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-   -   Whats this part I broke? (https://www.mazda3club.com/3rd-gen-suspension-brakes-62/whats-part-i-broke-24386/)

Mxyzptlk April-22nd-2003 05:11 AM

Whats this part I broke?
 
So the other day I tried to drove over a rock thinking I had clearance. I ended up uprooting a boulder from the earth and got the car stuck on it. So besides putting a huge dent in the oil pan and also a bigger dent in the floorboard of the back seat I bent this bar. Im thinking its like a rear stabilizer bar but I dunno. Can someone help me with info?

Before

After

Somemore bad pics here

njaremka April-22nd-2003 07:48 AM

DUDE!!!!

That's you rear control arm. GET IT FIXED IMMEADIATELY! You will ruin more on your car the more you drive around on that thing.

carguycw April-22nd-2003 07:51 AM

:eek:

It appears that you have bent one of the front lower TTL links (aka suspension arms). Get it replaced quick. A bent link can cause serious handling and tire wear problems. Don't forget to get the car aligned afterwards!

Second, get the oilpan replaced IMMEDIATELY. Large dents can cause oil starvation due to inadequate room around the oil pickup. This starvation may not be immediately apparent because it may only happen when the oil sloshes away from the pickup a certain way, such as going around a long freeway off-ramp or parking the car on a steeply sloped driveway. Also, dents with sharp edges may spontaneously turn into catastrophic gushing leaks. Oil pans are cheap. :) Entire engines are not. :(

Good luck! :D

Mxyzptlk April-22nd-2003 08:20 AM


Originally posted by carguycw
:eek:

It appears that you have bent one of the front lower TTL links (aka suspension arms).

Its on the rear passenger side so is that just that same with just rear v//s front?

Uh yeah Im an idiot. Just ordered new parts. Need a Right Front Lateral Link, a trailing link, and the oil pan. Total for parts is just over 200 if I order from a US dealer and 470 from Icelandic dealer. Also just realized what a pain in the ass the lateral link is to remove cause it holds up the shock and wheel etc....

carguycw April-23rd-2003 03:59 PM


Originally posted by Mxyzptlk
Its on the rear passenger side so is that just that same with just rear v//s front?
Huh? :confused:

I just noticed you're from Iceland, so maybe your meaning is lost in the translation. :) I know you're talking about the rear suspension. The car has two lower TTL links, one in front of the hub carrier and one behind it. I was just referring to the fact that you bent the front one. If you're asking whether the front and rear links will interchange, I don't know whether they will or not.

Clear? :D


Also just realized what a pain in the ass the lateral link is to remove cause it holds up the shock and wheel etc....
Actually, according to the FSM it looks like the lateral link is pretty easy to replace, as long as you're not removing any other parts of the suspension. You only have to remove 6 bolts. :bt:
1) Jack up the car. (You don't need to remove the wheels!)
2) Unbolt the outer lateral link bolt.
3) Put a floor jack under the rear crossmember.
4) Unbolt the crossmember and lower it until there's enough clearance to remove the inner lateral link bolt.
6) Remove old lateral link and install new one.
7) Installation is the reverse of removal. :D Torque the lateral link bolts to 87-116 N-m and the crossmember bolts to 37-62 N-m.
8) Get an alignment! :D

Good luck! :bt:

Mxyzptlk April-24th-2003 08:01 AM

I got it about the front lateral link. Was just confused at first. and no Im not Icelandic.

Dunno where you are getting 6 bolts. There are only 3. One on the hub that connects the wheel to both links and one for each that connects them to the center of the car. But removing the bolt on the hub is the only thing holding that up. So I will have to put a jack under that to prevent it from coming off.

carguycw April-24th-2003 01:56 PM

2 bolts on the lateral link + 4 bolts that attach the crossmember to the unibody = 6 bolts. :)

If you're replacing the rear link also, that's 7 bolts total; I didn't catch that the first time. "Need a Right Front Lateral Link, a trailing link, and the oil pan." That's two links. :doh:

BTW if you're replacing the rear link, you should mark the position of the eccentric cam at the inside mounting point of the rear TTL link. That way, when you install the new link, the rear wheel alignment will still be close to what it was before. However, IMHO you should get an alignment anyways because of the obvious force of the impact.

Hope this clears things up. :D

carguycw April-24th-2003 02:01 PM


Originally posted by Mxyzptlk
But removing the bolt on the hub is the only thing holding that up. So I will have to put a jack under that to prevent it from coming off.
No, the jack is there to hold the CROSSMEMBER up. The hubs and the wheels are supported by the struts; the TTL links just hold the hubs in place *laterally* when you go around corners. You can pull everything in the middle of the rear suspension- all the TTL links, the swaybar and the crossmember- and the wheels and hubs will hang from the struts. This is why you don't need to remove the wheels to do this job. :bt:

Mxyzptlk April-25th-2003 02:52 AM

oh ok. Thanks


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