ARB BP51 Suspension Squeak | How to Replace the Spherical Bearings and fix the Problem.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2021
- I have a Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series fitted with ARB BP51's. The ARB BP51 shocks and springs have been in the car for approximately 100,000km. The BP51's installed in the front of the car have developed a loud squeak recently. I have identified the problem as worn spherical bearings in the top and bottom of the BP51 shocks.
In this video I replace the spherical bearings in the ARB BP51 shocks and eliminate the squeak noise.
The video details a step by step process for replacing the spherical bearings in ARB BP51 shocks. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Your a legend dude. Thank you. Off to the local ARB Shop for parts Monday morning when they open. Thanks again for sharing your video 👍
No worries Guy, glad you found some value here. Cheers👍😎
This is an issue with mine too. Thanks for the video been chasing this noise for a year.
Good stuff Matt, not that you have an issue but that this video may have helped you diagnose and resolve it. That’s one of the reasons my channel exists, cheers👍😎
got the same issue diagnosed today at ARB. will replace them ( uppers & lowers) shortly at no cost. So cannot fault the ARB customer service, esp as out of warranty. thanks for the video as was a great explanation on how to do it myself if it ever occurs again.
Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your experience Glenn. I agree, every time I have dealt with ARB from a customer service perspective, they have been great. Cheers😎👍
Thanks Terry will keep this info for when mine start to squeak.Thanks mate....
They will Doug, of that I am almost certain. Thanks for watching and commenting mate, I sincerely appreciate it 😎👍
Nice work Terry and this is a common problem not just to BP51s. I just changed the spherical bearings in the bottom of our Superior Engineering Remote Reservoir shocks on our Prado .. Exactly the same .. SE also does not supply the O Rings and told me that they hold the Smutz in .. better with no seal and occasional WD40 to flush them out! I'm considering the BPs for our LC 105 .. hoping ARB has updated this design🤔
Great feedback Craig, thanks for sharing. It is odd that we can send a man to the moon but we can’t keep smutz out of our spherical bearings! I still rate the BP51’s highly, I just think it’s a design flaw (along with their shock guards but that’s a previous video😬). Whatever way you end up going with your 105, they are all pretty good. Thanks for watching and commenting mate, I sincerely appreciate it 😎👍
Nice one Terry.
Looking forward to a brake fluid change video.
Between you an Jamie (project 200) i have saved big $$. Haha.
Thanks mate truly, keep em coming.
Cheers Eric.
Very kind words Eric, thank you. I rate Jamie very highly, so I’m glad I’m mentioned in the same breath. I’ll keep my power dry on the brake fluid change mate, thanks for watching 😎👍
Thank you for documenting and sharing this! I've had the same issue with my BP51s.. they changed the bearings but didn't fix the issue. In the end ARB changed my entire set for free even though I was out of the warranty period. Just waiting for the squeak to come back now haha
Wow, that’s interesting mate. If the squeak was not coming from the bearings I wonder where it was coming from? That’s great that they replaced the whole shooting match, can’t complain about that. Thanks for sharing 😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures Yeah it was good of them to do it and one of the reasons why I always keep going back to ARB. They made sure the new shocks were manufactured after a certain earlier batch number, but wouldn't let me know what changes were made (the staff tried to find out, but couldn't get the answer). If I can find/recall what that batch number was, I'll let you know.
Good stuff mate, agree with you on their customer service, it’s pretty good on the whole.
@@JafffaAdventures¡Tengo una pregunta para vosotros, expertos en el sector 4x4! (y quisiera saber si me pueden decir si es cierto que los amortiguadores ironman nitro gas van bien con la puesta a punto original y se pueden adaptar con el +5? Tengo un Suzuki jimny 4x4 con m13a 1,3 l motor de gasolina con amortiguadores y reglaje de serie, ayer por la tarde recogí los nuevos amortiguadores de gas nitro ironman y el distribuidor de repuestos 4x4 de Florencia me dijo que estos amortiguadores de gas nitro ironman sirven para vehículos todoterreno 4x4 con equipamiento original o en un segundo podrías subir los resortes y se convierte en un ajuste alto +5 ¿es cierto? ¡Saludos desde Florencia Italia!)
Sorry mate, I have no experience with Ironman products, this video relates to the ARB BP51's. Good luck.
aahhh Magoo ... another detailed vid .. great work my man
Thank you sir, you are very kind indeed 😎👍
Thank you! My car (with BP51) just developed this squeak. Now I know what it is!! Damn ARB, who thought an o-ring would be a good enough seal??
I hear ya Jay, very frustrating but at least we know the fix. I’ve chased different squeaks in different cars in the past and it can be maddening trying to find them. You are more than welcome mate, thanks for watching 😎👍
Superior and kings all having the same issue.
Good to know, cheers👍😎
@@JafffaAdventures I had my superior engineering front strut spherical bearings replaced after 30,000km and its only a pavement princess. Superiors replacement part funny enough is a standard rubber bush so they know there's an issue. The independent 4x4 work shop who replaced them said I was lucky to get 30,000km out of mine. He's dealt with plenty of customers who have only got 10 -15,000km out of there's. Personally... the rubber bushes have made the vehicle handle so much better.
Good to know mate, thanks for sharing 👍😎
Thanks for the info. Really really thanks!
No worries mate, happy that you found some value here. Cheers👍😎
I'm about to buy this kit... was running ironman 4x4 stage 2, haven't had them then more of a year and the Upper Ball joints have gone to crap...I'm aware of the recall. but damn does it suck.. Sp decided to go new all around.. I really hope I don't have this issue down the road.. Thanks for this video.
No worries mate, enjoy your journey 👍😎
Hey mate, just an FYI, you can save yourself a lot of agro and time by just dropping the LCA. Just mark the eccentric adjusters, loosen them off, then two large bolts under the outer of the LCA. The LCA will drop out of the way and hang vertically and the entire strut just drops out the bottom leaving the rest of the assembly in situ. Been doing it like this for ages and saves much time and removes the need for cracking any ball joints or tie rods etc. PS, my BP51's havent started squeaking yet but Im expecting them to!. Thanks for the great video.
That’s great feedback mate, thanks for sharing.
I’ll give your method a go next time I replace them. Cheers👍😎
@@JafffaAdventures th-cam.com/video/oC33zcI9mXY/w-d-xo.html
Tri-Flow superior lubricant with PTFE for those bearings. We also call them Heim Joints.
That’s good to know Johnathan, thanks for sharing 😎👍
Good job Terry, unfortunately I cant have BP51s as Lovells GVM here. Cheers Steve
Well you will not have a spherical bearing issue then so that’s great news! Thanks for watching Steve😎👍
Cracking Vid, You should try some cooper grease Or MBL grease made by Promar great grease
Thanks Craig, good advise. No doubt they will crap themselves again in the future so I’ll have plenty of opportunity to give it a go🤔🤦♂️. Cheers 😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures Yes we used it on the farm 40 years ago makes bearing last 3 times as long still use it now,
Awesome Craig, thanks for sharing 😎👍
Great video! I am chasing a small vibration/ loose feeling coming through the steering column, I have the same suspension setup on my 200.. Wheel bearings, tie rod ends, steering rack & bushes (which were on their way out as well) have all been changed, it has improved but I am thinking that these bushes on the shocks mite be stuffed, be interested to know if you had anything coming through the steering that went away after you changed them?
Thanks for the kind words Mathew. I did not have a loose feeling, but when the bushes squeaked I could notice a harsh vibration type feel through the wheel. It was not in your face, but it was there. It went away when I replaced the spherical bearings in the shocks. Cheers👍😎
The lower strut bushes flog out on the ARB OME nitro charger shocks as well at about the same km.
Good to know mate, thanks for sharing your experience. Cheers😎👍
Nice video Mate! Tks for sharing. I installed the BP-51 on my Toyota Fortuner three years ago and now it started with the same noise. But here, in Brazil, it will be a trouble to replace it. I started today my journey to find/import those spherical bearings and fix them. Your video hopes me a lot! Did you order it at the arb site or for any dealer in AUS?
Thank you for your kind words mate, they mean a lot to me. I got them through the ARB retail store here in Australia. If you have an ARB retail store in Brazil I suspect you could order them through that channel. Cheers😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures sadly, they told me today that they don't import those parts due to the tax/price. I need to import it by myself.
That is a drag. Good luck with your project mate, with persistence and determination you will get there. Cheers😎👍
My BP51s on my 200 have been fitted for 25,000km now and I have not done any crazy off-roading yet (it’s my first new car and it’s my daily and touring rig). Have noticed the BPs squeak when I’m on a dusty road. Surely I wouldn’t need to change seals so soon? Terry - what compression and rebound do you run? For reference I’ve got bar, winch, dual batteries, fridge and draws. I have not been happy with the handling and towing is downright scary as the car doesn’t feel planted - it rocks from side to side. I’m running C6 R7 all round and have 200kg rear springs. Cheers.
It would surprise me if your bushes were flogged out with only 25K of driving but I guess it could be possible. Try bouncing the vehicle like I did and see if the sound is the same. If it is the bushes they will only get worse over time until you can’t take it anymore. The C and R that you are running is VERY high. Sounds like your vehicle setup very similar to mine. I’m running 4 on the compression and 3 on the rebound. This is the best suspension I have ever run and continue to be impressed at how well the car handles. I would back yours off, I suspect it will transform your ride, it makes that big of a difference. Go well mate😎👍
Thanks for your video, I own the prado 150 and I undecided between the fox 2.5 with the dsc or this bp51, can you tell us if you unregret on your order (bp51) or now if you had the chance to replace you will do that?
The squeaky spherical bearings are a pain in the backside, however the ride of the BP51’s is amazing. I think if I had my time over I would go the BP51’s again, but only because the ride is so good and I would not want to jeopardise that. Good question, cheers😎👍
I have had mine replace at 4Wheel Parts. Total cost about $1000. $200 parts, 4 hours labour, plus an alignment. Problem developed after 40,000 km. Not sure what I will put on my next ride but $1000 in repairs every 40,000km is a deal breaker.
I hear ya mate, they should have sorted the issue in R&D. No doubt you have used ARB warranty services, which I have found quite good, but agree you expect better. Cheers👍😎
This was fantastic ..Right on the money ....Piss poor design but really great shocks ...looks like I'm chasing up that part No. and top and bottoms here we come ...Great just freaking Great lol...Mine only just started a few weeks ago
Could not agree more, piss poor design but the shocks themselves are brilliant. ARB can do better. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts, I sincerely appreciate it 😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures What was the cost of that bearing kit Plz ....if you don't mind answering
Ooh now you are stretching my memory mate. It was somewhere between $100 and $200. I know that’s a big range but I just can’t be certain and I did not keep my receipt. Sorry mate...
@@JafffaAdventures no thats a good start thanks for that ..Keep up the great vids
Will do, cheers😎👍
Did ARB send you those replacement parts or did you have to buy them? I have this exact same issue, front end driver side. It's driving me insane now...
O mate, I bought them as per the video. Cheers👍
Many thanks, identical issue on a 2018 4Runner. A good enough reason not to do BP51 again. Any ideas on an alternate shock?
My pleasure Michael, at least you know the cause anyway. I have not looked at alternative shocks as I am a fan of the BP51’s despite this issue. The ride is awesome, this design flaw is a pain in the butt. Cheers mate😎👍
Terry, I am starting to look at renewing my suspension on my 200 series… You like these BP51’s and what inch lift do you have????….Mick
They are a great suspension, the best I have ever had in fact. I have a 2” lift and that’s plenty for my application. The spherical bearings failed at about 100,000km and well outside my 3 year warranty. You can decide if this is acceptable or not. Thanks for watching and for the question mate😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures thanks mate ……… that’s good enough for me.
My pleasure mate😎👍
I have the exact same squeak and I thought it was my UCA bushings. I replaced them this weekend and the squeak is still there so it must be these bushings (sounds identical as your as well). Where did you order your bushings from?
I got them directly from ARB mate, part numbers are in the video. Cheers👍😎
@@JafffaAdventures Unfortunately I don't have that luxury here in USA but your part number put me on the right track. FYI for anyone else with a Tacoma, 4Runner or LC200 in USA, part number VD11010018SP
Thanks again for the video! You saved me countless hours trying to find the source
That’s awesome mate, thanks for sharing and enjoy the silence 👍😎
Looks like you have SPC UCA’s on your 200. Have you had any squeaking coming from the UCA bushes? I have a very similar squeak on my front end, and have the same setup. BP-51’s with 50mm lift, and SPC UCA’s. The SPC squeak seems to be a legit deal, and one of my bushings failed, so I’m replacing those soon. Have you done the top spherical bearings yet? What do you reckon is the lifespan of the shock itself without rebuilding the interior? One of my rears has failed due to the shock guard falling off and the shaft itself getting pitted. Now I’m looking at getting the whole thing rebuilt or having it replaced… Any advice?
Hi David, yes indeed I have SPC UCA’s installed, they went in at the same time I installed the BP51’s (over 4 years ago now). I have not had any squeaking from them nor have I had any bush failures. When I bought mine they did not have a greasable upper ball joint. Not long after there was a recall, and they sent me out a replacement set of greasable ball joints which are still sitting in my spares box. They will be the next thing I replace only because I have them sitting there, not because of any failure (yet). I have the top BP51 spherical bearings sitting on my bench now and will be replacing them in the coming weeks (at the same time as the upper ball joint). As I said, I have had the shocks for over 4 years now and they are still going strong, no sign of needing a rebuild yet. Interestingly enough, I too had a rear shock guard fail (many times actually) score the shaft, flog the seal out, which lead to the shock leaking. This occurred within my 3 year warranty period and ARB replaced it without question. If your are still under warranty I would take it back to them. If you are not, you have no choice but to have them rebuilt or replaced and pay for it. For what it’s worth, I’ll have mine rebuilt when I feel they are getting tired, I really do love the product and the ride is fantastic. Also, I do have a video in the library on the rear shock guard failure on the BP51’s and a solution that has worked for me. That’s still going strong, just search BP51 rear shock guard and you should find it if this may be of interest. Thanks for watching and sharing mate, I appreciate it.😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures Terry, thanks for the response mate. I’ve only had my BP-51’s and SPC’s on for roughly 35k kms, but boy have they been rough ones. 2-3 trips to the Angolan bush per month has put them to work. I was thinking I’d need to rebuild all of them as they feel a bit bouncy now, but that may only be due to the rear failure. Unfortunately my shocks were installed in 2018, so I’m out of warranty. Perhaps I’ll just get the one rebuilt, but with the abuse they’ve endured, I’m leaning towards having them all done and starting fresh. BTW, the greaseable SPC ball joint is great. It does leak a bit from the boot from time to time, but not a big deal. That is also a rebuildable part should the boot get torn. I’ve got the full set of boots and bushings to rebuild those UCA’s now. Keep up the good video’s. I’ll be watching for the upper spherical bushing replacement video. Cheers from Angola!
Thanks David, if it were me I would probably be rebuilding them all as well. If you think they feel at bit bouncy (even if in reality are not) that will always be playing on your mind when you are behind the wheel. You have better things to think about when your wheeling. Thanks for watching mate, and Angola that is VERY cool🔥😎👍
Hey Terry, just rewatched the video again to get the spherical bearing part number. Gonna order mine up from the USA and have some friends deliver them. By chance do you have the upper bearing part number, or is it the same spherical bearing as the bottom? Also, will any grease do, or specifically anti-seize like copper ease? Thanks again for the great video!
Hi David. Yes the upper and lower bearings are the same part number, so you just need 4 in total all the same to do the entire job. Also, yes I would use an anti seize grease like a copper grease. I trust this is helpful mate and that you eliminate the nasty squeak, it can be very annoying. Cheers😎👍
Its alot easier to remove the strut by undoing the two nuts next to the lower control arm ball joint and loosening the lower control arm bolts. Swing the control arm down and away then the strut assembly just comes straight down.
That’s good advice Michael, thank you. I have to go back in and replace the upper spherical bearings so I’ll give your technique a go. Thanks for sharing 😎👍
I pulled my BP-51’s, did the bottom spherical bushings fairly quickly. The tops though… definitely a 12mm hex, but couldn’t get the bolt out. Even used the shock as leverage against the fixed Allen key, still no go. Bottom bushings were beyond shot. Any ideas on how to remove the top mounting bolt? They squeak like crazy. Not as bad as the bottoms, but still bad.
Glad that you found the source of the issue mate, that's a great start. I got the tops off with a 1/2 drive rattle gun at 120psi eventually but there were definitely tight. Maybe soak the crap out of it with WD40 or the like for 24hrs or as a last resort a bit of heat? Good luck David, glad to see you are giving it a crack yourself mate. Cheers
@@JafffaAdventures Awesome tutorial! Do you remember the torque spec for that top bolt when putting it back in? Can't seem to find it anywhere...
Thanks for watching mate and, no Luke I do not mate, but F/T would suffice I suggest 👍😎
Did you tighten the KDSS Allen keys back up?
Sure did mate, that’s a rookie mistake that I did NOT make😉😎👍
Not trying to be a smart arse, just checking mate
Absolutely Greg, I’ve done a lot of dumb things so I would not put it past me😂. Thanks for checking in😎👍
Yes lovells a squeaky with only 50K i just took it as independent front end as they all seem to squeak
Very interesting observation Scott, thanks for sharing 😎👍
hi, are these the same part number for all bp51 ? I have 79 series rear shocks and prado 150 rear shocks. both need spherical bearings replaced and I can't find the part number even though I went to the arb dealer
Sorry mate, I’m not certain if they are the same. Cheers😎👍
@@JafffaAdventures hey mate. Any idea where I can buy the bearings
Can't find them anywhere online
I got them through my ARB dealer mate
Did you happen to notice what brand of spherical bearing is used?
Sorry mate, I did not. ARB would be able to tell you. Cheers👍😎
Just installed my Bp51s and they have been making noises. I’ve been thinking it’s the upper control arms.
That’s the other place to look that’s for sure. I would be surprised if your BP’s would be squeaking if they are brand new…but over time😉. Thanks for sharing 😎👍
You ruined a perfectly good shirt. Next time wear a Toronto Maple Leafs. Love the channel!
Too funny Steve, I’m running out of Canadian hockey t shirts and that’s a sad state of affairs. Cheers 😎👍
Anyone have link to Parts purchase for it
The part numbers are in the video, you can get them from your local ARB supplier.
Wow, major design flaw there. Imagine the cost of having this repair done in a Workshop.
Not wrong mate, I’d shudder at the thought. Just bashing through Cape York ATM and they are silent💪👍
I’m sorry OME. That is not good enough. We shouldn’t accept that quality.
Yep, pretty ordinary 😎👍