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Bent Control Arm Check

by smug, August 9, 2014



Anyone have experience,advise on how to check for a bent lower control arm for a home garage,shade tree mechanic? As in visual and straight edge simplicity. Car has no problems but i like to know. Might be doing the R n R myself for rear bushings and new ball joints.

I got Whiteline rear bushings Dom. Having machine shop do the pressing, as you recommended. Doing ball joints too.

Does it look bent? Could it be bent?

No No, the R n R for the control arms my mechanic will do next thursday. Im curious. I had a 84 VW GTI hit some unmarked construction and bent a controll arm. No noticeable changes in handling. The mechanic said he straightened it for me. It was a very different type control arm thats simpler in design and can be straight edged and straightened with a vise and some force,when applicable. Thats long time ago. The corolla arm is nothing in comparison having no straight edges to gauge from. Just wondering if somebody knows of a way to check. Quality steel bicycle frame alignment can be determined using strings and tubes straightened. Been wondering if the corolla control arm was placed on a large flat surface something could be measured or checked or whatever.

If a control arm is bent how would the car behave and steer? Curiosity.

Depends on how badly bent it is - could be anything from accelerated tire wear, to weird turn in, to "crabbing" when driven down the street. By the time the steering, handling gets scary - you'll have other issues to deal with.

Usually they put the car on a chassis jig and measure from the jig to key points on the car's unit-body and suspension. Even an alignment could catch a bend control arm, as the measurements from that corner will be completely messed up when referenced to the other corners.

Control arms off the car - hard to tell if they are bent or not unless you reference to a know good part. Their shape makes it tough to eyeball it or even get decent measurements to check from.

got it,thanks Fish.



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