2008 Edge Driver Side Front Lower Control Arm Broke

[boogeyman]

Hello everyone,

My control arm broke, so I purchased another one from Autoshack - an aftermarket parts dealer.

It didn't include the mounting bolts, so I went to a local Ford Dealer and they provided me with a pair of bolts for the year I own.

The problem is, they're too short. They insist the bolts were designed for the OEM control arm, and the fact I got one aftermarket and not OEM is why they won't fit.

My question is, how different are the OEM control arms from the ones I purchased? They both wrap around the frame. There is no room to make the end smaller to accommodate the shorter bolts.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[STBEAST]

Never go aftermarket. Go OEM and you won't have issues. I know this from experience. 

[boogeyman]

Thanks. But what is different between the OEM and aftermarket control arms?

Is the end of the control arm somehow narrower so a shorter bolt can attach?

That's impossible because the frame it attaches to is a fixed size and the end has to fit over it.

Once it fits over the frame, only a certain size of bolt can reach all the way through the bottom and up through the top.

The bolts recommended for this part don't reach all the way through.

How does a control arm being OEM solve that issue without using a longer bolt please?

[enigma-2]

So why not just use the OEM bolts? The ones you took out to replace the arm?

 Or, go back to the dealer you bought the Chinese, junk aftermarket arm from and have him sell you the correct  length bolts. (Some aftermarket arms (Mooge) come with new bolts.

 

According to Truedrive specifications for the 2008 edge  lower control arms, they require the use of M12 x 1.75 bolts in bushing.