Good way to check control arm bushings?

[Don Holg]

I finally took my clanking suspension ot the mechanic. As expected, he said I need a new strut mount. He ALSO said that I have a torn control arm bushing and need a new control arm. This is a new mechanic for me and I don’t trust him 100%, is there a way to test the bushings (not the ball joint) on the control arm? I’ve got the car on ramps now just to look at them and they look fine. Can I use a jack to put weight on them and test them that way? IF the bushings are bad would they make noise?

Thanks!

2007 Mazda 3i, 94000km

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[Ingvar]

Nope. You Google “how to test control arm bushings” and have plethora of guidance.

[none]

I suspect the bushing he’s trying to sell you on is whichever bushing would have a vertical mounting bolt. We call that particular bushing the puck type at my shop. Hopefully that will help you understand what I’m talking about.

You should actually lift the car with the wheels hanging freely. If you keep a jack on the control arms, you’re putting load on the arms that would keep a loose part feeling rigid. As the suspension flexes out, it will put more torsional load on the bushing and anything you find wrong with the puck bushings will be more obvious. Tears in those bushings don’t happen so much as a separation between the rubber and its outer sleeve. It’s the most common way for those bushings to fail. A little separation isnot unusual, but harmless. When the bushing fully separates from the sleeve, yes you can get suspension noise.

As far as a general diasnosis for your bushings go, unload the suspension and work the joints with a pry bar. It’s absolutely fine for bushings to flex a little while prying on them as long as they return to their normal resting place. If you pry on any bushing and it just stays there, that bushing is worn. You’re at the mercy of the car’s design to find places to pry against.

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