Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting help with problem identification

let me start off by apologizing for my lack of mechanical skills.

so I was under my car on the weekend, greasing up the rear sway bar bushing to (unsuccessfully) stop the squeak monster, and I noticed that part of the rear suspension was bent out of shape.



The part that's bent is a U-shaped arm extending from the centerline out and down to the rear wheel the picture shows the inside of the rear wheel (AS IF YOU'RE LOOKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR AT THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WHEEL)

The passenger side is not bent, and has both "bushings" or "isolators" or whatever intact.

hopefully the picture will explain enought that someone will be able to tell me:

1. What part is this that's bent?
2. How difficult / costly is it to repair?

Thanks for the help!

or people who don't know how to preperly lift a car tend to bend it as well (lazy mechanics, etc.) Pound it back with a hammer...or you can replace it for about $30 i think too.

Thanks for the reply. I noticed a couple of the bushings are cracking and splitting, so maybe I'll just go in and replace everything at once (once I get me Haynes manual) if it doesn't look too difficult.

I had an alignment done, but the car still pulls slightly to the right. I'm now thinking the bent control arm may be the problem.

(And I tried pounding it with a hammer, and C-clamping it, which only resulted in a broken C-clamp )

yeah when it happened to me it completely wore out the inside of the tire. But, it was easily straightened with a 3lb sledge!

Originally posted by delmar:

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...
1. What part is this that's bent?
2. How difficult / costly is it to repair?

Thanks for the help!

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1- The part that's bent is the lower control arm.

2- The part is probaby under $50. Not real difficult to replace, but requires a 4 wheel alignment afterwards. A Haynes manual or service CD would be a good investement.

I believe you are referring to the front rear suspension arm, and someone erroneously using this as a jacking point may have done the deed.
I've replaced the rear rear suspension arm, much easier task.
I would recommend replacement at dealer; probably $50 US part under 2 hrs labour. Car has to be hoisted then jack used to lower sub-frame. DIY possible, but recommended only if experienced. Alignment maybe required.

Edit:
p.s. Haynes says gas tank has to be removed but I don't believe that's true.