinmi]

For me, today's project was replacing the front control arms on my 2012 Legacy 2.5 CVT Limited with about 80k.  It went well and I want to share a few observations with those who may be doing something similar in the future.

 

1.  The large bushings in the rear of the arms were cracking and not feeling as tight as they should any more.  The dealer wanted about $450 to replace them and do an alignment. ( I do like my local dealer but also enjoy doing my own work and spending less money.)  When looking at part prices I saw that complete control arm assemblies were available for about $120 each.  This includes the big bushings, small front bushings and ball joints - along with a fresh control arm.  And this is just a bolt-on job.  I would not have to press them in. (I do like using the hydraulic press but also enjoy keeping it simpler and getting more fresh parts.)  With the money saved on labor, I am getting more new parts and still saving money.

 

2.  It is not a complicated job, but removing balljoints can be unpleasant and frustrating if you don't have the proper (but simple) tools.  With the money I saved, I found a good reason to buy another good tool.  I got the balljoint puller from Company 23 and it worked very well.  This pulled the balljoint out of the axle carrier easily.  I would even say, it made this step uneventful. 

 

3.   Before that step though, the tapered end of the balljoint had to be popped out of the old control arm.  For this I just used a big balljoint separator I got off the rack at the local Advance Auto store for about $25.  I ground the 'U' opening a little wider and it fit nicely.  It made quick work of it and a nice big pop when the taper came loose.

 

4.  A tip when installing the new arm.  Get the bushings bolted in first before pushing the new balljoint into the axle carrier.  Things line up more easily.

 

5.  Use fresh hardware.  New bolts and nuts don't cost much, are nicer to work with, will be less rusty next time you have to touch them and are safer.  This is especially true for lock nuts, they should only be used once - after that they are pretty much just plain nuts.

 

6.  I put some antiseize paste on the unthreaded shank of the bolts.  Next time things should go even more smoothly.  I considered putting a little bit inside the axle carrier that pinches the big end of the balljoint.  Putting it on the taper end would definitely be bad, but on the other end seemed like it might be more OK.  In the end though I did not, because I forgot about it in the heat of reassembly.  

 

7.  I masked off the bushings and balljoints and sprayed the new control arms with clear wheel paint. In case it is many years before they are replaced again they are less likely to be compromised by rust.  It also makes them shinier.

 

Fresh Hardware - genuine and proper from a dealer

Balljoint Separator - ground a little wider

Old Stuff - only about 5 years old and 80,000 miles but gets rusty 

The label on a complete arm assembly

Nice and Shiny.

[forester2002s]

Nice write-up. Thanks for this.

[idosubaru]

Why was it replaced?

 

Those ball joint separators break on really bad ball joints but yours being replaced should be a breeze if there even is ever a next time.

[colinmi]

The rubber in the bushing was cracking and while it was not really sloppy yet, it felt like it should be a little tighter when driving.  I didn't realize how much better it could be until I drove it last night with the fresh bushings.  It is noticeably more precise and has much better road feel.

Edited May 28, 2017 by colinmi

[keith3267]

Its a shame the way they have made one of the most reliable and durable parts of a car into something that is more "consumable".  Control arm bushings used to easily last 20 yeas or more.  But just a tip here, get a small pitman arm puller.  It can be used to remove any ball joint or tie rod end on just about any Japanese vehicle.  It is very rugged as well.  About the only tool for this that is more durable is a pickle fork, but the small pitman arm puller is far easier to use.

[idosubaru]

Yeah removing the ball joint from the control arm is the easy part. Out of the knuckle can be the part that no tool can manage on 1 out of 20 rusty Subarus. If you're not dealing with those then yeah, no big deal.

[colinmi]

The way the pinch socket in the knuckle readily collects water and salt makes the ball joint really rust in there.  Sealing it is not too practical, but what is thought of some antiseize paste when assembling?  The pinch bolt is in the groove and makes it more than just friction holding it in.  What is the engineering here?  (Assuming there are no lawyers present.) 

[idosubaru]

I always use antiseize. I've still seen them more difficult to remove than id hope only a few years later. It ends up clumpy and dried up like clay and coagulated in certain areas and absent in others. Doesn't seem like it's doing much. Certainly should be done in rust prone conditions though.

 

And truthfully in rust prone areas if they're that bad to start - that's probably not the only rust on the vehicle and they're very unlikely to survive another 10 years anyway, where they'd have long enough to get really bad.

 

Maybe over 10 years they wouldn't rust so bad the ball joint rips out of the ball and needs chiseling and drilling to remove the remainder of the ball out of the knuckle (the really bad ones), I haven't seen any with enough age to say that doesn't happen or it does.

 

Maybe the question is - if there's existing rust is that likely to progress some regardless of external intrusion?