Rear diff mount bushes - change easily?

[Chix]

You those nights where you just can't sleep because your mind is busy mulling your car problems over??

Well, it's 5 in the morning and I've been awake since 3!

I've bought new bushes for rear diff mount to body, mine look shot.

Are these easy to change? I'm looking in the operations manual, and looks like I need to take the entire sub frame off?

Can I simply support the car by the body, support the rear of the diff with a jack, undo the nuts securing the diff mount to the body, and lower enough to change the bushes?

Or will that damage exhaust or the forward rear mounts?

Thanks team.

And this time Drew, I DID look in the technical section first! but alas, couldn't find the info...

[Chix]

...and now I've gone down the rabbit hole of where to jack up the rear of the car from...

[Goldstar]

Simple answer is not really. You might be able to disconnect diff from nose extension enough to isolate the diff and lower it but that’s a faff and tbh it takes about an hour (rusty bolts notwithstanding ) to get that sub frame off. Exhaust is usually the problem. You need a good Trolley Jack but it is do-able solo. At the same time you can then change any leaky seals on the diff (the pinion seal and the side seals)

I Jack under the diff body (back of the diff) and support using off cuts of 4x1 on axle stands under the rear edge of the floor.

[richardthestag]

do it at the same time as the diff nose extension.

coat the diff mount bolts with grease to slow the effect of corrosion. i used a poly type bush on my diff mount which is soft enough that doesn't allow vibration through the floor.

[Chix]

Just found the bit in the operations manual.

seems realy simple and straight forward? Or is this having already removed a ton of other stuff?

[dasadrew]

.....

And this time Drew, I DID look in the technical section first! but alas, couldn't find the info...

I'm afraid I'm not allowed to put the ROM and similar publications in there due to SOC concerns on copyright infringement.

[sujitroy]

I'm redoing my Stags rear end. the first thing to do is remove the exhaust. This experience is very tramatic for me even now. When I lived in UK. we used to change the exhaust pipe on our Toledo often to get the car through an MOT. I'm a weak guy and that experience has stuck with me until this day. I'm still a weak guy. Those rubber hangers are another story.

[Chix]

Thanks team.

You know what, I'm going to try it the way the ROM suggests...

I'll let you know what happens!!!

oh and by the way, my diff nose extension is welded!! Whoop whoop...

[jbuckl]

It’s not that bad, unless bracket or the pins are corroded past reuse. Magazine had an article on that.
I didn’t like the welds to the underside of the pin, as it’s coming through the body…. Seemed to mis-understand a bolted joint to me…. Stops the bolt force from being applied across the whole joint. (A small tack or 2 on the head to stop it turning is all that’s needed imho)
Hope that doesn’t cause offence to the submitting member.

The rubbers I used were short lived before they began cracking. Perhaps voided polyurethane bushes would be worth considering…(they are available). Solid polyurethane here causes extra noise & vibration transmission.