Where to get bushings? L300

ChuckBlack · Post by **ChuckBlack** » Tue Jun 28, 2016 5:40 am

Since i can't bloody post a pic.... Da! Da!!!
http://www.aftermarketsuspensionparts.c ... -bushings/
http://www.aftermarketsuspensionparts.c ... lators.asp
http://www.aftermarketsuspensionparts.com/catalog.asp

this might made some senses to someone who's never removed or installed a bushing, bought a bushing or knows what a bushing is...

I do have any pictures to post at this time... but i was fortunate enough to find something that would work in my case...

ynwa · Post by **ynwa** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:00 pm

Right.. So even though the OEM trans cross bushings have these odd cutouts, it doesn't really mean you can't shove some fresh 'perfectly fit' solid rubber in there... Good point. Wonder what the Kiwi thinks about that? (term of endearment) ...

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:39 pm

No need to apologise for "Kiwi", it's the same as Canuck. Perfectly acceptable.

As for the trans bushes- I haven't actually tried polyurethane or anything more solid in those mounts, so it's theoretical, but I would expect firmer mounts to transmit more engine noise to the body. I don't see any advantage to polyurethane bushes except maybe ease of install.

When I finally get around to replacing my transmission bushes I'll just buy a Mitsubishi crossmember and trans mounts. I figure the originals have lasted 25 years, so a new set should outlive me.

I've called and visited about four rubber mount shops nearby, and their response was "we don't have a listing for that model, and we're not going to spend hours going through our electronic catalogue to find something that's close". If I had access to a mount parts catalogue I could find something compatible myself, but I've yet to find one that lists dimensions as well as application.

ChuckBlack · Post by **ChuckBlack** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 9:14 pm

Growlerbearnz wrote:No need to apologise for "Kiwi", it's the same as Canuck. Perfectly acceptable.

As for the trans bushes- I haven't actually tried polyurethane or anything more solid in those mounts, so it's theoretical, but I would expect firmer mounts to transmit more engine noise to the body. I don't see any advantage to polyurethane bushes except maybe ease of install.

When I finally get around to replacing my transmission bushes I'll just buy a Mitsubishi crossmember and trans mounts. I figure the originals have lasted 25 years, so a new set should outlive me.

I've called and visited about four rubber mount shops nearby, and their response was "we don't have a listing for that model, and we're not going to spend hours going through our electronic catalogue to find something that's close". If I had access to a mount parts catalogue I could find something compatible myself, but I've yet to find one that lists dimensions as well as application.

Ironic! You should call the business bureau and complaint about extreme poor customer services on their behalf...
That's absolute baloney! If I had an employee telling me this kind of bull I would teach them a life lesson right then in their face... Typical new generation... lazy and incompetent!!!... or on their bloody cell phones all the time...

I'm not sure which store you went but, hopefully someone will help you out!

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Tue Jul 05, 2016 11:36 pm

I believe the saying is "the customer is king", right? If only customer service worked that way here.

Around here the customer is an equal. The business wants your money, you want their product. In this case I also wanted a heap of time looking up the product for free. I guess they didn't want to be in the business of giving away their time, or gain a reputation for letting cheapskate weirdos with old vans wander their storeroom measuring things with callipers. It's a fair call, I've fired many clients myself.

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Wed May 31, 2017 3:54 pm

Growlerbearnz wrote:On the leaf springs and front lower arm I would fit genuine Mitsubishi bushes- our suspension is fairly primitive and relies on flex in the rubber, and polyurethane won't last long, especially if you're going off road. The upper arm bushes are not available separately, you have to order the entire upper arm as far as I know. Anti-roll bar links and steering rack mounts can be polyurethane if you want, but really it's not a sports car, you're unlikely to notice any difference in handling.

I recently bought a bunch of parts from Southwest Mitsubishi in Texas. They were super helpful and their prices were good too. https://oemmitsubishiparts.com/. Normally I order through Amayama.com, I'd compare their prices before ordering.

Since it's a JDM with a weird VIN, It's probably a good idea to look up the part numbers yourself first. Just watch out for the lower suspension arm bushes- one of Mitsubishi's parts books has an error and suggests that the front and rear bushes were different sizes, when they should all be the same. On my van they were part number MB430964.

So I'm working on an order for bushings for my L300 using PartSouq for the expanded diagrams, but Amayama for actual parts availability/price. I'm glad I came upon this post because I'm pretty sure PartSouq is listing this error. It's listing the "CODE" 40399 which includes two part numbers for the "FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER ARM" MB430960 (diagram shows this as front of member) and MB633070 (rear of member)

I tracked down MB430964 and it cross-references with MB430960; 2 EA required per vehicle. So I'm assuming that actually 4 EA are required per vehicle and MB33070 is an error and 0 EA are required per vehicle. Don't want to end up with senseless rubber bits especially at $11-20 USD/EA :p

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Wed May 31, 2017 4:41 pm

And now to confuse the issue: I'm not so sure about the bushes being wrong any more.

When I was buying replacement bushes in 2012 the dealership listed 3 part numbers, with no indication of which one(s) had been superseded. The bushes in my existing suspension arm were definitely identical, and since the dealership had only one bush in stock (and lots of them), we presumed that was the newest one and the parts book was in error (which isn't unusual).

Since we now have much better parts books online, I'm wondering if my suspension bushes had been replaced before incorrectly. Here's the parts that are currently listed as correct:

: MB430960 RearBush.jpg (31.43 KiB) Viewed 11852 times

: MB633070 Front Bush.jpg (28.19 KiB) Viewed 11852 times

It makes sense that the rear bush would stiffer than the front one, as the wishbone is much stronger on the rear than the front. I can't find overall dimensions. The ones I currently have fitted seem to work just fine, and haven't moved or deteriorated in 5 years, but who knows- maybe the steering under brakes would be a touch sharper if the rear bushes were stiffer? I'm not going to change them now (they were a pain to install) but next time maybe I'll buy a set of the front and rear bushes and find out if they fit properly.

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Wed May 31, 2017 4:49 pm

I was working on a comprehensive list of bushings so I can place an order as I endeavour to improve my van's suspension. Perhaps a few of the parts I'm looking at are really not important - feel free to point that out if you note something!

MB672091 x2 [Front Sway Bar Bushings]
MB598097 x2 [Front Sway Bar Link Kit (bolt, nut, washers, bushings x2)]

I don't think it makes sense to order shock bushings from Mitsubishi because bushings come with shocks, or are easily gotten locally depending on your shocks ...

MB809437 x2 [Rear Sway Bar bushings]
MB584530 x4 [Rear Leaf Spring Bushings, LWR]
MB584531 x4 [Rear Leaf Spring Bushings, UPPR]
MB351631 x1 ["Cushion" on the centre of the Steering Gear, between Tie Rods] ~$5

Funny business as discussed by Growler above:
MB633070 x4 [FR LWR Control Arm Bushings, Original Replacement for MB430964] FEBEST MAB017 is about $10-15 less
**PLEASE NOTE MB430960 appears to be an error, unconfirmed, or it's correct ...
Part Souq lists 2 EA required of EACH MB430960 + MB633070; instead of what appears to be 4 EA total of just MB633070**

I decided against the following because they're quite expensive and I'm probably not dropping my Diff soon ... hopefully
MB518676 x2 [Insulator Front Diff Mounting] ~20 USD/ea
MB430694 x1 [Insulator Front Diff Mounting] ~28 USD/ea, FEBEST MAB043 is <$10

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:50 am

Some 4WD Delicas don't have a rear sway bar. I'm guessing you've checked that yours does?

The rest look like a good start. My leaf spring bushes are still surprisingly good, so I haven't bothered replacing them. Same with the steering rack bush. My front diff bushes are a touch saggy, but I figure I only use the front diff off road so I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

My new issue is drivetrain oscillation- something to do with old transmission mounts and slightly more power than Mr. Mitsubishi intended. Hence my next Amayama order will include:

Transmission cross member MB581265 (NZ$292)
RHS trans mount MB581261 (NZ$117)
LHS trans mount MB581258 (NZ$118)

RHS engine mount MB581191 (NZ$132)
LHS engine mount MB581192 (NZ$132)

sealica · Post by **sealica** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:14 pm

My leaf springs bushes are looking rough. Does this job require a spring compressor like with coil springs? The weird part is I have some bushings on the outside (REAR) part of my leaf spring, but the bushings I found available on the Mitsubishi diagrams are on the inner part (FRONT of leaf) ...

I went ahead and ordered Mitsubishi OEM, although I did consider FEBEST for the front control arm because the savings were significant and really I'm not convinced rubber isn't rubber, but I'm only going to do this once most likely so what's done is done!

The steering rack bush is probably fine, but for $4 I figured what the hell throw it in the part box, or replace if accessible.

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Thu Jun 01, 2017 3:08 pm

You should be able to just jack up the body, unbolt the axle, then remove the bolts on the leaf springs and they'll just drop out.

Interesting about the bushes. When I look at Partsouq and epc-data I only see the rear bushes (MB584530 for the lower bushes, the bits in the leaf spring, and MB584531 for the upper bushes, the parts in the chassis rail). No mention of the front leaf spring bushes at all, not even pictured in the diagram.

Replacing the bushes is the tricky bit (both on the leaf springs and the front arms) The old bushes have probably fused to the metal, you might need to drill out the old rubber (this is where you make sure your new bushes are correct before destroying the old ones). Installing the new ones is equally painful. Rubber grease will help, but you still might need a hydraulic press to make them go in. I tried with a large vise, then a sleeve with a long bolt to draw them in, and then gave up and visited my local workshop where the hydraulic press had it done in moments.

javabob · Post by **javabob** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:44 am

Growlerbearnz wrote:My new issue is drivetrain oscillation- something to do with old transmission mounts and slightly more power than Mr. Mitsubishi intended. Hence my next Amayama order will include:

Transmission cross member MB581265 (NZ$292)
RHS trans mount MB581261 (NZ$117)
LHS trans mount MB581258 (NZ$118)

RHS engine mount MB581191 (NZ$132)
LHS engine mount MB581192 (NZ$132)

Does drivetrain oscillation cause a slight vibration when taking off from a dead stop? I have this happening, but thought it might be axle wrap or bad mounts.
I also have all the bushings you listed sitting in my cart at Amayama just waiting for me to pull the trigger. My finger doesn't want to push the buy button as this order is is about $700 usd.

Mitsubishi MB581191 - MOUNTING $91.76
Mitsubishi MB581192 - MOUNTING $91.76
Mitsubishi MB581261 - MOUNTING $80.97
Mitsubishi MB581258 - MOUNTING $80.97
Mitsubishi MB581265 - CROSSMEMBER $200.64
Mitsubishi MB337441 - RUBBER SEAL $74.65
Mitsubishi MB106810 - NUT $2.37
Mitsubishi MA141817 - BUSH, RUBBER $1.43
Mitsubishi MU470026 - CLAMP $1.62

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:16 pm

javabob wrote:Does drivetrain oscillation cause a slight vibration when taking off from a dead stop? I have this happening, but thought it might be axle wrap or bad mounts.

That's exactly it. Sometimes it's made worse by slip in the automatic transmission (and rebuilding my transmission has helped a lot) but it comes down to some of the drivetrain mounts not doing their job.

I don't think axle wrap is an issue, not with the lower spring shackle plate doubling as a traction bar and the giant leaf springs.

Mr.SA · Post by **Mr.SA** » Mon Jun 05, 2017 2:08 pm

speaking of bushings, should I have on here? this is on top of the transfer case, looks like somethings missing, and the transfer case does hang lower than I would think is normal..

: IMG_2516.JPG (159.95 KiB) Viewed 11809 times

north54 · Post by **north54** » Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:21 pm

Mr.SA wrote:speaking of bushings, should I have on here? this is on top of the transfer case, looks like somethings missing, and the transfer case does hang lower than I would think is normal..
IMG_2516.JPG

I noticed this as well yesterday working on my exhaust. I think its more of a stop so the transmission doesn't drop to a certain level. I could be wrong.

Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club