Fiesta rear suspension bush replacement

[Nick67GT]

Mrs. GT has a 14 plate Fiesta which needs the rear suspension bushes replacing before presenting it for its next MOT. I’ve had a look on YouTube and it doesn’t look too bad a job. (Bearing in mind that you’re only one sheared or seized boit from a 12 hour marathon)

Has anyone changed these before and can pass on some tips? Particularly the need for a special tool to press the new bushes into the suspension arm. Should I also buy Ford parts to eliminate possible any agro from pattern parts?

Finally, whist I’m at it, is it also worth replacing the rear springs?

 

[grim_d]

The trailing arms bushes? A bit of a pig but only because the plastic housing on the new bushes was very easy to deform when pressing them in. Genuine parts may be better.

I cut the old ones out with a hacksaw IIRC.

You don't need a special tool as such but you will need some way of pressing them in even if it's just a couple of plates and a bit of threaded rod with some nuts. Plenty of lube on the new bush.

To be honest, rather than buying/using a tool and mucking about pressing them in these days I'd just buy a set of polybushes and simply push them in by hand.

Powerflex Rear Beam To Chassis Axle Bushes PFR19-1511 for Ford Fiesta Mk7 (2008-)

Ford Fiesta Mk7 (2008-) Powerflex Rear Beam To Chassis Bush PFR19-1511 Powerflex bushes facilitate your car's grip on the road and improve

www.powerflexsuspensionbushes.co.uk

I wouldn't replace the springs unless they were broken, it's a super easy job on these if you needed to in the future though you will almost certainly need new bolts for the bottom shock absorber mount.

 

[m_c]

As grim says, worst part is pressing the new bush in.
I've only ever done one set, and just used a bit thread bar, nuts, big socket, and washers, but a suitable tool is under £40 from ebay ("fiesta rear bush tool" will bring up various options), and would save a fair amount of hassle, especially if you're doing them on the ground.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

As grim says, worst part is pressing the new bush in.
I've only ever done one set, and just used a bit thread bar, nuts, big socket, and washers, but a suitable tool is under £40 from ebay ("fiesta rear bush tool" will bring up various options), and would save a fair amount of hassle, especially if you're doing them on the ground.

You can always sell the tool after doing the job to recoup some of the outlay

 

[Ruffian]

Another vote for polybush.
Used to do it regularly on vag group.
Alot easier.

 

[Wildatlanticwelder]

Have them powerflex bushes on my 13 fiesta, takes all of ten seconds to push them in once youve cursed the old ones out first!

There should be soft rubber spring isolaters on the top of the rear springs, between them and the body, usually theyre rotten away, simple to change seeing as your in there, they were cheap off ford aswell

 

[Nick67GT]

Have looked at the Poly bushes as recommended by @grim_d

Found this set which also includes the spring isolators mentioned by @Wildatlanticwelder so I think I’ll go for it.



A bit more money than conventional material Ford components, but I wont need the special tool to press them in and they should last longer.

Here’s a shot of the condition of the bush on one side:



Top spring mount bush:



I‘ve also decided to do the springs, having looked the old ones:





Thanks for everyone’s input so far.

 

[p0689109]

Thats just the paint covering on the springs making them look disastrous but the steel spring it self will be sound albeit rusty. You could derust and paint and then refit to save a bit of cash.

 

[grim_d]

Have looked at the Poly bushes as recommended by @grim_d

Found this set which also includes the spring isolators mentioned by @Wildatlanticwelder so I think I’ll go for it.

View attachment 334855

A bit more money than conventional material Ford components, but I wont need the special tool to press them in and they should last longer.

Here’s a shot of the condition of the bush on one side:

View attachment 334854

Top spring mount bush:

View attachment 334856

I‘ve also decided to do the springs, having looked the old ones:

View attachment 334857

View attachment 334853

Thanks for everyone’s input so far.

Looks a good wee set for the money, definitely the way to go!

Those springs are basically brand new.

 

[Brad93]

Burn the old ones out, put yellow polyurethane back in

 

[grim_d]

Burn the old ones out, put yellow polyurethane back in

It's an on-car job in a reasonably high risk area for burning them out, the bush housing is plastic so it only takes a few minutes to saw out, as much fun as getting the fire out is.

Polybush colours are no reliable indication of shore rating, some manufacturers (like powerflex) do colour code but companies like superpro (always blue) do not regardless of the shore rating of the bush.

I see what you're getting at though, something a bit softer than your average suspension polybush, in reality, on the trailing arms of a fiesta the difference would be negligible.

 

[Brad93]

It's an on-car job in a reasonably high risk area for burning them out, the bush housing is plastic so it only takes a few minutes to saw out, as much fun as getting the fire out is.

Polybush colours are no reliable indication of shore rating, some manufacturers (like powerflex) do colour code but companies like superpro (always blue) do not regardless of the shore rating of the bush.

I see what you're getting at though, something a bit softer than your average suspension polybush, in reality, on the trailing arms of a fiesta the difference would be negligible.

Yes, powerflex are who I would use and yellow is their softest colour.

The older fiestas you had no option but to burn them out. Not a dangerous job if you're sensible.

 

[grim_d]

Yes, powerflex are who I would use and yellow is their softest colour.

The older fiestas you had no option but to burn them out. Not a dangerous job if you're sensible.

They do a softer one which they use red for, exhaust mounts and diesel engine mounts they say... Never used it, I draw the line at polybushing an exhaust.

The design of the fiesta rear beam has remain largely unchanged since the mk2, prior to which the trailing arms were separate to the beam so could be removed, the bushes did used to have metal housings but prior to having proper bush pullers I always split them with a saw.

If I have to cut a bush housing these days I'm a bit cheeky and use the recip to cut it then burst it out with a rivet gun/air hammer.

Filling the workshop with acrid rubber smoke is not for me!

Most recently I did trailing arm bushes on the Volvo v70, the bush housings are part of the rear subframe, terrible access. I thought I was being smart using a set of powerflex bushes but in all honesty I would have been quicker pressing in a normal bush, the bloody powerflex bushes didn't fit at all well...much swearing and squashing.

 

[Nick67GT]

Just an update to my original post.

I decided to do the job yesterday before the weather broke and it took me about 6 hours, which included making up a tool to push the bushes in.

It wasn’t as straight forward as some had made out, since the new bushes were a bit tighter than I’d expected. The old ones only took about 20 minutes each side to drill out and clean up the bore. Getting the bolts back through the housing / bush was the biggest hassle, but I got there in the end.

The top spring mounts were easy. Just used a spring compressor and creat the space to insert the remove the old and pop the new ones in, with a bit of lube on the mounting spigot. Cleaned up the springs as well whilst I was at it.

 

[stuvy]

Just to say to everyone saying poly bush them

They won’t last as long as OEM rubber

Unless you need the car to handle really well it’s not worth it

 

[Nick67GT]

Just to say to everyone saying poly bush them

They won’t last as long as OEM rubber

Unless you need the car to handle really well it’s not worth it

Well I hope they do - the ones fitted to the car from new lasted 24k.

 

[stuvy]

They are stock rubber from new not poly bushes

Ploy bushes are an aftermarket accessory

 

[Wedg1e]

Just to say to everyone saying poly bush them

They won’t last as long as OEM rubber

Unless you need the car to handle really well it’s not worth it

"Handle really well", my 4r53. Every car I've driven with polybushes was a crashy, twitchy horror. The only time I ever used them on my own car was for the antiroll bar and within months they'd permanently squashed out of shape and wouldn't recover, which rubber would have coped with better. But I'm prepared to be shot down by all the racing drivers who will regale us with tales of how many tenths they shaved off their lap times on a glass-smooth tarmac circuit

 

[bricol]

Just to say to everyone saying poly bush them

They won’t last as long as OEM rubber

Unless you need the car to handle really well it’s not worth it

hmm - took worn OEM rubber bushes out of my Lancia at 80,000 miles, replaced with poly bushes - no noticeably wear at 200,000.

Edit - I was suitably impressed by that on my first 16v integrale, I did the same when I bought the evo1 integrale - and got the same result.

I guess there are polybushes, and polybushes . . . I used those purple ones . .

 

[bricol]

"Handle really well", my 4r53. Every car I've driven with polybushes was a crashy, twitchy horror. The only time I ever used them on my own car was for the antiroll bar and within months they'd permanently squashed out of shape and wouldn't recover, which rubber would have coped with better. But I'm prepared to be shot down by all the racing drivers who will regale us with tales of how many tenths they shaved off their lap times on a glass-smooth tarmac circuit

didn't notice any change in handling, or indeed noise and crashiness in my Lancia . . . only sprinted it once . . . came second to a guy in Subaru . . . I drove home, he needed recovery due to wrecked clutch - i hope the winning seconds he gained on launch were worth it.