Just picked up a 2005 Z Roadster. I knew to look for the rear differential bushing being blown. And yes, it is. The seller reduced the price even more.

I am very mechanically inclined, and ordered the Prothane rear bushings. And a bushing removal tool set. No drilling and cutting out the subframe bushing for me.

I figure about 4 to 6 hours. Air tools and a good sized garage.

Any tips or suggestions would be helpful and very much appreciated.

 

Congrats on your new car, I have an 06 ZR that runs like new, you will love it!
I haven't done this repair yet, you might want to gather a helper, jack stands, a decent jack and a few short 2X4s for cribbing, but it sounds like you've got it sorted!


Are you in Brunswick, Savannah area? Join your local 350Z FB group and post a pic!

 

Dont forget beer

 

I have a helper, maybe if my son is home on leave from the Navy at the time. Two sets of jack stands, one set of low profile car ramps, and a low profile jack.

I figured that I would take measurements and make a cradle out of 2x4's (with cut outs for the nose of the differential and where the axle shafts bolt up to it as well) to help with the removal and reinstallation of the diff.

I've read (and watched a few You Tube videos) of the procedure. Some folks had to burn out the bushings on the side, while others where able to whack them out with a dead blow hammer.

Since the Prothane setup requires me to reuse the sleeve from the original subframe bushing, I will burn it out with a torch.

And yes, I am in Brunswick. The original owner (one owner car) was a guy in his 70's that lives on St. Simon's Island.

The silicon liquid from the bushing looks like it just started leaking, otherwise he was fairly meticulous at his maintenance. It does have a hole in the drivers seat bolster (left) but that is something that will be sold off as I plan on putting in seats better suited to autocross and open track at Roebling Road.

 

After the job is done.

 

why wait.....

 

Excellent, nice to see a responsible owner who does homework before a project!
The stock diff IIRC weighs ~ 80 lbs, so I think your extra effort to secure it will benefit your safety. I've seen some folks freeze bushings overnight for easier install, you may want to do a Google search on that (the search function here isn't good).

Good luck on your project, if you're ever in Atlanta hit me up!

 

Mine has been leaking for 8 years. Still no wheelhop. If it ain't broke, don't fix it imo

 

Boltz! Welcome

I did this job over the summer with a fully equipped garage. This job could take 2-3 days depending on how much time you can dedicate and what you have to get done. It's also ALOT of work so think hard about if you want to start it right now. You're really going to want a warm place to work. That said, Here's what I learned/encountered.

Before you start, order one bolt from the front mounting points as a backup.

1. The two front mount bolts on the dif are heavily torqued so have a cheater bar ready. Six sided sockets only for this job.Unbolting the rear isn't bad and its a stud that slides into the bushing from the dif. I used a floor jack to carefully angle down and slide it forward. (driveshaft removed)
2. I did all three bushings but the front two really didn't need to be replaced. Tear out the rubber with a drill and press the cores out . You will absolutely need a pressing device to get things out and in. I had a few different ones including a jaw puller. Use a sawsall to cut the old bushing rings taking care not to cut into the sub-frame or dif loops. Pry the old bushing rings inward with a large flat head to remove.
3. I took the opportunity to scrub off some rust and put a new coat of spray paint on the casing. Up to you of course.
4, Lubricate the inside of the bushing hole and use your pressing tool to insert the new urethane bushing. IMPORTANT: The new bushing is probably chunkier than the old one. I had to back mine out some so that the front mounting bolts could line up.
5. Keep in mind that all of your clearances have changed now. I used a floor jack to lift the dif back into place and used straps to help secure it. It's good to have a buddy with you for this. Having fitted the aft stud into the bushing very precisely line up the front so that the bolts go straight in to thread. I sprayed them with PB rust blaster to help seat them . The reason you ordered that extra bolt is that if you don't have the bolt perfectly lined up, you can strip it and then you're stuck. After you're threaded, screw them in and torque to spec.
6. Lastly, reattach the driveshaft and axles torquing each bolt to spec. Make sure to plug in the sensor and reattach the breather hose. This is also a good time to change the dif oil. Do a quality check to make sure nothing's loose or missing and then you can test it out.

Results: It's worth noting that during this job I inserted Z1 sub-frame collars to stiffen the sub-frame. Those bolts were incredibly tough to unscrew. But you'll notice that the wheel-hop is gone and that the power transfer is now instantaneous. You'll more likely chirp the tires when starting from a stop. Again, it's alooot of work. But you get what you pay for with this one. Good luck.

 

I agree - Murphy is a constant menace to the home mechanic, actually pretty much anything.

Where is a good place to order this bolt (I am actually going to order two to play it safe - never hurts to have backup)?

I live in Southeast Georgia, so it really doesn't get that cold. I also have a Big Buddy space heater if it does get that uncomfortable. Stitch is a weekend toy/autocross/back country road driver only. So, if she is stuck up on jackstands, it isn't a big deal.

I plan on replacing the diff oil at the same time. Transmission and engine both received service prior to my buying the vehicle.

I have a dependable and fun daily driver.

 

i would call up courtesy parts, i dont see the bolt on the diagram though

https://www.courtesyparts.com/auto-p...ferential-scat

 

Are you guys referring to this bolt?

https://www.z1motorsports.com/rear-d...lt-p-9283.html

Local dealer should probably have it if you call them up with the part number.

 

This is the first post I've ever read of someone with a dependable Alfa. I was really interested in the Quadrifoglio when they came, but it seemed as though the horror stories about them came out the very next month. Nonetheless, they are beautiful and I still want one.

I'm not sure why it was recommended to order an extra bolt. I did mine without issue (California car - for what it's worth). I recommended freezing the bushings prior to installation. This will make pushing / pounding them in much easier. I did mine solo in my garage in about 3 hours from jack-up to jack-down. The hardest part by far was removing the outer sleeve from the subframe bushing. I used the slice / pry / peel / curse technique and it took about 45 minutes. The rest was easy. I went with Z1 poly bushing, which supplied a new inner sleeve.

 

Mine is a late 2017. Bought it in April as a CPO. It had 15k miles. It's at 22k. I did my own service at 20k. Changing the cabin air filter was a chore. Its been trouble free for me the whole time.

I figured 6 hours worst case scenario. I'll wait until my son is home on leave for a second set of hands.

 

That's good to hear. I bet the car is a blast to drive.

Good idea on the second set of hands. It'll make the bushing swap a breeze. Good luck and keep us updated with any issues.

 

Oooo looking good. I learned to drive in an 89 Spyder and drove a 164 in college. It's nice to see new ones around. But yeah I got the bolt from the dealer. Looks like you're covered for everything else

 

Nice. I really like the QF.

 

Mully - Hamster is a total kick in the pants to drive.

Just don't get mad and get around the people who can't drive. You will be well into triple digits without realizing it. Cruise control is your friend in this car.

 

Ha! I used the same technique in my SRT8 a few years ago with great success. I learned from not restraining myself with my R/T a few years before that.