Silent blocks are the most important part of the front suspension of a car. Their condition directly affects the angle of inclination of the wheels and, as a consequence, the wear rate of the machine’s chassis. Therefore, less experienced owners should carefully monitor these parts and make timely replacements if necessary. It is quite possible to repair the silent block of the front arm of a VAZ 2110 yourself. Some features of this process will be described in the article. However, if you feel unsure of your own abilities, it is better to contact a service station.
How to determine the need for replacement
Content
The silent blocks of the front levers of the VAZ 2110, at the slightest violation in installation or a certain degree of wear, quite clearly make it clear to the car owner about the problem that has arisen. The very first and most obvious sign will be the distinct sound of iron striking in the front of the car, as well as a clear change in the quality of car control.
However, such clear evidence of a malfunction is preceded by less noticeable ones:
- during the control process, the sounds of rubber squeaking are heard, and the louder, the more advanced the situation;
- while driving, there is a clear and uniform tapping sound in the area of the wheels, which indicates poor fixation of the silent block and its gradual destruction due to this;
- if the knocking becomes distinct, it is better to use a jack and examine the silent block more carefully. Perhaps its destruction has begun, as evidenced by cracks appearing on the surface. If this is the case, you need to start replacing as soon as possible.
If time is lost, the connecting elements will collapse, which will lead to wear and gaps between the elements, and the wheel alignment angles will be disrupted. This will affect the functional condition of the car and will only reduce its service life several times.
Diagnostics
To diagnose whether everything is in order with the suspension, you need, first of all, to listen to how your VAZ 2110 behaves while driving. This doesn’t even require long distances – for an experienced driver, a couple of kilometers will be enough.
So, let's listen to the suspension:
- You can hear tires squeaking while driving. Moreover, the creaking may not be strong, but it still indicates that the suspension is not all right, and the main reason is that the silent blocks need to be replaced;
- When you hear a creak, be sure to inspect the silent blocks; you may notice cracks or even tears in the rubber;
- And if you hear not a creaking sound, but a knocking sound, it means that the silent blocks of your VAZ 2110 are already fairly worn out, and they simply need to be replaced. These heavily worn parts do not even have enough strength to spin, so instead of sliding, they “slip” and make knocking noises;
- Certain knocking noises can also be caused by the front beam with braces; axial play may occur in them. Such beams are subject to repair, and in particularly advanced cases, complete replacement is necessary.
Replacing front suspension silent blocks on a VAZ 2110
Inexperienced car owners are tormented by doubts about the need to change parts themselves. Of course, this can be explained by a lack of skill. However, as experience shows, work carried out at a service station does not guarantee a high-quality result. In addition, this will entail quite noticeable financial costs. Therefore, it makes sense to try to replace the silent blocks on a VAZ 2110 yourself, using the help of numerous videos and more experienced comrades.
Replacing the silent blocks of the front levers of a VAZ 2110 with your own hands is done using a set of simple tools. But it is worth remembering that there are two similar elements on the front beam, the sequence of changing which is slightly different.
Replacing the upper silent block
To change you need to do the following:
- Raise the car using a jack or lift. In the first case, there is a need for rigid fixation, so you need to turn on the handbrake and ensure that the wheels do not move.
- Remove the wheel and also unscrew and dismantle the support. Most likely, there will be problems with unhindered extraction, so to speed up the process, you can lightly hit the bipod with a hammer, preferably through a soft insert or fabric.
- After this, you can easily dismantle the upper arm.
- There is a bolt on it that needs to be unscrewed and removed.
- Next, the silent block itself is dismantled. It can be done using a hammer and chisel, with extreme precision and care so as not to damage other parts. In particularly difficult cases, you can drill it out using a drill.
- Coat the new silent block with sealant and install it in the socket. In this case, you can use the old silent block to create a soft layer that will help maintain the integrity of the new part during installation.
Axial play can be eliminated either by completely replacing the post, or by tightening additional washers on both sides. The first method - replacing the front struts on a VAZ 2110 - can even be done with your own hands, but this often does not help due to the low quality of the parts and their high cost. When using the second option, it is possible to reduce the space for the silent block. This will require manual reduction, which will shorten the service life. Each method has its drawbacks; when choosing, you need to focus on the degree of wear.
Replacing the lower silent block
The procedure is a little more complicated than the previous one, but it will also be feasible for the car owner.
- Remove the stabilizer struts - this will ensure the mobility of the lever.
- Unscrew all retaining nuts and remove them.
- Remove the lower silent blocks and install new ones in the same sequence as the upper ones.
- A feature of the replacement is the need to carry out work with a loaded vehicle. Otherwise, the installation will not proceed correctly, and the parts will soon have to be changed again.
As it becomes clear even from the description of the process, replacing the front silent blocks of a VAZ 2110 with your own hands will take quite a bit of time and will be quite feasible. If you lack the desire or technical capabilities, it makes sense to contact a service station. When choosing it, you need to be confident in the quality of the work being carried out, since the silent block is one of the most important parts that ensures high-quality vehicle control and the safety of all passengers and the driver.
Tools and accessories
There are not so many tools that will be required to replace all consumables, but some of them are specific.
- Set of keys, heads, knobs;
- A set of new oil seals and bushings;
- Device for pressing out and pressing in silent blocks;
- Puller for ball joint;
- Jack;
- Stops;
- Vise;
- Hammer and wooden spacers;
- Soap solution.
Device for pressing out and pressing in silent blocks.
You can buy it or make it yourself.
The simplest homemade device consists of a long bolt with a nut, pieces of pipe with different diameters and several thick washers.
The principle of operation of such a device is very simple.
To press out the silent block, take a bolt and put a washer on it, the size is slightly smaller than the diameter of the rubber part of the silent block.
The bolt is passed through the bushing of the silent block. On the other hand, a piece of pipe with a diameter equal to the diameter of the seat, for example, a lever, is thrown onto the bolt.
That is, the pipe will have to rest against the circumference of the seat in the lever.
Next, another washer is put on the bolt, its circumference larger than the diameter of the pipe, and then the nut is screwed on.
Pressing out is done like this: the nut, when screwed on, will pull towards itself the washer resting on the silent block.
The installed tube will allow it to come out of the seat and not rest against another washer.
Pressing is done in exactly the same way, with the only difference that it is not necessary to use a piece of pipe, since the silent block will rest against the thrust washer when it sits in place.
You can even press-fit without using a device; it is enough to have only a vice, between the jaws of which a new silent block and lever are installed, so that it and its seat are on the same axis.
Next, the vice compresses and the consumable itself falls into place. But in this way you can install silent blocks only on the lever and stabilizer struts, but on the cross member you will still need a device for replacement.
Consequences of consumables malfunction
It should be noted that silent blocks and bushings are consumables.
Due to heavy loads, it is possible that the rubber part of the silent block may be pressed through, detached from the metal bushing, and the rubber itself may delaminate. As a result, they are no longer able to work properly.
This results in knocking from the suspension, the appearance of creaks, when driving, especially over uneven surfaces, the car can throw from side to side, and the more wear on the silent blocks, the stronger the tossing will be.
Also, due to worn silent blocks, the angles of the wheel position - camber and toe - change, because of which the car will no longer hold the road, it will begin to drift in any direction, the tires will quickly wear out due to incorrect angles.
So, the condition of all rubber elements of the car suspension must be constantly monitored, and if signs of malfunction appear, they must be promptly replaced.
With certain knowledge and the availability of tools, you can replace silent blocks yourself without contacting a service center.
It should be noted right away that even if damage to one or two silent blocks is detected, it is better to completely replace all rubber parts of the suspension, and not just the damaged ones.
Also, all elements are replaced immediately on the left and right sides of the car.
conclusions
As you can see, replacing the silent blocks of the VAZ-2112 is quite simple , if you follow the recommendations presented above. By replacing vibration isolators in a timely manner, you will significantly extend the service life of all vehicle suspension components. Good luck on the roads!
On the pages of VAZ Repair we have already talked about how to replace silent blocks in the article: Replacing silent blocks on a VAZ 2109, this time you will learn how to replace silent blocks on lower control arms on a VAZ 2110 at home.
Replacing consumables, eliminating axial play
Having dismantled the suspension elements, you can begin to press out the worn silent blocks and install new ones.
Using a special device prepared in advance, old silent blocks are removed from the crossbar, levers and racks and new ones are pressed into their place.
To facilitate installation, new consumables can be moistened with soapy water.
But the use of petroleum-based lubricants is not recommended, since they have a negative effect on rubber elements.
Regarding the stabilizer struts, before pressing out, they will need to be knocked off the stabilizer, since they are tightly seated on it.
When knocking down, it is better to use a hammer and strike through a wooden spacer.
Also, after removing the struts, the rubber bushings are pulled off the stabilizer and new ones are installed in their place.
Often a phenomenon called axial play occurs at the lower arm.
It is formed when the body bracket to which the lever is attached, for one reason or another, loosened and a gap appeared between it and the metal bushing of the silent block, which is why the silent block itself was able to move along the fastening bolt.
This axial play negatively affects the performance of the suspension, so it should not exist. But if it appears, then there are two ways to eliminate it.
You can try to compress the bracket. But this is very difficult to do, since it is better not to apply impact with a hammer, even through a spacer, and using clamps or a vice is not very convenient.
It is much easier to get rid of axial play using washers that are placed between the bracket and the silent block.
But according to the manual, it is recommended to replace the entire lower control arm with joints
After replacing all consumables, the removed suspension elements are installed in place.
After replacing all the silent blocks on the front suspension, the vehicle must have its wheel alignment angles adjusted.
How to know when it's time to change
There are several signs that the silent blocks have become unusable.
- The first sign is a characteristic knocking or grinding noise that is heard when the car is moving and which intensifies significantly when the road is uneven.
- The second sign is that if one or more silent blocks are broken, then the car becomes much more difficult to control, especially when turning.
- Even if none of the above is observed, a problem with silent blocks can still emerge, for example, at the moment when the car owner arrives at a car service center and decides to adjust the wheel alignment. It is at this moment that service employees can tell him unpleasant news.
Suspension design features
A feature of the suspension design is that many of its elements should not be rigidly connected, otherwise it will transfer all the vibration to the body.
How does the VAZ 2110 suspension work?
Therefore, some composite suspensions are connected by means of rubber bushings and rubber pads with metal bushings inside, i.e. silent blocks.
So, in the front independent suspension of the VAZ-2110 the following are connected to each other through silent blocks:
- Lower arm;
- Stretching;
- Anti-roll bar.
Each of these elements plays an important role in the suspension design.
The lower arm prevents lateral movement of the wheel, the extension prevents the wheel from moving longitudinally relative to the body, and the anti-roll bar prevents the body from swaying when performing maneuvers or when driving over uneven surfaces.
But the loads on these elements coming from the wheels are very large, so their displacement, although small, must be provided in order to partially absorb the loads and partially absorb them, and not transfer them to the body.
The possibility of displacement of suspension elements relative to each other and relative to the body, as well as partial damping of vibrations, is provided by silent blocks and rubber bushings.
On the VAZ-2110, silent blocks and bushings are installed in the front suspension:
- Lower arm (two silent blocks - through one it is attached to the body, and through the second a stretcher is connected to it);
- Stretch bar (one silent block through which it is attached to the crossbar);
- Anti-roll bar (it is connected to the lower arm through a strut with two silent blocks, and to the car body through brackets with rubber bushings).
Since the VAZ-2110 has a dependent rear suspension, so many silent blocks are not required, because it is structurally simpler.
At the rear of the entire suspension there are only two silent blocks installed - through which the rear beam is attached to the body brackets.
When replacement is required
It will not be difficult for a more or less experienced driver to understand that the silent blocks are out of order and they need to be replaced. First of all, you will feel a certain discomfort while driving, you will hear the impact of iron in the suspension. But that's not all.
Determining the need to replace silent blocks is not difficult if you pay attention to the characteristic signs of their wear:
- While driving, strong or minor rubber squeaks are observed. It all depends on the degree of wear. Loud noise is a very bad sign;
- A noise similar to a knock is heard in the wheel area. This indicates that the silent blocks are poorly fixed and they are gradually destroyed;
- Cracks form on the surface of the elements, after which the process of disintegration of the silent block begins. In such a situation, it will be impossible not to hear a knock.
Selecting New Items
Polyurethane
To replace and ensure reliable operation of the car, you need to purchase good silent blocks. Choosing them is not difficult if you know some nuances:
- For the VAZ 2110 model, elements with catalog number 2110 2914054 are suitable. They have the required outer diameter corresponding to this specific VAZ model;
- Do not try to purchase a silent block from a “nine” and install it on your “ten”. Nothing will come of such events, no matter what anyone says;
- Make sure of the quality of the products. Low-grade silent blocks have flooded the market, but their service life leaves much to be desired. Good parts are made from high quality materials that can withstand extreme loads and temperatures.
