How to Replace Front Lower Control Arm 03-09 Mazda 3
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2018
- Buy Now!
New Control Arm with Ball Joint from 1AAuto.com 1aau.to/ia/1ASFK01182
1A Auto shows you how to repair, install, fix, change or replace failing, rusted, rotted, or damaged front lower control arms. This video is applicable to the 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09 Mazda 3.
🔧 List of tools used:
• Pry Bar 1aau.to/ohr/1AXAA00020
• Complete Metric Socket Set 1aau.to/orD/1AXAA00043
• Pickle Fork
• Ratchet 1aau.to/oajU/1AXAA00016
• Socket Extensions 1aau.to/o5i/1AXAA00015
• Torque Wrench 1aau.to/ovq/1AXAA00044
• Rust Penetrant
• Center Punch 1aau.to/ocB/1AXAA00055
• Floor Jack 1aau.to/otG/1AXAA00068
• Hammer 1aau.to/ok6/1AXAA00091
• Jack Stands 1aau.to/otU/1AXAA00065
For More Info visit us at 1aau.to/h/bgL/
⚠ DISCLAIMER:
While 1A Auto strives to make the information provided in this video as accurate as possible, it makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or applicability of the content. No information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. All do-it-yourself projects entail some risk. It is the sole responsibility of the viewer to assume this risk. 1A Auto is not responsible or liable for any loss damage (including, but not limited to, actual, consequential, or punitive), liability, claim, or any other injury or cause related to or resulting from any information posted in this video. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
√ *Watch the Video*
√ *Buy The Part at 1A Auto* 1aau.to/m/Visit-1AAuto
√ *Do it Yourself*
√ *Save Money*
the front bushing was torqued with the suspension hanging. this will cause premature failure of that bushing. Jack the arm up to ride height or drop it on the ground, THEN torque it... otherwise great video...
I had the exact same thought
I came hear to look for that very step and thankfully I read this comment before watching the video, thanks for saving me some time bud!
Binding of bushings would definitely happen in this repair.
Boom. That's what I was looking for. Thanks, Satan...
@@mikeisgonz0 why?
Thank you for this excellent video. It gave me all the information I needed to attempt this repair. As an amateur doing this alone at home with jackstands, I'll add two additional tips that might help others:
1) In my case, the longest bolt was hopelessly rusted to the bushing sleeve. There are plenty of other control arm videos that will tell you to just cut the bolt and save yourself the frustration. I wish I would have taken that advice sooner. Once I did this and got the control arm out of the way, the remaining threaded section of the bolt came out quite easily with vise grips and some spray.
2) Instead of a friend using a prybar, use the car's scissor jack and wedge it between the frame and the engine block to push the engine forward, while simultaneously using a floor jack to raise the engine slightly. This gives you plenty of time and space to reinsert the bolt without the ac compressor being in the way.
Yes! My bolt is rusted too! How did you set in there to cut it? I’m thinking of using an oscillating saw with carbide blade.
Just did the job today, on my eldest child's '05 Mazda. Thanks for the video, 1A and Sue; you made the job much easier! It was good to have two people doing this. Some notes:
The pinch bolt came out easily, after loosening everything with penetrating oil. Tapped it out some before removing the nut all the way. Also, used a pry bar to spread the knuckle a little, and a pickle fork to disconnect the ball joint from knuckle. That actually ended up being the last part off.
Removed the A/C shroud to get the forward bolt out. Still had to push up on the engine with a carefully placed jack to get enough clearance to get it all the way out (as Scott Johnson suggested). Getting the bolt back in was also tough because it didn't line up right off the bat.
Biggest PITA was the two rear bolts. Couldn't seem to line them up. Put a jack and piece of wood under that section of the control arm and pushed up slowly, while trying to turn the bolt, until it "caught." Took a few tries, but they eventually went in.
General advice is to do this with one of your children helping, if available. If not, maybe you can rent a kid at the local auto-parts store, along with the tools. :) Seriously, though, it takes a lot a fiddling to get everything lined up. Overall, took about 5-6 hours from jack up to clean up, including at least an hour to get the parts and let my kid buy me lunch. A day well spent!!
That's going to be a lot tougher on jack stands!
Doing it right now, its literally the worst fucking job i have ever done in my life. And i literally changed the clutch in my subaru on jackstands in this same garage last year i would rather do that 10 times than have to do this.
😆
What’s tough about it I do twin turbos on a bmw on the ground on jack stands for work....
I'm doing it now can confirm 😂
I just did it in jack stands. It really wasn't bad. I also have never used a lift so it's all relative.
Thank you for showing the more difficult side, much appreciated!👍
What I appreciate about a lot of these vids is that real, somewhat rusty cars are used.
Followed this video this evening
AC bracket removal of the 3 bolts and then slight jack pressure on the AC compressor and the front bolt on passenger side came right out
This video was super helpful to a backyard mechanic,
Thanks so much!!
I didn't even need to apply pressure, once the bracket was off the bolt slide right over. 2008 Mazda 3 S
Awesome! Appreciate the time you guys take to make these videos. I have a 2008 Mazda 3 2.3L S Hatchback, 200K Miles + on it. I think I've read a few manuals to do the repairs of my car, but the videos are such a great help! She does such an awesome job. Thanks guys
There is a torque figure for the pinch bolt - the Mazda workshop manual has 32-43 ft-lb / 43-58 N-m.
Thank you for these videos! I always try to get my parts from your company thanks to this great work you do. I just completed this job on my '07 Mazda3 hatchback and it wasn't really that bad, even on jacks/stands on a pesky gravel driveway. I soaked all the bolts the night before, followed everything to a T except I used a small bottle jack closer to the front of the engine at the trans flange so when I raised it, the engine rolled forwards on its own. For the rear bushings I used a scissor jack in order to get the bolts in rather than pressing it up. I'm in the southern states without as much rust, yet getting the old ball joints out was quite a job unlike anything I've tried before even with a good pickle fork and air hammer/3lb sledge. In the end the trick was to swing the disconnected control arm down and to the side so I could really slam it with the 3lb sledge....that did the job. I also had issues on the driver side clearing the trans pan, and for that I shifted the bottle jack rearwards and mostly pushed the engine up to get clearance. I just saved myself hundreds of dollars and am now about to tackle the struts with the help of your videos!
is it really Worth? mine said both on front need to be replaced and the 4 brakes as well. I dont know if invest or buy another :(
Your instructions are sooo good..i widh i had the space to do it myself...you give me confidence to do it myself
Very good and detailed instructions. Thank you 👍👍
This is a great video. On the basis of the vid, I purchased two of your lower control arms, which I've just finished installing. Your tips were VERY helpful. Also, as mentioned below, there is a torque spec for the pinch bolt of 31.8-43.3ftpds but no biggy. Thanks for this great resource.
did this job for a friend and on the passenger side to remove the long control arm bolt...i just removed the 3 small nuts to remove the sheetmetal pulley cover and it will slide right out. didnt need to move the engine.
I just did the change today on the drivers side or left from a parts ordering perspective. I have access to the factory manuals off Alldata and they advise to torque lifted. For anyone doing this, get the pickle fork setup from your local autoparts place. Most allow a return when you are done if ordering their rental ones. I also advise using a hammer drill with a pointed chisel to get out the pinch bolt.............it was a royal pita to get that and the spindle out of the pinch setup.
I also add, that aligning the bushing bolts in the video via a crow bar is not advised. Just jack each side separately until aligned, two bolt side with bolts in place till they stop, and is pretty easy......much easier than video. I have a full lift capable of around 3 feet and kept needing to lower and raise car over a jack for various stuff. If in a salt area this is not an easy job and took me 5 hours of pounding away and figuring out how to get stuff to work right (new pinch bolt would not go in and needed to use impact to get through minor alignment on the two sides of the pinch). My HF impact took the larger bolts out like childs play.
If I need to do it again, will can probably cut time in half as I know how to get around some of the crazy.
This video was super helpful. I actually needed to rotate the engine forward and up for both sideds, guess my engine must sit a bit low. Great advise and tips. Going to try the tie rods next.
The videography was very well done. Your methodology and thoroughness were evident. The torque specs were noted. It was nice to see a female that loves wrenching. By anticipating the need for a new bolt was a great idea.
Thank you for the feedback! +Matt Keefe
@@1AAuto I hope she's wearing eye protection by now, three years later. She's under a rusty vehicle looking up. Eeks! Thank you for the video. I don't even have one of these cars and it's worth my watching.
Awesome tutorial... thank you so much!
Great channel and very detailed videos .. Thanks
love your videos......very detailed......keep up good work.
Outstanding work!!!.
Thank You for the video.
+Miguel A Santiago Thanks for checking us out! 1AAuto.com
That subframe is toast
Thanks your videos are excellent. Appreciate the torque specs.
+Chris L Thanks for the feedback!
I love Sue. She walked me through head gasket replacement on my sisters 2005 Subaru Christmas of 2019.
On topic, I will say the bolts on this Mazda 3 actually came loose in North Canton Ohio, right in the middle of the rust belt. Says something for the bolt quality of Mazda.
+Bob Kontak Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Thanks! Saved me a couple hundred dollars! Took me 15 hours but it was my first time doing more than changing tires or oil lol
I feel you bro, it took me 5 hours to do one strut and one sway bar link bc the sway bar link stripped out lol had to dremel it to get it out
nice informative vid. Thanks for putting it together.
+Sung N Thanks for checking us out!
thanks for making this video..
+Roger Camson You're welcome! 1aauto.com
Great video! Well explained...This was much more difficult without a hoist...Driver side was easy...Passenger side was very challenging but I was successful with your help...2009 Mazda 3hatchback. Thank you...Great to see a female on the job:)
+David Ahmad Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Excellent video.
You don't need to disconnect any mounts or jack up the engine/transmission to get the front bushing bolt out. All you have to do is remove the steel plate under the air conditioning compressor. The plate is what is in the way of removing the bolt. The plate is held in place by three 13mm nuts. Removing the three nuts does not disconnect the compressor as it is held on by three more 13mm nuts behind the steel plate.
+Chris P. Bacon Thanks for checking us out!
What year can u confirm this on? My 2010 i took the steel plate off still looks like it will run into the compressor line its very close tho
@@craciunt93 I'd say regardless it's possible to unbolt all the fasteners for compressor except the refrigerant lines and move it out the way enough.. Not sure though I'm doing this repair on Monday driver and passenger. I will take the car where we got a lift and same tripod jack
The Mazda manual says to do it as done in the video.
You can use a jack to let pressure off the ball joint so you don't have to beat the breaks off that pinch bolt to get it out.
Ahhhhh , I'm in love .O love these videos. 👌
+Humberto Zepeda Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
Perfect video thank you.save me 420.00 my switching to your video
+Dom Soto Thank you! We love empowering our customers and showing how to perform DIY auto repairs with our high-quality auto parts. 1AAuto.com
I had a clunkity klunk issue so I bought a set of control arms. I had the car up, tires off and was ready to change them out when I saw that there were 2 bolts loose on one side and 1 on the other. Just a quick tightening and I would have been done with it all. Since I was half way there and beside me were 2 new Beck Arnley control arms, it was a no brainer. Well, the rest is history and they perform like a champ. Moral of the story is, check for loose bolts before you spend money replacing something that knocks and Klunks.
This looks way easier than my 2009 Nissan versa sedan. I had to jack the entire engine up in order to remove the control arms.
the best out there
+dennis Thanks for checking us out. Shop here for high quality auto parts: 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
Informative video
13:43 “just gonna tap it” *bangs it *😂😂
Great Video, the rusty subframe looks scary though...feels like you could punch a hole on the mounting bracket with a screw driver..
First off, thanks for this video! The HD camera works is awesome and shows tons of detail. 2nd would this be similar if not exctly the same on a 2011 mazda 2? Taking a quick glance under the car they look quite similar. Thanks!
+eckopoppin Thank you! The installation should be incredible similar for your vehicle.
Another easy way when doing the passenger side is to remove the outer shield of the A/C Compressor 2-3 bolts 8mm which would give you a lot of room to remove the forward bolt 😉
+marvin peli Thanks for the tip!
This worked and everything looked the same on my 2010 Mazda 3.
Tip: when you're trying to fiddle around the brackets into place, the sway bar bushings can get in the way. Jack up the rotor and it lifts the bushings then it's super easy to slide the new ones in.
+f41lurizer Thanks for the feedback!
Is the rear bushing mount sandwiched with the sway bar body mount?
Wouldn't you want to torque everything at ride height?
Wow! This one is rustier than mine! Feel much better now :p
SUE IS MY FAVORITE!!! 🤘🏻😁🤘🏻
+@John.Skelton Thanks for checking us out! 1aau.to/m/Shop-1AAuto-c
If you take the Little skid plate off the Mazda 3 AC compressor it’s 2 10mm bolts that bolt will clear by with out undoing the motor mount
Thank god I bought a Mazda 3. I don’t even need a Haynes manual due to Sue at 1A Auto.
If you don't want to disconnect the engine mount you can take the shroud off the AC compressor and the bolt clears nicely
It's funny the P1 chassis used by Volvo S40, V50, C30 , C70 and Ford cars all have the same parts, yet, the Mazda had a groove on the knuckle ball joint while Ford and Volvo have a nut tightened from the top.
Also thought the bolts had to be replaced due to stretching while getting torqued and could not be reused..
Very good video as I've got the same engine as the Mazda with the AC compressor at the bottom just like that of the Mazda.
+Peter G Thanks for watching!
@@1AAuto you're welcome and thank you for making it look do easy. I've got Volvo V50 myself and two arm ready to go on the car so it could not have been much clearer than this! 👍
The Mazda manual doesn't show them as parts that need replacement.
Excellent video! So helpful! Thank you so much.
1) could you remove compressor (not lines) and get the bolt out that way?
2) Alignment NEEDED after Control arm replacement?
I have a 1990 Mazda protege. The front pax control arm
Has 3 bolts that go into the frame. Two are the same size one is about 1/2 longer
Know where the longer bolt goes into ? Thx
Two bolts to the rear of the bushing one bolt in front of it
Thx
Do you know where i can buy the pinch bolts that lock up the ball joint on?
You struggle to take this off you got right tool
Good
Does anyone know the model number of the breaker bar she is using?
My front tires are rubbing going bald. I just replaced everything. Still have to do the rear before getting it aligned. I think its going bald because i bolted down the front bushing while it was hanging instead of ride height. Also my axle isny flush with the hub so i have to restart
How would you know if your Mazda 3 2009, Mazda 3 S or Mazda 3? I don't want to get the wrong part install
How to get the driver side lower control arm in if u can’t get the left side into place if ur model has a piece of metal on the bottom. Making it only come out and in forward.
Is it the same procedure for driver side?
Does anyone know the part number for all the bolts? I cant find them anywhere online.
MAN, if you watched this video once and attempt the replacement weeks or even just days later, watch it again. I accidentally broke the pinch bolt before the pinch nut thinking the nut was welded, and i’m in a bit of a pickle atm
I think the ac compressor has a shield maybe removing that it would of gave you a wider gap to remove the bolt
I was wondering about that shield as I watched the video over and over at that spot. Nice video/camera work.
Anybody know the PN for that pinch bolt?? I got a 08 mazdaspeed 3
Is this identical to an 09 mazda6? If not, is there a video for that?
Does anyone know the part number on the pinch bolt she talks about replacing?
No medium-strength thread locker on those suspension bolts? ChrisFix would be sad...
Anyone know the size/threads of the biggest bolt and hole toward the front of the car? I may have to re-chase the threads in the subframe
I have mazda 3 2005 just changing de ball joint
Question, If i have a press, Should I just replace the Ball Joints instead of entire arm?
If only the ball joint is bad you can. If bushings are the problem then you need to replace entire arm
Tem muita ferrugem debaixo do carro, principalmente o agregado que segura o braço da suspensão
That bolt may be rusty were your located but surely not every one is like that, yours is the only one I've seen in this bad of shape hahaha.
OMG that lower ball-end joint is the pinch type FFS!! Why are you hitting it with a hammer??? You should just pry the slot in the back and then it just falls through.
...I assume the control arm is replaced as an entire unit, as opposed to just the bushings?
can you gays please do a mazda 3 radiator support replacement thanks
+n/s n/s We're always cycling through common cars. We'll add this repair to our list! 1AAuto.com
You can crush your fingers doing it this way, or you can just remove the compressor shield and jack the motor up a small amount. If you have ever seen 1A auto chinese junk aftermarket parts this video shouldn't surprise you
What if we have no lift?
Do you need to get your front end aligned after putting new control arm on mazda 3.
+Rob Smith an alignment is definitely recommended after replacing front lower control arms. Thanks for checking us out!
And what about the grease on the bolts for the bushing... i saw none !?
Is it possible to do this with a standard jack and stands or a lift is a must? its costing me roughly 1k to have it worked on at the dealership... I'd rather do it myself but theres no way I can buy a lift unless my apt is cool with me leaving it in the parking lot...
I just changed both front control arms to my 3 on very low budget. grass lawn, jack that came with car, some basic tools. Its totally possible to do it like that. If you do be sure to put something stable under the car since the standard jacks are VERY unstable and can easily collapse when you might be under the car. Proper jack stands are best but i just used some old car rims :D
I've done control arms on a Focus with just a trolley jack and axle stands. It's definitely possible, just a fair bit trickier.
Haynes has a torque spec for the transaxle mount bolt.... other then that good job
Why are you mentioning but not letting us know what the spec is?
And what about tightening the front bushing bolt AFTER putting the car on the ground?? In this video the bushing was tightened in the wrong all the way down position and will be torn on the first bump on the road, when the wheel is forced all the way up.
Beside that mistake, a great video. Thanks!
How would you recommend tightening that front bushing? Put everything back together, wheel back on, etc. then torque the front bushing?
@@samiprice1042 From what I've read and did yesterday: Everything back together, wheel back on, with the bushing bolts finger-tight or a tiny bit more. Put the car back on the ground, drive it forward and backward a little bit very carefully, and then tighten the bushing bolt. If you need more space to get under the car, you can use ramps. As mentioned elsewhere in these comments, she could even have used that floor-standing "spinny jack" thing and *raised* the control arm to normal ride height with the car still off the ground if she had an accurate way to measure what normal ride height would be. The main thing to remember is the suspension shouldn't be hanging like that when you tighten bushings.
What is the shop time to replace the control arm in this vehicle
i would say 1 hour max
Anyway to only change the bushings instead of the entire lower arm?
The rear bushings are available but they need to be cut off and pressed onto the arm. The rubber part came unbonded from the outer sleeve at 16 years on my Mazda3 Sport (as the 2l BK was called here in the UK) so I went with replacing the both arms.
You made getting the front bolt out way harder that it had to be.
Simply go on top of the motor, pop up the coolant reservoir. It's a friction fit, it literally just pulls straight up. This exposes the passenger side motor mount. If the car has 75,000 miles on it, this mount is broken, as you'll see. This is "normal". They all break. It's a "feature" of the 1st and 2nd gen 3's. Perfect time to replace it. Anyway, that motor mount is held in place with two 17mm bolts. to the frame. Simply place a piece of wood on a jack and place the jack under the engine. Now, remove those two passenger side motor mount bolts. Now jack the engine up 2". Front LCA bolt slides right out.
Also, for removing the ball joint from the knuckle, instead of beating on it with a pickle fork, just stick your foot in there, and jump on the LCA. It's a straight fit, not tapered, so with your weight, it'll pop straight out of the knuckle.
One last point: using an impact wrench, this job goes FAST. I can change both LCA's in about 10 minutes each. It's a cake job.
Michael Bloom dude I was coming to the comments to say exactly this! Hahaha! Why did they make this so difficult? Great they’re showing everyone it can be done with hand tools, but they are using an 10k dollar lift lol!!
I am doing this job this weekend... I will try all of these tips. Thank you!
Dave Williams if you haven’t replaced the passenger motor mount, do it at the same time. This took me about 30 minutes with air tools start to finish.
@@rhyno811 I did both top motor mounts a couple of days ago. It's a new car after that.
In my opinion, removing the bolt for the RMM and moving the engine forward is MUCH faster than removing the coolant reservoir (which is annoying to get out) and the SMM. I've done my passenger side mount twice and the rear once...i'd seriously rather just move the engine forward, it's so much faster. Again, that's IMO.
Definitely made a meal of it and made it look more harder than it actually is
lining up the 2 bolts under the control arm is the hardest part of the job....
Why do you not use air tools
Wow what a hassle for a control arm.
How do you know to just replace them ball joint or the entire control arm?
+Anthony Igania It does not hurt to replace the control arm as well if you are in there.
MAzda 3s... you just have to replace the control arm. The ball joins cannot be pressed out of the control arm like other cars... you have to replace the whole arm, even if only ball joints are bad but bushings are good
You forgot to preload the suspension then torque the bolts
Are you sure its 75ft pounds at 16 mins in, the factory manual I have here says 89 to 120 ft LB
From the manufacturers specs:
Horizontal nut/bolt 110 ft-lbs/150 Nm. Vertical nut/bolt 75 ft-lbs/102 Nm.
Why change it. What were the symptoms
The bushings wear and rot out on the inside and the ball joint wears out at the wheel, so the whole arm moves back and forth causing clunking, loose steering and alignment problems. You'll start chewing through tires at an alarming pace.
put time frame at installation part
1:46 shit I wish I watched your vid before starting this job -.- I"m not getting this bolt out and I didn't order any new ones
Save yourself some major aggravation and dont remove the engin torsion bolt. Instead use a floor jack and put it under the engine/transmission and jack it up. The compressor will rise enough to get the bolt out. This hack saved me a lot of BS.
I did both sides in 3.5 hours total with a floor jack and two jack stands and no power tools. This is the biggest mechanical project in have attempted on a car.
Kind of hard on the transmission mount (rear mount) bushings dont yah think? My rear mount is from a Ford focus electric and does not have the flex of a regular Mazda mount. I prefer to remove the A/C compressor skid plate to make room for getting the bolt out.
Yeah, I'm going to let the dealer mine. Esp. since I don't have a lift.
Good job! but what a terrible design, I have never needed to move an engine to remove a suspension arm lol
Yeah, I know I'm not trying that myself now.