Creaky leaf spring bushings?

[Mastiff]

I may have asked this a while back, but it's gotten more annoying, so I'll ask again. Are creaky/squeaky poly bushings just the way it is? I installed mine from ORD along with my ORD custom springs. The rears are 4-5" lift springs, so they have a bit of arch. Driving around town I don't hear much unless going over a speed bump, but once I hit the trail every bump creaks like crazy. I'm sure people outside the vehicle can hear.

I can live with it if you guys say that's the way it is, but if it's solvable, I'd like to solve it. My one idea is that maybe I have the eye bolts over tightened? I had them pretty loose at first, but felt like it was noticeable in the steering/tracking, so I snugged them up. I could back it off.

 

[rampage]

Yep. The rubber bushings twist between two fixed sleeves whereas the poly bushings rub against the spring eye - the result of the friction is squeeking. Greasable bushings should help.

 

[Mastiff]

Yep. The rubber bushings twist between two fixed sleeves whereas the poly bushings rub against the spring eye - the result of the friction is squeeking. Greasable bushings should help.

The ORDs I have are greasable, but the grease mostly goes between the center bolt and the metal sleeve. I doubt much gets out onto the side of the bushing.

 

[rampage]

That’s what I’ve heard. Think the fix that got mixed results was to rotate the bolt to a different position. Also heard that anti-seize on the spring eye works since it doesn’t work it’s way out as easily.

 

[bp71k5]

My ORD bushings don't squeak, but I greased them before installing years ago.

 

[obijuank5]

Pick up some polyurethane grease from energy suspension and apply it to all of them. That is likely the issue.

 

[Mastiff]

Pick up some polyurethane grease from energy suspension and apply it to all of them. That is likely the issue.

Where would the grease go, on the sides where the bushings touch the mounts and shackles?

 

[nvrenuf]

Where would the grease go, on the sides where the bushings touch the mounts and shackles?

Any place where the bushing touches metal. Do it once, all over, otherwise you'll have to take it apart again.

 

[Blue85]

Do does the spring eye slide on the outside of the bushing or does the bushing turn on the outside of the sleeve? The bolts should be tight so the sleeve is solid with the mount/shackle, but this increases the friction of the eye-on-bushing by squeezing everything together. People used to advise leaving the bolts loose "for flex", but this just wears out the holes in the spring mount and shackle. If the sleeve was supposed to rotate on the bolt, there wouldn't be a hole in the sleeve for the grease to travel out of. Once the grease is between the bushing halves it can go into the spring eye and between the sleeve and bushing, but it seems impossible to spread everywhere (and it doesn't). Seems it always comes out where the spring eye meets with the top of the main leaf and you "hope" that spring movement will spread it around some.

 

[Mastiff]

I don't remember if the sleeve on mine has holes. The bolt itself obviously has holes, so I assumed the main thing was to allow rotation of the sleeve around the bolt. If the sleeve is clamped down, then it would be fixed relative to the frame/shackle, along with the bolt, right? Then either the bushing stays with the spring and rotates around the sleeve, or the bushing stays with the sleeve and the spring rotates around the bushing. The latter seems the least likely since no grease will get there, plus much more and rougher surface.

My guess with my situation is that the bushing is staying with the spring and sleeve and all of it is rotating around the bolt. The noise is probably from the side of the bushing rubbing against the frame or shackle.

In the case of rubber, the bushing is one with the sleeve and probably spring. It can twist some (more than poly), then the whole thing needs to rotate around the bolt to move more.

Or I could be really confused.

 

[Blue85]

That's correct, as stated above. The rubber bushing has no sliding parts. The rubber is twisting to allow spring movement.

 

[Mastiff]

That's correct, as stated above. The rubber bushing has no sliding parts. The rubber is twisting to allow spring movement.

Well, the rubber isn't going to twist enough for a highly flexible suspension. Either the rubber will actually stop the movement, or the sleeve will rotate around the bolt.

So what's the answer then? Should the bolts be torqued tight (bushing must rotate with respect to spring or sleeve), or loose so the sleeve can rotate around the bolt? The second option may imply other undesirable effects like sloppy steering/tracking or component wear. There may be a sweet spot with option two though.

 

[Justin V]

After having some bushings without a sleeve, all I can say is you don't want to do that, nor would I want to leave the sleeve loose. Ever.

I believe the answer here is use copiuos amounts of grease during assembly. All over the bushing, sleeve, and bolts. The greasable ones with the hole in the sleeve are likely better than the non greasable ones, but I can't say that with certainty. Just use lots and lots of grease during assembly. Even if your only goal is to avoid corrosion and seized bolts.

 

[sreidmx]

Silicone spray.. that has worked pretty good for me.. poly just makes noise.. I’ve learned to live with it

 

[datmony]

What he said. Grease the crap out of them everywhere but still assume they are going to make some noise. Spray periodically..... grease periodically via the bolt. Know you will have to take them apart at some point and regrease.....

 

[Mastiff]

Taking apart ain't happening for the rears. With the arch, installing them is brutal. I'll try silicone spray.

Any consensus on how tight the eye bolts should be torqued? I don't mean a number, but "tight" or "room to breathe"?

 

[datmony]

Tight but not I pulled out the breaker bar tight.

 

[rampage]

Taking apart ain't happening for the rears. With the arch, installing them is brutal. I'll try silicone spray.

Any consensus on how tight the eye bolts should be torqued? I don't mean a number, but "tight" or "room to breathe"?

Maybe drill two small holes 180* apart on the shoulder of the bushing to squirt the spray of your choice in between the bushing and spring eye. The hole would probably need to be slightly angled towards the spring eye since it might be hard to guess exactly where the bushing and eye meet. Then after you drive the spray should work it’s way over the bushing a bit. And I don’t think this would have any detrimental effect on the integrity of the bushing. Just a thought.

 

[6872xtc]

The sleeve is drilled, but in this one which I just picked up last week from ORD, there was a small shaving of metal still in the hole. That would restrict grease getting through, of course. A small pick got it out. I wonder if you had something similar with yours. The bushings have grooves as well.