ARB bushes (outer) fitting guide. Renault Megane Coupe 1999.

[KM666]

Posting because Google threw up a load of misinformation when I searched for a guide and hopefully this will one day appear when searched for.

A few of the things Google and owner forums bought up.

1, It is impossible to fit new ARB outer bushes on axle stands.

2, It takes 4 hours.

3, You need special tools.

The bushes cost £8 each from Renault so £16 for the pair.

This job takes about 15 minutes each side, allowing for tea drinking and a crafty roll up.

The tools you need.




13mm ring neck spanner, 13mm socket, Torque wrench (nut needs tightening to 24lb/ft) and a small flat bar.

So start off by jacking the car and putting it on axle stands (I use the chassis rails for jacking and for placement of axle stands) Remembering to slacken off your front wheel nuts first.

Once in the air, rock test (try to rock/shove the car) if the axle stands fail it is better they fail with you outside of the car, not underneath it.

Now remove the front wheels and apply some WD40 around the retaining nut.

Use the ring spanner on the head inside the wishbone assembly and use the socket and rachet on the nut on the underside of the wishbone assembly.

The retaining clip should simply fall under its own weight to an open position.



Now raise the wishbone slightly using your jack.



using the flat bar position between the wishbone and the ARB and push down to seperate the arb/bushing from its natural resting point.



You can now simply pull off the old ARB bushing.

Compare the old and new bushes, if the difference is anything like this you may already have noticed some strange handling effects from the worn bushing.



Simply push the new bushing back onto the ARB making sure the flat raises section of the bush is pointing upwards and that the ridges sit either side of the retaining clip. Apply grease to the inside of the retaining clip.



Repeat for the other side.

Now retighten the nut and bolt that hold the clip in its closed position, and torque the nut to 24lb/ft. Release the wishbone from the jack and reattatch wheels, remove axle stands and allow to sit under its full weight.

This is what the two old bushed looked like, well past it IMO.



Piece of piss, and goes some way to restore factory 'tightness' to the front. Mine would sort of wash out a bit, go vague and understeer slightly on certain roundabout conditions, something that seems to have been cured now. Well worth doing.

Edited by KM666 on Sunday 16th December 22:09

[nigel_bytes]

I wonder if the clio 172 bushings are the same ?
Powerflex Bushes - Renault Clio II incl 172 & 182
http://www.spring-loaded.co.uk/products.asp?cat=Po...
I'm wanting to change the dogbone bushes on my megane gearbox but not sure if they are the same size ?

[KM666]

The powerflex ARB bushes look the same from the link.

I really want to change my dogbone mount and bushings for 172 items too, but am not certain of which models got which mountings, I think theres 2-3 variations depending on the year. Theres something about how many bolt holes the dogbone mount has.

This is what mine has,



It looks similar to the set up on this valver seen on cliosport http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?3645... the modification being a 'Coops' solid dogbone. If yours is like mine the whole unit is rubber.