Bushing squeak after lift and bushing replacement

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:15 pm

When I put on my Frankenlift a few months ago, I replaced the sway bar bushings with the Moog replacement part at the same time. I've been experiencing a maddening squeak ever since and can't figure out why it's still squeaking. I used synthetic "Super-Lube" between both the D-brackets and bushings and between the bushings and the bard itself. I also cleaned the bar and brackets with a soft wire brush and water/simplegreen before re-lubing everything. If I look under there now, I can see plenty of lube still oozing out the sides, so it's definitely not dry. Did I somehow put the brackets on backwards? Over-torque on the brackets (though metal on metal is pretty-much a fixed distance...)? Wrong bushing (Moog K200258)?

Thanks.
Dan

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:57 pm

Clean all that lube off with hot/soapy water,many have to take the bar and bushings all apart again.Hoat/soapy water is all I ever used to keep those OEM bushings quiet,never had a squeek ever.May have to swap in OEM bushings as the Moog ones are not the best.

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:20 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

Clean all that lube off with hot/soapy water,many have to take the bar and bushings all apart again.Hoat/soapy water is all I ever used to keep those OEM bushings quiet,never had a squeek ever.May have to swap in OEM bushings as the Moog ones are not the best.

The Moogs are definitely a softer blueish urethane (not hard like energy or prothane). Are the factory bushings rubber? I threw the originals out after the job was done

Dan

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:26 pm

Yep the OEM's are rubber.

The Moogs tend to get deformed real easy and do not go back to there original shape.Had such a problem with Chrysler minivans,which are known to trash swaybar mount bushing fast, and the Moog bushings we stopped using them as we ended up changing them out every few months under warranty.Went to using OEM bushings and no issues afterwards.

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:41 pm

I found a local mopar dealer that has a pair available and I think I'm going to try the factory part. Troy, would it do any harm to put a little super-lube on those or is having ANY lubrication detrimental? I'd have to have to take them off and put back on yet again...

Dan

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 3:54 pm

With rubber bushings any petroluem lube will eat the bushings and any silicone based lube will actually dry rot the rubber faster as silcone extracts all the water out of the rubber.

Put them on clean and dry,use hot water and soap to clean often(bi-weekly or when you wash your KJ).I would hit mine real well with the high pressure wand at the self serve carwash when I washed my KJ.

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:49 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

With rubber bushings any petroluem lube will eat the bushings and any silicone based lube will actually dry rot the rubber faster as silcone extracts all the water out of the rubber.

Put them on clean and dry,use hot water and soap to clean often(bi-weekly or when you wash your KJ).I would hit mine real well with the high pressure wand at the self serve carwash when I washed my KJ.

I just finished my shake-down run with the new factory bushings. Sure enough, silent. It was awfully hard to get the super-lube off everything (which would have been good had I wanted it to stay there...).

Thanks for the pointers, Troy.

Dan

HoosierJeeper · **Joined:** Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:23 am **Posts:** 1218

I've had the Moog ones since the summer and they seem fine so far.

dgeist · **Posted:** Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:08 am

Could have been other variables: lube amount, orientation, psychology.... regardless, I have functional set of factory bushings, now, and a backup pair of moogs (in nearly new condition). Getting rid of the squeaks in these jeeps is like voodoo anyway

Bushing squeak after lift and bushing replacement

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