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Car Forum / Chrysler Cars / February 2005Replacement Bushings
Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace my worn PT Cruiser bushings. Richard. > Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane > bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them > to replace my worn PT Cruiser bushings. If you use them, skip the pretty colors and get the Polygraphite items, otherwise the squeaking will drive you nuts. Energy has a good reputation for a no-BS, quality product. > > Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane > > bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > otherwise the squeaking will drive you nuts. Energy has a good reputation > for a no-BS, quality product. I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69 Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the "gorilla snot" grease in there. I was later told to scuff up the moving surfaces before installation to expose some of the graphite in the bushings. Live and learn. Next car was an '84 Scirocco; the only bushings I could find for it were red colored polyurethane without graphite. This time I took a tube of powdered graphite and worked it into the rubbing surfaces of the bushings before installation until they were nice and uniformly silver-grey and didn't use any grease at all - and they never squeaked over the 80K miles I drove the car before I sold it. I have no experience with Energy Suspension other than I installed their sway bar bushings on my dad's old Chevy pickup (got a sway bar from a truck with a HD towing package and retrofitted it to my dad's standard half-ton, makes a nice difference in handling!) they would bind up after a while and break the brackets until Energy finally came out with a larger, more compliant bushing with grease fittings; after using those, no problems. nate > I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69 > Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > came out with a larger, more compliant bushing with grease fittings; > after using those, no problems. Thanks for the tip on keeping them from squeaking, Nate. I put the polygraphites on my Concorde a year or two ago. I am in the process of replacing both sway bar end links (I have one end link removed to prove to myself that the end links were indeed repsonsible for the latest klunking noise - the asnwer is: yes they were) and noticed that the polygraphites are making a little noise when the sway bar rotates. I didn't know they could bind up - mine are the smaller-bodied version of Energy's bushings. I've been trying to decide what kind of grease to pump into them (they do have the zerk fittings), but I'm going to try your trick of rouhging them up and rubbing graphite into them. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') >> I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69 >> Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > didn't know they could bind up - mine are the smaller-bodied version of > Energy's bushings. Keep in mind this bar came out of a 32 year old pickup that had been sitting for a while, the sway bar was a little rusty where the bushings rode (the bushings were apparently shot before it was parked.) I did anticipate issues and filled the small rust pits with some JB-weld before installing, but apparently they still weren't smooth enough. I doubt you will have the same problem with the new bushings. Had I realized I was going to have issues, I would have just drilled the first set of bushings for a zerk fitting and been done with it. > I've been trying to decide what kind of grease to pump into them (they > do have the zerk fittings), but I'm going to try your trick of rouhging > them up and rubbing graphite into them. If they have grease fittings, I'd just give them a shot of whatever is in your grease gun when you change the oil/do the ball joints etc. I'm kinda partial to Redline CV-2 because it sticks like you wouldn't believe and can be used for CVs and wheel bearings as well (I use a bearing packer, and it's a PITA to have two grease guns) but it's also expensive and as they say "not sold in stores." Mobil 1 also sells a synthetic chassis grease and that one you probably can find at your FLAPS. I don't know that I'd bother with any extreme measures with a greasable bushing, but it's up to you. nate  Signaturereplace "fly" with "com" to reply. http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel Used never seize on mine ,, been 2 years... no squeaks yet..(no clunks either) but really wasn't sure if it would damage the material.. but was more worried about all the squeaks I read about. > Used never seize on mine ,, been 2 years... no squeaks yet..(no clunks > either) but really wasn't sure if it would damage the material.. but was > more worried about all the squeaks I read about. I was thinking of using synthetic break lube on the bushings before I have them installed. Seems to be kind enough on the "rubber" break parts and it sure stays in place. Richard. > Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing > and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace > my worn PT Cruiser bushings. They'd be the last sway bar bushings you would need to buy for that vehicle. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') >> Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane >> bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using >> them to replace my worn PT Cruiser bushings. > > They'd be the last sway bar bushings you would need to buy for that > vehicle. I spoke a few days to soon. I just discovered that my Energy Suspension bushings are totally shot. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') >>> Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane >>> bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Bill Putney Lifetime warranty. Do you want their phone number? Richard. >>>>Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane >>>>bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Lifetime warranty. Do you want their phone number? For some reasom, I missed the life time warranty on their web site. I have their phone number - talked to them earilier this week when I found out about the black bushins not having graphite in them. I will call them back and get a refund. I wonder if I have to ship the old ones back. For the little that they cost (around $14 or $16), it may not be worth the trouble and cost of shipping. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') >>> I spoke a few days to soon. I just discovered that my Energy >>> Suspension bushings are totally shot. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > back. For the little that they cost (around $14 or $16), it may not be > worth the trouble and cost of shipping. I don't believe there is any lifetime warranty with them - checked over their web site very carefully. If there is one, they hide it pretty well. But I did call them and, though they said they would typically replace them if purchased two years ago, but generally not longer than that. But they were pleasant about it and said they would drop a new pair of bushings in the mail to me. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') > Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing > and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace > my worn PT Cruiser bushings. > > Richard. I've used energy suspension bushings on two cars. They're very good parts, but be sure to get the graphite impregated type (Polygraphite brand) rather than plain polyurethane. Especially on sway-bar bushings, plain polyeurethane will make squeaking/squawking noises after the initial lubricant gets washed away. > I've used energy suspension bushings on two cars. They're very good parts, > but be sure to get the graphite impregated type (Polygraphite brand) > rather than plain polyurethane. Especially on sway-bar bushings, plain > polyeurethane will make squeaking/squawking noises after the initial > lubricant gets washed away. Just sent your comments to Energy Suspension and they informed me that, with the exception of just a few appropriate applications, their bushings, be they red or black, do not contain carbon (your reference to graphite). They say that the few applications that would benefit from carbon get them. The set I was just sent came with a tube of bushing lube which they tell me should last the life of the bushings. Richard. >>I've used energy suspension bushings on two cars. They're very good parts, >>but be sure to get the graphite impregated type (Polygraphite brand) [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > set I was just sent came with a tube of bushing lube which they tell me > should last the life of the bushings. Coincidentally, I just discovered the same thing in a phone conversation this very week with Energy Suspension about the black sway bar bushings not having graphite in them. Also this week I discover that my Energy Suspension sway bar bushings (2 years old) are totally worn out - that the thumping noise in my Concorde was being caused by them rather than the end links which I just replaced (probably needed replacing anyway at 130+k miles, and at $18 each, no big deal). The web sites of the distributors of Energy Suspension's products are *very* misleading on this point (re: graphite not being in the black sway bar bushings). One of them argued with me on the phone about it when I called to see what they had to say about it. TRW makes what appear to be some very nice replacement ones at $9 a pair for my Concorde - going to be installed this week end. Not sure what they are made of, but not the usual factory rubber (http://300mclub.100megs42.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8081). Lifetime warranty. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') Instead of turning over hundreds of dollars to the dealer I order the energy Suspensions bushings and put them in tonight. With hand tools it took a bit over an hour to do both sides. The clunks are gone. How do they figure 2.5 hours labor and a $450.00 bill to do something this easy? Richard. > Instead of turning over hundreds of dollars to the dealer I order the energy > Suspensions bushings and put them in tonight. With hand tools it took a bit > over an hour to do both sides. The clunks are gone. How do they figure 2.5 > hours labor and a $450.00 bill to do something this easy? Did they come with brackets with the zerk fittings? If so, make sure you grease them (see my other post). Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') >> Instead of turning over hundreds of dollars to the dealer I order the >> energy Suspensions bushings and put them in tonight. With hand tools it [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Bill Putney Well the link ends for the sway bar don't need zerk fittings, and the two large bushings are just that bushings, you don't get brackets and so you don't get zerk fittings. They did come with a tube of lube. If I only get another 40,000 miles out of them I won't cry since they were easy to change out. I called and told them to change the info on their web site since it implies that the bushing sets come with new fittings, and bolts. They tell me they only come with their generic sway bar sets. Very confusing to say the least. Richard. >>>Instead of turning over hundreds of dollars to the dealer I order the >>>energy Suspensions bushings and put them in tonight. With hand tools it [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > me they only come with their generic sway bar sets. Very confusing to say > the least. Moog makes end links with zerks on them (in their line Problem Solver™). People go all a-ga-ga when they find out you can get those with zerks. Here's a write up I did complete with pictures on the 300M Enthusiasts Club forums: http://300mclub.100megs42.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8050. As far as the Energy Suspension bushings, I have a Concorde - they do not make an exact drop-in bushing for the LH cars, so you I had to get their "universal" set that comes with its own brackets that you modify to fit the chassis holes - that's what you were saying (re: "generic"). Those brackets have zerk fittings. For my pictures of those, see the first picture in this thread on the 300M Enthusiasts Club forums: http://300mclub.100megs42.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8081 If you read that thread, you'll see that I'm going to give the TRW OEM-type drop-ins a try - at this point I think they'll work better. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') The problem with the Cruiser is that Chrysler did a poor deisgn job. The link end bolt does not lineup with the hole in the sway bar end, forcing the end bushing to pull and distort and not seat flush on the flatend end of the sway bar. This is why the link end fail so often in this application. Still can't figure out how the dealer wanted over $400.00 to do what took me under an hour with hand tools and $40.00 worth of link ends and bushings. Richard. > The problem with the Cruiser is that Chrysler did a poor deisgn job. The > link end bolt does not lineup with the hole in the sway bar end, forcing the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Still can't figure out how the dealer wanted over $400.00 to do what took me > under an hour with hand tools and $40.00 worth of link ends and bushings. Hey - you can't blame them for trying, can you? 8^) BTW - I just installed those TRW sway bar bushings tonight to beat the cold weather coming in tonight. Thumping on bumps is totally gone. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') BTW - I just installed those TRW sway bar bushings tonight to beat the cold weather coming in tonight. Thumping on bumps is totally gone. > Bill Putney Are the TRW parts Graphite/Carbon impregnated urethane? Where did you get them? Richard. > BTW - I just installed those TRW sway bar bushings tonight to beat the cold > weather coming in tonight. Thumping on bumps is totally gone. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Richard. I don't think they're graphite impregnated - they're too much of a pure pink/red color, and I would think that would not be possible with any significant amount of graphite. I also can't say what material they are. I e-mailed TRW a couple of days ago to inquire, but am not holding my breath for a non-b.s. answer. They're the part you would get at any chain auto parts store - Advance, Auto Zone, etc. since they all pretty much carry TRW. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') > The problem with the Cruiser is that Chrysler did a poor deisgn job. The > link end bolt does not lineup with the hole in the sway bar end, forcing the > end bushing to pull and distort and not seat flush on the flatend end of the > sway bar. This is why the link end fail so often in this application... Richard - in my previous post, I said that Moog sells end links with grease fittings in them. I forgot you are speaking in the context of a PT, which I assume has the traditional rod with two grommets at each connection point, so my statement was wrong for the PT. I was thinking in terms of the LH cars on which the end links are a rod assembly with a ball joint on each end. From your description, it sounds like the PT maybe should have had a similar ball joint end link. no doubt the LH cars would be having a similar problem as the PT if they had used the rod and grommet solution. Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x') |
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