lower control arm torque

[awdonry]

Hi guys, I just wanted to confirm torque specs on a lower control arm for a 98 impreza, Also is there a specific way to torque them? Like does the car have to be off the jackstands to properly set the settings?

 

control arm front mount nut/bolt: 72 ft-lb (98 Nm)
control arm rear mount bolts: 181 ft-lb (245 Nm)
control arm to sway bar endlink: 21.7 ft-lb (29 Nm)
control arm to ball joint: 29 ft-lb (39 Nm)
swaybar endlink to swaybar: 32.5 ft-lb (44 Nm)
ball joint pinch bolt (on knuckle): 36 ft-lb (49 Nm)

 

[nvu]

Ball joints and endlinks you can full torque since they can swivel independently.  The bushing bolts should be fully torqued with the suspension loaded.  You can get away with padding wood under the knuckle and raising it with floor jack just until it starts lifting the car.  Figure out how to do this without having to climb under the car. 

The biggest nut for the rear bushing will be a pain to torque on car.  There's no clearance to fit a socket and torque wrench on there.  You can use a special offset socket.  Or finger tighten, put it on car and load suspension with floor jack. Mark the position of the bushing relative to control arm.  Take everything off and full torque.  

[awdonry]

6 minutes ago, nvu said:

Ball joints and endlinks you can full torque since they can swivel independently.  The bushing bolts should be fully torqued with the suspension loaded.  You can get away with padding wood under the knuckle and raising it with floor jack just until it starts lifting the car.  Figure out how to do this without having to climb under the car. 

The biggest nut for the rear bushing will be a pain to torque on car.  There's no clearance to fit a socket and torque wrench on there.  You can use a special offset socket.  Or finger tighten, put it on car and load suspension with floor jack. Mark the position of the bushing relative to control arm.  Take everything off and full torque.  

 

Crap! I didn't not mark anything, I didn't know I had to. I actually removed the lca and knuckle one piece last week since I couldn't split the knuckle off the balljoint. (brought it to a shop for the bearings). What happens if I didn't mark it?

[nvu]

It's the big bushing with the ears.  If you didn't loosen the huge nut, it could be put back on car as is. No need marking anything.

If you did loosen the huge nut, put everything back on car loosely torqued.  Load up the suspension, paint a line straight across the bushing to the arm.   Take everything off and torque the big nut 180ftlb with the paint mark lined up.  You can reassemble the rest pretty straight forward, and load up the suspension again to get the big bushing ears to line up to the chassis.

[awdonry]

  

5 minutes ago, nvu said:

It's the big bushing with the ears.  If you didn't loosen the huge nut, it could be put back on car as is. No need marking anything.

If you did loosen the huge nut, put everything back on car loosely torqued.  Load up the suspension, paint a line straight across the bushing to the arm.   Take everything off and torque the big nut 180ftlb with the paint mark lined up.  You can reassemble the rest pretty straight forward, and load up the suspension again to get the big bushing ears to line up to the chassis.

 

 

oh that nut, I didn't remove that nut. I just did the 2 17 or 19mm at the "ears". My apologies. That nut you mentioned is 180lbs, what about the other 2? I thought those 2 was 181. I can't imagine those being more than 80ftlbs

Edited September 5, 2022 by awdonry

[1 Lucky Texan]

those are also wicked tight. huge pulling and braking forces are on those parts. sry I don't recall the value.

Edited September 5, 2022 by 1 Lucky Texan

[lmdew]

Make sure you start the bolts by hand.  Very easy to cross thread.

[awdonry]

thanks, I torqued those 2 bolts to 80ft lbs, I wont drive it until I find the right spec.

[heartless]

go here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/

find your model and year...

find the appropriate section.

torque specs should be listed

[awdonry]

2 hours ago, heartless said:

go here: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/

find your model and year...

find the appropriate section.

torque specs should be listed

Thank you!

 

I guess 181 +-36 is the correct one. I'll torque it to proper value tomorrow morning. 

[heartless]

6 hours ago, awdonry said:

Thank you!

you are very welcome.

[1 Lucky Texan]

when I did that work, I also went back under the car to re-torque after I drove the car for a few weeks.

 

this is an old thread I put together, pics are gone now I think...some of this may not apply as I was swapping in Prothane bushings. Later, I removed them and put Febest aftermarket in. .https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/lower-control-arm-rear-bushing-transverse-link-replaced-with-prothane-on-03-outback.48910/post-1223905

 

just re-read that, I used 180 for the mount bolt torque (all 4 places) and 137ftlbs for the end nut (2 places).

Edited September 6, 2022 by 1 Lucky Texan