Idler Arm Bushing 671444

[Derek UK]

Brookhouse sells a standard one but Simon advises that they are poor quality and not to buy them! He sells an alternative poly version. It probably isn't as good as the bronze one but is cheaper and doesn't need any maintenance, if properly greased in the first place.
If anyone has fitted a poly one recently perhaps they can provide a how to and what is the minimum amount of dismantling needed to fit the bush. Does the whole idler have to come off to fit the bush? Depending on what is causing the knocking in that corner of my suspension I might need to replace mine!

[142 Guy]

If 'standard' means the aftermarket replacements for the bushings, I can reenforce the observation that they are not what they used to be. The rubber in my aftermarket idler bushing deteriorated rapidly and required replacement after about 4000 km due to knocking.

I now have the 'bronze' version. My experience suggests that complete removal of the idler arm from the car is a requirement because you are going to have to press the original steel jacketed bushing out of the idler arm. The Poly bushings that I have seen also have an external steel jacket on them so it may be a little more that a simple finger push to get the new bushing into the idler arm.

The poly bushings may not be completely maintenance free. It looks like the spindle which the idler arm is mounted on rides directly on the poly surface. The bushing come with a grease made for use on poly. If its like my anti sway bars, the poly can develop an annoying 'groink - groink' noise as the grease dries out so you may need to re lube on occasion. Much easier to squirt some grease into the bronze bushing every couple of years rather than have to pull the idler arm off to apply grease to the spindle. That was my rationale for purchasing the bronze version.

If you are considering the bronze one, my advice is make sure you have a proper bearing press of some sort. Once the loctite has been applied to the brass bushing you have a limited amount of time to get it into the idler arm before the loctite sets up. My cobbled 'big clamps' were not up to the task and I had to quickly clean the loctite off as best I could with some acetone before heading off to a machine shop which made quick work of it with their 50 ton press. My bushing was such a tight fit in the idler arm that the loctite was academic - it was all wiped off in the process of the pressing it in. Also, pay very close attention to the A+B+C < D dimensions in the instructions. My idler arm required some significant reduction of the B dimension with a file to get the correct fit. Skandix has excellent installation instructions on their web site.