Hi guys, I'm baffled!!

I had a lot of play and brake judder from the front of my 3dr, and on closer inspection, found the ball joints on the front control arms knackered, the tie rod ball joints gone, and it looked like the bushes in the front control arms had worn.
I replaced the complete arms with brand new units, standard bushes, and replaced the tie rod ends.
Test drove it today and the judder has gone, but I can still push the front wheels back towards the car body as there is a lot of play there?
When you brake, the front wheels move backwards about an inch or so!

I'm really baffled. And ideas?

 

Could your anti roll bar bushes be gone Marty?

 

They're poly bushed James and new.
Done some research and I reckon the washers for the arb to tca could be wrong or the wrong way round?
I have really dished washers on the arb and have them facing like this )-(
The tca bush being the - and the washers facing outwards?? This wa how they were fitted so I put them back that way?
I thought the washers should be flat myself?

 

Fit a 2wd saff front roll bar with powerflex bushes , moves the front wheels 5mm forward and gives a better turn in also

 

Sounds like a plan, but surely the 3dr anti roll bar should stop the wheels moving back? Have I got the washers on wrong!

 

Sounds like the washes are correctly fitted Marty.whats your top mounts like?

 

Top mounts are new too James. The movement is between the tca and the arb. I think I'll have to polyflex them, but I thought the standard bushes would be man enough?

 

Are you sure the arb mounts are securely fixed, it is the arb that fixes the wheel in the forward position.
Is the top of the suspension securely fitted as well?

 

Yep, been through the whole suspension set up, checking bolts etc. top mounts are tight, anti roll bar bolts are tight, brackets are tight and all ball joints etc tight.
If you grab the tca and push it back, it goes back and the bush in the tca flexes allowing it to. That's why I thought it could be the washers?
I'm fuckin baffled!

 

Do the washers snugly fit the std rubber bush?
Thought I recalled the std bush to be thicker in the centre.

 

So washers would need to be like ()
To stop forward/reward flex

But I've not had std on my car for years so not 100%

 

No they don't, the centre does but the outside is away from the bush.

thats where the flex is coming from?

 

That's what I thought.! So if I fitted polyflex tomorrow, do the washers need to be () or )( ?

Also, what's the best way to get the standard bushes out?

Thanks so far guys!

 

Just looking at the Workshop manual and as you describe seems correct.

The power flex washers go )( as well.

The rubber bushes can be tapped out with a screw driver from the edge, as there is a metal edge band on them

 

Hi Martin

Washers go this way whether it's standard bushes or uprated ones of some type ) (

Also standard bushes allow quite a bit of movement as their name would suggest " compliance bushes "

This is not a fault as it's designed this way , I did find it funny aswell when I was MOT testing Sierras many years ago

Cheers

John