Checking Bushes

Hi, bit of advice required please.

When changing my rear wheel bearing at the weekend I noticed there was movement in the top aluminium suspension arm bushes. I removed the arm and if you hold the it steady, put a finger and thumb on the inner metal sleeve you can waggle it about 5mm in any direction.

Assuming this mean't the bushes were shot I got a second hand replacement which seems to do exactly the same thing. Upon checking, I'm told by the seller this is normal and how they come from new.

Can anyone confirm/deny this, or advise if theres a test i can do to to see if either of the arms are any good.

Im confused as this just dosent seem to be the right way to have a suspension bush if you want the arm held steady

Al:(

The bushes in the top arms are actually rose joints so should have movement, if you imagine the centre of the bush as a ball you can move the tube of the bush up and down and left/right but you shouldn`t get any movement pulling/pushing the bush, if you get what i mean.

I think I know what you mean, your saying if the centre metal sleeve is held straight then it shouldn't move if kept straight.

Any idea why Toyota would put a rose joint in there?

There should be no, zero, play in them. The arm should move up and down, rotating smoothly on the bearings. There should be no other free movement at all. Sounds like you need new arms. They use spherical bearings in a thin rubber casing to give superior geometry control. It reduces toe and cater change, which makes the car steer from the rear, and which is always very unnerving.

You could mistake being able to move the pin at all for play though as a rubber bush which is more common doesn't (shouldn't) move at all by hand.

If when you saw movement in your original arm whilst it was still in place on the subframe with the bolt through it and tightened then yes it's buggered. If you took it off and just had a vague wiggle then i'd say you should examine it properly. My brand new rear upper arms pins you could slightly move by hand.

You could mistake being able to move the pin at all for play though as a rubber bush which is more common doesn't (shouldn't) move at all by hand.

 

If when you saw movement in your original arm whilst it was still in place on the subframe with the bolt through it and tightened then yes it's buggered. If you took it off and just had a vague wiggle then i'd say you should examine it properly. My brand new rear upper arms pins you could slightly move by hand.

All cleared up now. Original definately buggered as before removed, if you held ball joint and pushed/pulled it front to back on car the bushes allowed it to move and there was a metallic clunk.

Will put new arm on this morning to check its ok but it does feel much better. I just didn't realise before that they are spherical bearings and not bushes. I still learn something new about this car every time i do some work on it.

Thanks for your advice guys