Stubborn FCABs won't come off - suggestions?

[AtomicZHP]

Hi everyone,

I am replacing my FCABs today, and I've got to the point where I'm at a loss with my next step. Everything was going well until I went to use a 3 jaw puller to remove the old bushings. I ran the screw into the end of the control arm, and it just walked around - it hasn't got a point on the end to dig in and rotate on, unfortunately. I can get a pretty good pull, but after about an inch of travel, it just slips off of the arm and into the bushing, since the center of the bushing refuses to move on the arm. No shop in the area can press them out for me before next week, but I have to finish this weekend, as I am leaving to drive from VA to MI on Monday. Any suggestions/tricks would be appreciated. I've seen people mention using a Dremel, but I'm unsure what purpose that would serve. Are you cutting through the aluminum/steel mount and just prying it apart? My mounts really don't seem to be broken down - there is some movement, but they aren't floppy/falling apart. I was only doing this since the car failed state inspection due to FCABs. I trust the mechanic that did it (he works with one of my good friends at a VW/Subaru dealer), and he showed me the wobble on the lift - but damn, they just don't feel as blown as I've seen others look.

[Torxuvin]

It's a little primitive, but I used a 2x4 and a hammer to get the FCABs off of my M3's control arms when they were stuck. That and grease everything as good as you can and pull. Lots of working it back and forth.

[danewilson77]

I've had to cut mine with a Dremel before, to get them off.

Sent from the HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA and USA

[AtomicZHP]

K got the job done. I wound up using a 5/16 drill bit to put a little dimple in the end of the arm for the screw to center in. Worked like a charm.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[LivesNearCostco]

I tried a C-clamp first but it wouldn't pull straight, so opened up the 3-jaw puller and used that. The screw did walk around a little but I was able to keep it centered enough to pull off both FCABs. Maybe it slipped off the end of the control arm once, requiring me to re-seat the puller. Didn't think at the time about putting a dimple on the FCA--good creative thinking!

[BCS_ZHP]

Another trick, two nuts one of which is a big thick nut and both with the same threads as your puller. Start that thinner nut on the end of your puller's main threaded piece and run it up a good bit. Then thread on the bigger nut but only put it far enough on so the open end of the nut will sit on the end of your control arm. Now tighten the thinner nut down onto the thicker nut to lock it all in place.

[LivesNearCostco]

Actually I didn't have the puller point walking around the end of the FCA because my pullers had a rotating foot on the end of the central bolt, per this picture. So it walked around a little but not as much as if the central bolt were rotating against the end of the FCA.

[derbo]

I used a big pry bar. Put one side of the pry bar on one of the holes that bolts up the bushing to the chassis and the bushing itself. Sprayed alot of glasscleaner on the bushing to slip it off. usually works quite well here.

[echo46]

I used a combination of a dremel and a socket that fit on the control arm which allowed me to seat the three arm puller. It was a PIA.