Suspension Bushing & Squeaking Issues
Some of you will remember me talking about the horrible squeaking issue mine had right off the bat in the rear and that after much investigation it was found that the lower frame-side a-arm bushings had started turning in the a-arm and were seized on the sleeves. You might also remember I basically cleaned-up the bushings and a-arm tubes and used a commercial adhesive to “Glue” the bushings in place because after rotating in the tubes, they fit even looser then new.
Well, after my Sipapu trip this year I discovered the squeaking had returned so apart again it came. I found that my work previously was still fine and those hadn’t started moving but 90% of all the rest of them…on both sides had started rotating in their mounts/tubes now including the knuckles. As I disassembled these I noticed that all the ones that had been turning had corroded and pitted sleeves that showed water intrusion and a lack of grease between the surfaces. So I test-greased some that I hadn’t taken apart yet and found that grease was easily going between the bushing and tube but none was going between the bushing and sleeve and that made it run dry, seize and force the already loose-fitting bushing to start rotating in the tube causing that all-annoying squeaking.
I got with several bushing makers with the measurements to see if I could bet a quality bushing that would fit better but no luck other then Energy Bushing Co would supply me with the stock material that I could have a shop make the bushings to my specs. So I canned that idea..just for now..and did the same thing to all the rest I had done in round-one as well as re-polished the sleeves as best I could with one additional step.
Many other brands when using these types of bushings also use a wear plate. Essentially as you are braking or applying power, the force on the a-arms from the body thrusts the bushings to one side or the other of the hard mounts and while the suspension is moving, this causes wear on the outside surface of the bushing increasing it’s “end play” over time. My front uppers already have over 30-thousands play. A wear place gives the bushing something not solid to slam into and rotate sopping the wear on the bushing end itself. These are simply some 1.25” x as thin of a washer as possible that have had the centers drilled out to…well slightly over 5/8” to fit over the sleeve. This also means that the bushing has to be milled-down to make up for the extra thickness or gauge of the washers but it’s simple enough to do with a bench belt sander. There is a lot of grease in the ports to blow out first though or it will get all over your belt. Just be sure when you are done that when mounted, there is no pressure being placed on the wear plates or bushings. That they are free moving and with as little end play as possible. Some is preferred over none as we don’t want any binding to start the bushing rotating again. And don’t worry about the wear plated wearing on the mounts, they get grease when you grease the bushing. Also the wear on the mounts has never been an issue with any other brand.
Now all my rear bushing are all glued and plated including the knuckles. I expect in the future the cheap metal they are using in the sleeves and the low-quality material s used in the bushing will cause me to do some replacements but I WILL be gluing all of them in to stop rotation and force grease to flow where it’s supposed to. Here’s some pics of the finished installs. Sorry I didn’t get more of do a video. I was a little perturbed I had to pull this all apart again….with less the 800 miles. This shouldn’t be an issue for thousands of miles.
Take Note CFM: All suspension bushing should have the OD increased by .25mm so they have to be at least be tapped in, not slid in by hand. And use bearing-quality sleeve material, not low-grade soft steel.
In addition I would like to add that up until this point I had been using and recommending a graphite-based grease. However when I find seized bushings with dried, gritty material between the surfaces, regardless of the reason I consider this a lubricant failure. For this reason I will no longer use it or recommend it..for anything UTV/ATV related. And because I also found corrosion on the sleeves, I have to assume somehow water is entering these areas so, I will go back to the trusted Marine grease which has always served me well for all chaise and bearing needs.