How to guide: Fitting Superflex front wishbone butterfly bushes.

The bushes at the rear of the front lower wishbones on Saab 9000s are put under very high stress due to the amount of power transmitted to the front wheels. When these wear out, the car will torque steer badly, might be difficult to hold in a straight line and might make some clunking noises when steering at low speed. Fortunately, they are a very simple item to replace, and aftermarket rubber, genuine Saab or polythene replacements are all low priced.

To begin, loosen the front wheel nuts, and jack up the front of the car and ensure it is safely supported using axle stands. Remove the road wheel and you will see that the wishbone is attached to the subframe with two bushes, one at the front and one at the back, it is the one at the back that takes most wear and usually needs replacing.

Undo the four bolts securing the plate to the bottom of the subframe at the rear of the wishbone, the plate will then come away from the subframe. You will now be able to clearly see the rear bush in its aluminium casing. The wishbone is now attached to the subframe by only the front bush, so, the rear of the wishbone can be carefully levered down from the subframe just far enough to undo the nut in the middle of the rear bush. (Some people suggest that levering the arm down like this can damage the front bush, however, we have not experienced any such problems, and it makes the job much quicker). With the nut removed, the bush and aluminium sleeve can be pulled or levered if need be from the end of the wishbone pivot.

You should now have the bush in your hand and can inspect how deteriorated it is.

If you have chosen to replace the bush with a standard rubber replacement either from Saab or a motor factor then it will already be fitted in an aluminium sleeve, so you can skip on to re-fitting.

If you have chosen to replace the bush with a polythene replacement, then it probably won't have an aluminium sleeve and will need to be fitted to your old one: The hardest part of this is removing the old rubber bush. The easiest method we have found is to burn out the rubber, either using a gas torch, or by placing the bushes in a small pot with some flammable liquid and setting fire to it. Obviously, whichever method you choose be careful not to burn yourself or anyone or anything else, and not to inhale the fumes!

Once the rubber is burnt out, clean the metal up with a wire brush and then install the bush, this can be done using plenty of copper grease (or the supplied lubricant) and a vice.

Now that you have your bush ready to refit to the car, it is a simple reverse of the removal procedure, ensuring that all bolts are tightened to the specified torque.
After the front suspension is dismantled and parts renewed like this it is always advisable to have the front wheel alignment checked at a garage.