ya another subframe bushing question but its alittle different

[greengiant]

i was told that any ford dealership should have a record of if the subframe bushing recall kit was done, so i called the one in town, gave them my vin and that whole fun thing and the lady told me it was too old to have the records. so i contacted a previous owner who had it several years back he said he didnt think they were done because the car was mostly garaged its whole life and therefore wasnt rusty enough to raise concern. with that said i have two questions where can i find out this info without getting a carfax report at 35 dollars. second if it hasnt had it done i've heard that a dealership will do it free and put in new bushings too because mine are shot. is this true?

 

[frosho]

Too old to have records? ********. Find another dealer or check for yourself. All you need to do is pull back the carpet in either of the front footwells (passenger side is slightly easier) and look for a big rubber plug.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Too old to have records? ********. Find another dealer or check for yourself. All you need to do is pull back the carpet in either of the front footwells (passenger side is slightly easier) and look for a big rubber plug.

Like Matt said, that's the easiest way to check. Just looking underneath for the recall washers doesn't mean the plate nuts were done which are the failure-prone part.

Sounds like the dealer didn't look in the recall system. If the recall hasn't been done, just bring your registration in with a copy of the recall: http://www.nesho.com/98S36.pdf And if it hasn't been done, I recommend you bring it to Lamoureux Ford in East Brookfield since they handle our customer cars that haven't had the recall done all the time.

The recall does not have an expiration.

 

[greengiant]

i just called lamaruex there site is down i'm gonna again tomarrow

 

[jmpSHO]

Just pull back the carpet on the passenger side and look to see if there is a rubber plug there where they should have drilled to insert the tabs for the subframe bolts. Even if the dealer does say it was done, it's a good idea to check anyways.

 

[geomarathoner]

FWIW....and not to discourage getting the work done IF it's not been done and IF it needs it....you can get underneath and look closely at all 4 subframe mounting points, looking inside the drainage holes with a strong light or probing around if you have small fingers like me. If the car wasn't exposed to mud or salt, or was rinsed off, then never mind the recall. Remember it's for certain designated "salt belt" states anyway. And there is some risk of a messup when the driver's side hole is drilled 'cause they may have to move the clutch pedal/pawl assembly to make room for a big drill. Not much expertise out there on mtx's and getting it back properly. Make your own judgement....personally I would not have it done just to have it done.

 

[itwonder]

Just pull back the carpet on the passenger side and look to see if there is a rubber plug there where they should have drilled to insert the tabs for the subframe bolts. Even if the dealer does say it was done, it's a good idea to check anyways.

X2. The for sure way is to pull back the carpet and look for those rubber plugs, which will be on the slanted part of the floorboard. If it has not been done, Ford is still obligated to do it. That said, my car had been done and the SFB's were still found to be rotted when I dropped the SF for a clutch job.

 

[greengiant]

i'll check monday i gotta work all day everyday until then, so can't check quite yet

 

[walser]

so if there is a rubber plug that means the recall was done? and i did a clutch job about 8,000 miles ago and dropped the subframe and all the bolts came out fine. is the recall for bolts that dont come out?

 

[frosho]

The recall is for the plate nuts that the bolts thread into. They cut holes in the floor in order to access the rear ones.

 

[greengiant]

ok i finally got to look at it today and it does have a hole cut in the floor but i still need bushings so should the bolts just come right out like theyre suppose to. i think i'm going to use ALSFBs because i dont have alot of money and it is a performance upgrade and the phoenix project has a step by step process laid out. anyone know how long this will take for a first timer? it seems straight foward but i've heard sometimes you need to grind it out alittle for them to fit.

 

[ViPER1313]

Just buy a set of ALSFBs and 2 recall kits. Why try and save $50 on something this critical to your car's safety.

ALSFB installation is relatively straight forward, there are a lot of threads on the forum explaining how it is done.

Make sure that you soak the old bolts in PB-Blaster before trying to remove them. I have never stripped the mounting tabs for the bolts while removing them, so if it happens to you I can't help you there. There are instructions floating around on the forum on how to replace the front nuts if the tabs strip - the rears are easy in your case because the recall holes have already been drilled and you can access them from inside the car.

I did have to make the subframe holes larger on the 2 cars I installed ALSFBs on by a very small amount. You can spend 15-30min a hole with some 80-grit sandpaper or use a dremel if you have one.