Change the Rear Hub Bushes

Why do this modification?

Replacing the trailing arm bushes will help the feel of the car and help to improve handling. The radius arm bushes won't help, unless they are badly worn. I would only replace the radius arm bushes if the stock spherical bushes had failed.

Things you should know before...

• The easiest and only way is to replace the bushes with the hub removed from the car
• You will need breaker bars, heat, freezing spray, penetrating oil and new knuckles! Nuts and bolts had been on this car for 13 years and 70k miles...
• Takes about 12 hours per side depending on tea breaks and how much swearing you have to do to remove stubborn nuts and bolts
• The job is a lot easier with 2 people
• You will need a 2 wheel rear alignment afterwards - Protyre did this for £19.99
• If you know someone with a ramp buy them a pint and do it there, reckon it'll save you a couple of hours and wear and tear on your knees
• The replacement Superflex bushes are specialist items and as such I believe are only available from Fensport
• Think about what other jobs you can do at the same time

Yes, pretty much...They all share the same setup regarding radius arms, bushes and trailing arms. The 165 and 185 have the same rear shock.

Torque specifications

All torques are in Nm

165 torque specifications	185 torque specifications

Why do this modification?

• Provides a more solid feel to the car and improves the handling
• Stock bushes wear over time and the rear wheels can squirm around giving symptoms of a failed wheel bearing (MOT!). When bushes are very worn they can give a VERY unnerving ride
• Note that a hub supplied from Toyota will not have a wheel bearing or an ABS sensor fitted, you'll need to buy these as well! Alternatively why not replace the whole lot with upgraded bushes, far more sensible and cheaper

Can't I just buy a new bush?

Toyota will say "stock bushes are ONLY available with a new hub ~£150 + vat", rubbish! If you really wanted to go to all this trouble and replace a worn bush with a stock item, then a bush from a Supra is an exact match part no - T42210-14010 - £24.82 + vat.

Rear radius arm hub bush Part number T42210-14010 Thanks to Scott Campbell for the picture

Tools

• Large torque wrench
• Breaker bars
• Assorted sockets, (30mm for hub nut), wrenches and extension pieces
• Various spanners
• Screwdrivers
• 4' scaffolding pole - you'll see why when you start trying to get these nuts off!
• Penetrating oil , freezing spray, thread locker, wire brush

How did you replace the bushes?

Like this...

	Jack up car. Remove rear wheel, not forgetting to chock front wheels, place axle stands under the car and release handbrake - be careful
	View looking at back of hub. Notice there are 3 bushes to be replaced. It is a good idea to spray the nuts with penetrating oil and leave to soak
	Remove split pin, locking cap and undo hub nut. Note this will be tight and will require someone to stand on the brakes so that you can undo the nut
	To remove the hub it is best to disconnect the ABS sensor from within the car, rather than try to remove it from the hub. Trust me I've removed them! Remove the rear seat by releasing the two catches on the front edge of the seat. Under the rear seat there is a small white plastic connector...undo it
	Located on the front of the wheel arch is the mounting for the ABS sensor wiring. The bolts were seized and rusty. Best way to remove the cable is to lever up the clamps. Next pull out the rubber grommet and pull through the sensor wiring
	Undo the trailing arm (strut rod) - secured between hub and in front of wheel arch Undo the front radius arm (No 1 suspension arm) - note this sets the toe in and out for the rear wheel. I didn't bother marking this up, seeing as though bushes etc will be replaced and will end up misaligned anyhow. This is awkward to remove and later replace. Some persuasion with screwdrivers / wrecking bars used as levers will help as this is recessed into the rear sub frame. Note that the fixing to the sub frame can only be undone BOLT end Undo rear radius arm (No 2 suspension arm) - straightforward It is preferable to remove the arms at the hub but in practice I found this difficult and undid the most accessible nut/bolt * Note that the nuts securing the arms have a metal "wing" so that you can "simply" undo them from the bolt side. In practice these were ball bouncingly difficult to remove, a breaker bar and a length of scaffolding pole will be required to shift them. Note the metal "wing" simply bent under the pressure Remove the brake calliper - undo 2 bolts at rear of disk and tuck the calliper out of the way
	To remove the rear disk, remove the rubber grommet from the disk in order to access the handbrake adjuster. Align the hole with the adjuster, (need a torch), and turn the adjuster to withdraw the shoes from the disk. The disk can then easily be pulled free. Note the hub nut, nut retainer and split pin should already have been removed by this stage (photo taken during a later brake adjustment)
	Remove handbrake brake shoes, and detach handbrake cable from shoe
	Remove 2 bolts securing the handbrake cable and push cable out through the back of the hub
	Undo the 2 suspension leg bolts. Take care that the bottom of the suspension leg does not hit or damage the CV boot - there's not much room. Do not push the bolts out from the suspension leg/hub with your finger, you might loose your finger!
	Hub being separated from arms and legs, (note this picture shows the bushes already replaced)
	Next, simply pull hub free! (in true Haynes manual style!) Watch out for the CV boot, and don't pull the drive shaft out from the diff too far otherwise you'll be in for another job...You may need to separate the driveshaft from the hub, (it might be stuck), if so refit the hub nut and hit the end of the driveshaft with a rubber mallet. Use the nut and you won't damage the thread
	Hub finally removed from car. Note that the wheel bearing has been covered over with tape. The bearing is an open cage type and as such is prone to attracting all sorts of crap including metal which will prematurely fail the bearing. Before covering up inspect the bearing/grease for debris and remove otherwise you will be doing all this again - oh so very shortly! Click here for an article on how to replace a rear wheel bearing
	Picture of the wheel bearing just waiting to catch all the crap! Crap attracting area indicated...
	First to be removed is the lower bush, not that it matters in which order they are removed. I found the best way to remove was to drill through the rubber to provide a little room for the rubber to flex. Then remove the top rubber lip with a sharp Stanley knife...
	...and using a screwdriver inserted through the bush, hammer this through and out of the other side of the hub...
	...to remove the rubber bush
	Next up are the two hardest to remove. Soak these in penetrating spray. They look part of the hub to start with, but they will come out with some "gentle" persuasion First smash through the centre portion of the bush. This has a plastic mounting and is surprisingly difficult to break, but it will eventually come - hit it hard! Apply heat to the outside of the hub and freezing spray to the inner side and hit the bush with a suitably sized socket. The bush will very slowly begin to move
	A correctly sized socket acts as a drift and eases the bush down and out of the hub. The hammer method I found to be the only way as I could not get a suitable position in order to press out these bushes - the hub is an awkward shape!
	The three removed bushes, note the lower 2 spherical bushes and the solid rubber bush
	The three new bushes. A lot easier to fit than standard bushes!
	One naked hub ready to be fitted with PU bushes. First insert one half...
	Then the other...
	And then the centre shaft
	The whole bush should be aligned centrally about the hub and the centre dowel lightly greased to avoid squeaks
	The finished hub
	Refitting is simply a reversal of removal! Good luck...
Tips	To remove a stubborn nut, soak with penetrating oil, hit with hammer (lightly) and clean exposed threads with a wire brush. If still stuck, apply heat to nut. If still no joy, heat nut, freeze thread and use an impact driver, (I didn't find this necessary). If all else fails cut or grind off the nut. If your lucky and have access to an air gun then use this... The stone guard around the brake disk has probably been bent during the removal of the various arms and bushes - check this otherwise you will have an annoying scraping noise from the rear wheel Clean the contact face of the ABS sensor, removing rust streaks and all metallic particles Lightly smear copper grease onto the driveshaft splines to aid removal in the future It is a good idea to apply thread lock to all the bolts during reassembly to stop the possibility that they can come undone Fit the trailing arm first as this is difficult to align, then front radius arm then the rear Do not over tighten hub nut, this will lead to premature bearing failure Replace the locking cap split pin Don't allow any contamination to drop into the wheel bearing...or you might be replacing a wheel bearing soon!

Any questions or comments then please feel free to e-mail me

Other jobs to do at the same time?

• Replace wheel bearing - 165 205
• Replace brake disks & pads
• Replace springs and shocks - springs article, front shocks article
• Replace CV boots - article
• Check for rust at the top of the rear suspension turret. This will probably be rusty, cure it before it's too late

Safety

• Always chock the wheels so that the car cannot roll forwards or backwards. Always best to do this on a flat even surface
• Always wear the appropriate safety equipment
• Always use axle stands
• Suspension is a safety critical component. Ensure all components are correctly assembled and all nuts and bolts are correctly tightened

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