Dang, I replaced every single bushing on my Pathfinders suspension and steering 2 years ago with poly, I used some super sticky white brake grease, but the rear just started squeaking. My OCD has me contemplating redoing them, I'll definitely be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Quite brilliant. I have a rear shock mount squeaking like crazy. I am thinking of greasing it. But adding a couple layers of greased teflon in the rubbing surfaces will be a master stroke.
Many thanks, I don't think you realise the extent of how far your information reaches. I found you not because of cars but urethane. The problem is with electric skateboard's using hub motors ( direct drive) after a while you get clicks and and other noise. There are many suggestions of why. I did hit on it after washing the skin tyres but have now used silicone spray. I shall now install the Teflon and spread the word. Many thanks again.
It's interesting because I've been searching for an alternative to polyurethane for so long for this very reason but it seems like all the great stuff lubricating materials are harsh. My conclusion was cylindrical delrin sleeves with an extended stay within a urethane bush. This does look like a cool trick though. Trying to get that low durometer polyurethane that won't cause binding and squeaking. If that didn't work I figured the only real viable solutions were to either get rubber bushings and enjoy the compliance or get sphericals. Cheers for the great idea!
Awesome. I look forward to trying this on my vintage 1987 VW Scirocco 16V. I don't look forward to relubing the poly bushings i have on my 1996 Ford Explorer. But when I end up having to take it apart again to do, if it works like I think this will, it will be great to use this method!
Also worth noting that manufacturers warn thar petroleum based greases destroys polyurethane bushes and should be greased with a silicone based rubber grease.
You are correct. Petroleum Grease also destroys rubber too...... I use Super-Lube...It is silicon based and has Teflon in it.......Plastic and Rubber friendly. It is also Food Grade, not that I lick my bushings before installing them. ;-)
I will say that this works - at least for now. Just did this with some swaybar bushings using silicone grease. I'll update if/when they start squeaking again.
@@JackS425 Somewhat. It still squeaks at certain temperatures more than others. Less annoying, but certainly not something I will do again - I'll just use rubber.
@@hallkbrdz did your sway bar have a zerk fitting to grease that also had a bushing inside (grove) to allow grease to get around the sway bar? i'm debating on putting my other bushings in or going rubber also.
@@socalspade21 I have energy suspension poly bushings with a zerk fitting on my sway bars, and I have no squeaks. I've never used it though after first installation over a year ago. But I also keep my car in a garage and it never sees harsh weather. Lol
Open headers and turn the stereo up, I did this till my wheel bearing went bad. I found out when my rear tire passed me like I was standing still. Tricky little devil!! Legend has it till this day you can hear me cussing while I'm chasing it.
In U-tube under "Garage Fab" there is an episode about making a housing for a bush. When the hollow metal insert, for the bush, is bolted tight the insert & the bolt becomes not moveable. The hollow metal insert is slightly longer than the installed bush - such that the bush could pivot freely on it's non moveable hollow insert. 😮😮😮 Please have a look as concept should be the same when PU bushes are installed as replacement in OEM arms such as yours.
will try this on the polyurethane disks/bushings of a sliding system in a rowing boat. marine greace seems a good idea, as we use it for lubrication of the propellershaft running through a stuffing box. In my boat I have around 47 C degrees on the bearing measured. So I think so long you have to deal with high temperatures, such grease might work well also in a car. :-)
Defo going to try this on my powerflex anti roll bar bushes. They drive me mad creaking, I'm having to grease them every 6 months. Thanks for the video. 👍
that side of the bush is not supposed to move relative to the bore its mounted in. the ID and the metal sleeve that fits into it is where the movement and lubricant should be. Also, most kinds of petrolium lubes will detriorate the urethane, only non petrol lubes like lithium grease or silicone grease should be used.
Prothane grease does the same thing. It has silicone in the grease that bonds to the bushing like the Teflon tape and keeps the bushings quiet for years. I've had it on my BMW M3 for over 10 years, still quiet and I just put it on the bushings Installed on my Porsche last week and they are perfectly quiet of any squeaks.
Thats so awesome I was wondering what his take on this subject was and there you go such awesome answer ive been trying to figure out what to do for a while about this or if there was anything I could do anyway thanks for sharing and mike kojima is one of my idols I love what he does and how smart he is and willing to share knowledge he spent a long time gathering !
I replaced the stock bushings, on a 91 fox platform mustang, with graphite embedded polyurethane pieces years ago. The manufacturer of the product was from New Jersey, however I can't recall the name right now.
This video is like a hidden gospel lol, I actually bought some DuPont spray on Teflon coating that cures to a hard low friction coating and I am about to try it on my poly control arm bushing sleeves. I feel like it would serve the same purpose and might make install even easier. Think this would work as well as the tape? Again thanks for this golden nugget of information!
@@omardsm2323 well I tested it out on another piece of hardware but I didn’t think that it would hold up in the long term. However I tried the method in this video with great success. Time will tell but I have a completely squeak free poly bushing filled Miata at the moment!
@@bakamotorworks505 Your answer is confusing lol. So you used the Teflon spray on something other than a bushing to stop squeaking, and it worked? You also used the Teflon tape trick correct?
I just tried this method and on some pushings, the teflon tape curled up. Hopefully this still works as it acts almost as a seal for the grease. The poly grease from Energy Suspension is disgustingly sticky!
actually one major reason is the inner steel tube are too short. Just add a shim in front of the inner tube to increase its lenght so the front faces of the bushing dont rub against your subframe.
Was going to try this on a jacked 3rd Gen 00' Toyota 4runner on 33's. Using Whiteline Poly Bushings. Sees a lot of mud in heavy conditions. Think this will help in a rig like mine.
We've had success with using this method on trucks. But def let us know how it works for you. FYI - We found that it helps to go light on the grease on cars and trucks that see a lot of dirt and mud. A thin layer of Teflon tape and a thin layer of super lube PTFE grease is what we use on cars that are driven off road.
I haven't found a need for it. I've gone 5-10 years without having to regrease some of these poly bushings once I got a solid layer of teflon tape between the bushing and the metal. The key seems to be to use one thin layer of teflon tape and to minimize the amount of overlap that you have in the tape. That keeps the tape from being squeezed out when you press everything together.
Unfortunately not. Galvanizing slows the rust, but it doesn't seem to stop the polyurethane from sticking to it. Painting makes the sticking problem worse.
I would say that you will notice an increase in NVH (especially when you go over rough roads or potholes). If the car will be primarily driven on the street, I would recommend sticking with rubber bushings for that reason. If the car is more of a weekend car or a dual duty autox / track day car, poly bushings can be an economical way to help refresh those old bushings while improving the handling of your car under hard cornering.
I guess this is a good strategy for sway bars with poly bushings too and you could just wrap a single layer around the bar where the each bushing slides over it. Marine grease is the same as PTFE grease, correct?
Yes, this trick works really well for those kinds of bushings. Most marine greases are actually petroleum based rather than PTFE based, so they can cause discoloration on poly bushings. While they will still work, most manufacturers recommend using a PTFE or silicon based grease.
@@StudioVRM ok thanks for that info on the grease. It’s funny how much misinformation is out there. I saw an article recently that said PTFE (marine) grease so obviously that was not correct!
@@StudioVRM and I read that petroleum based grease is bad for poly bushings long term so I will look for PTFE grease and use that Teflon tape. I’m installing new front and rear sway bars from Ford Performance on a mustang GT. I think that since the car does not see snow or rain and gets occasional use in summer if I use the tape and some good grease it should last a long time without any issues.
@@newfie-dean5803 What makes things a little confusing is the fact that some marine greases are lithium based with PTFE in them, (and are therefore safe to use on poly bushings). So it is possible that they were talking about one of those types of marine greases. Either way, your plan should work just fine. Hope the install goes smoothly!
Can i use this method if my bushing has a textile material inside bushing? i replaced sway bar bushing and i have terrible squeak after the grease has gone.
@@StudioVRM it's not streight rubber it has a textile material or something inside the bushing, you can google sway bar bushing textile and you`ll find some photos.
@@cristinzs I see what you mean. It looks like a woven sleeve that's designed to keep grease trapped between the bushing and the metal. I would recommend applying a light layer of grease on the bar, wrapping it in teflon tape, then greasing and installing the sleeve / bushing over that.
@@StudioVRM i just apply teflon tape over the bar without grease and then e grease the tefon tape and slevee bushing, now its has no squeaky noise but I'll se after the grease is gone if it really help teflon tape. tnx for answering
@@StudioVRM it's been almost 2 month's and the car has no squeak. before teflon tape the car start to squeak and feel regide after 3-4 days. this is a great tip thank you so much.
@@riyadyar I didnt do the Teflon tape as I thought it would come back off too quickly. I did re lube them silicone grease and within a month they were squeaking again! Think its just a polyurethane thing.
You want to put the tape anywhere where metal contacts the poly bushing. That means wrapping the sleeve inside the bushing as well as the bushing itself before you press it into the control arm.
In my experience there is no real difference between the two in terms of how much noise they make. Once the slippery coating wears / washes off, they both start to stick and squeak the same way.
Try wrapping the teflon lengthwise around the bushing and going all the way around. It looks really strange, and you will have to cut it on the ends to push the metal insert in, but it can work better in those scenarios.
Will it work permanently ? I have skunks 2 lower control arms for my civic ek 97 and really tired from removing every two months to add grease , hope you can confirm that it will really work , many thanks again
Yes, I've had very good results doing this. I actually found out that one of my friends has also been doing this for some time, but he has been skipping the grease altogether and just relying on the yellow (heavy duty) Teflon tape to keep his bushings from binding. I haven't tried that one myself but he was the previous owner of a respected Honda shop in the Mid-Atlantic area so I tend to believe him.
@@Rumeel12708 I have had the best results with a thinner PTFE grease like SuperLube. The thicker greases tend to attract a lot of dirt and the oils seem to get absorbed into the polyurethane over time. I still wrap everything in Teflon tape regardless of what lubrication I use.
You realise the outer of that bush is not supposed to be greased or move at all right? Its supposed to stay fixed in the arm and the inner crush tube bends and flexes with suspension movement. The inner is with crush tube is what dries out and needs regreasing. What youve basically done is make the outer of the bush twist and turn which will wear out the bush and introduce play where there shouldnt be any. It should be firmly contained in the arm with no movement..
That's the theory. In practice the faces of the poly bushings get rotated by friction against the arm and it rotates anyway. A lot of bushing manufacturers now recommend deburring the hole in the control arm and greasing it for that reason.
@@StudioVRM StudioVRM a lot of these bushes would have been metal sleeved. The bush is designed to be loaded in more than one direction and resist the movement and want to return to its resting state. Show me a manufacturer who uses a crush tube in a 2 piece bush and recommends it to be lubricated on the outer. They reccomend you deburr and smooth out the housing so the bush isnt damaged during fitting as its supposed to be a near on press fit and pushing it in with a sharp jagged edge caused after removing the old bush will tear the urethane and it will eventually split from the tear (long before its service life).
@@fuzzedoutsounds actually I just bought an energy suspension front bushing kit for a C4 corvette and the manufacturer recommends greasing the outside of the bushing, it's right in their directions 🤷♂️
It provides just enough lubrication between the coating on the polyurethane and the metal sleeves in the bushing so they don't bind as the joints rotate.
How is it even possible that the Teflon doesn’t slip up when you’re sliding the metal inner part into the bushing ? I mean, is it glued down ? Swear I can’t wrap my mind around that, the hidden camera cut doesn’t help
Keep the bushing dry when you wrap the tape. The slightly sticky coating on the polyurethane bushings holds the tape in place. Then grease the outside of the Teflon tape so it will slide easily into the control arm. That will keep it from being squeezed out when you press it in.
StudioVRM no, i totally understood that part, but what about the metal tube itself ? It’s press fitted inside the bushings, how does the Teflon not simply slip out to the opposite end you’re pushing in from
@@tigoxbrata Similar sort of technique, but keep the metal tube dry and lubricate the inside of the bushing. It also helps to wrap the teflon tape in a spiral and leave a bit of the material sticking over the end. That will help keep the tape from being squeezed out when you press the tube in.
@@tigoxbrata Good luck. I found it helps to keep the Teflon tape layer down to a single thin layer and press slowly. The tape doesn't have to look perfect and you don't need 100% coverage. The key is to get some of it between the poly and the metal so that it can move more smoothly than it does otherwise.
@@StudioVRM I don't know. Honestly. There is a TSB for 2015-2018 Outbacks. I unfortunately can't share the link directly to the TSB because it's a PDF from the NHTSA. But Googling TSB bushing 12-253-18 will give you the PDF.
@@jackrandom4893 I just saw the TSB. it looks like the cause of the issue is a worn / damaged teflon bushing. While this trick might give you a temporary reprieve, you're probably better off replacing the whole bushing at that point.
@@StudioVRM Yeah. That's the problem. Subaru keeps performing the TSB and the "new" bushings have the same issue. They are going to fix it again this week. After this, they will most likely stop future repairs. I'm wondering if a machinist could actually make me a bushing that doesn't wear out. Either that or do a buyback which I would hate to do on a $28k car only two years old. Thanks for looking at that.
@@jackrandom4893 Yikes. Sorry to hear. How thick are those bushings? I'm wondering if you could run some Delrin rod on a lathe and make a replacement out of that.
Try wrapping it so it goes slightly over the edge of the bushing where you press it into the arm, then apply the grease over the teflon tape. If there's any grease between the tape and the bushing, it will slide off on assembly, so make sure you get the bushing squeaky clean before you start wrapping.
Yes, that is often the intent of the original design. In practice these types of round single axis bushings do work better if you allow both the sleeve and the bushing to rotate freely. You just need to make sure that there aren't any sharp edges or burrs on the control arm that could tear the bushing up when it turns.
Has anyone tried drilling & filling in a small grease nipple into such arm before fitting in greased PU bush + a layer of thin Teflon?. Then grease the arm slightly every year. Also what if the hole of PU bush comes with Teflon liner of say 0.5mm thick?.
The Teflon liner is a very interesting idea! As long as you can get a sheet that's thin enough that you can get it in there without it getting squeezed out, this could work really well. I know you can get 1/64" PTFE sheet for relatively cheap off of eBay. I might experiment with this the next time we do a nut and bolt on one of our cars with polyurethane bushings. I have seen people drill grease fittings into those arms for polyurethane bushings (primarily for the split kind, like the ones in this video). There's usually enough of a gap between the bushing halves that you can use a grease gun to force some lithium grease through. I haven't had much personal experience with this method though, so I'm not sure how well it works, but I have to imagine that it will do something.
I'm actually trying this technique on my motorhome rubber sway bar bushings. Every year I have to pull apart the sway bar bushings and grease them or the rig sounds like a neglected POS. The worse case scenario is that I have pull them apart next year because they're squeaking again.
So the issue with the squeaking wasn't the sway bar bushings but the bushings on the upper and lower control arms. I'm not taking those apart unless I absolutely have to. I just greased the hell out of them.
@@StudioVRM i should clarify, i used all polyurithane to rebuild the front of my 1998 tahoe. Of couse being that its a 98 tahoe it handled like crap before and still does. Now it just sounds rediculous too! So for my situation it was a bad idea.
@@MrFuchew I think it makes sense for certain parts of the susp & not for others on the same vehicle. Often times its a mix & match poly / rubber combo for the best of both worlds
You know, I was thinking the same thing while I was filming this. Lo and behold, after I published the video a few of my friends came up to me and said that they've been doing something similar for years. One of them uses just Teflon tape (with no grease) and has apparently been doing it for the last 20 years. I've been talking to him about racecar stuff for the last 5 years and he hasn't mentioned it once. Go figure.
You could probably put a ceramic coating on the steel bar or in the case of sway bars put a ceramic coating over the bar where the bushings attach. Then once that has dried good you grease it good.
yea not a fan of those super soft poly bushes, only had failure with them being too soft/deforming unlike whiteline or super pro has a higher hardness that u cant deform with your bare hands, anyone else had that issue?
I've used lots of hard poly bushings on my VWs. The only ones I've had a problem with squeaking for some reason are the whiteline ones on my Subaru Outback. I'm pulling them back apart tomorrow to try and quiet them down, or they are getting replaced as I can't take it any more.
You are greasing the wrong place! That is not the pivot point. The part you are greasing at 1:55 stays stationary in the mount. It's the INSIDE of that bushing that needs grease and is a pivot point.
Typically, as long as there's nothing that could cut or wear the bushing in one spot prematurely, it doesn't really matter. As long as the inner surface of the arm, mount, leaf spring, whatever, is smooth, it's okay if it's greased for movement. They'll typically outlast the vehicle anyway.
@@Tixbomber he mentioned in the comments section that he knew someone who just used the teflon tape ONLY (no grease) that worked well for many years. Teflon is one of the top slipperiest substance known to man & the tape holds it in place very cool idea!
Dont waste your time with Polyutherane bushes like these. Rubber bushes are much better unless your racing a car . Rubber Bushes are quiter and smoother and generate less road noise and you never have to take your suspension apart vs Poly where you have take your suspenevery apart every few years to grease them becasue they squeak . Rubber bushes tend to last about 20 years , so I would rather take my suspension apart every 20 years vs Poly where you have to your suspenion apart every 1 to 2 years to grease them to stop them squeaking. I had Poly bushes and they squeaked every time I drove thru a Puddle and had regrease them every time . I now stick to OEM rubber and dont have to worry about driving in the rain etc and taking my supsension apart all the time to grease.
Reminds me of a clutch cable that had a 'low friction' lining that came loose from lubricant, causing it to bunch up and become very high friction. That tape isn't going to stay put, and will probably bunch up just like the cable liner.
Polyurethane is technically a hard gel that cold flows. The companies who sell this crap do so because it's cheaper to make, some thermoplastic person got a marketing idea years ago. They do NOT employ engineers who make use of a huge R&D budget in the millions to design bushings for each vehicle. One can make rubber even stiffer than urethane if they chose to use such a high durometer but then things start to break open such as tack welded firewalls right down the middle. You can't just slap on stiff bushings without considering the rest of the vehicle. I feel sorry for the women who ride with their "genius" diy husbands in these vehicles and wonder why they get fatigued just driving 30 miles. Something like, "yep honey, I'm making it better than the manufacturer ever could, those people and their multi-million dollar research budgets and design expertise don't know 'nuthin". Meanwhile the woman thinks, "Why do I listen to this backyard hack"?
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Great tip! The way the audio kept cutting out had me worried my earbuds were broken😭
Dang, I replaced every single bushing on my Pathfinders suspension and steering 2 years ago with poly, I used some super sticky white brake grease, but the rear just started squeaking. My OCD has me contemplating redoing them, I'll definitely be giving this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Quite brilliant. I have a rear shock mount squeaking like crazy. I am thinking of greasing it. But adding a couple layers of greased teflon in the rubbing surfaces will be a master stroke.
Thank you so much for sharing. Just pulled my aftermarket UCA using the teflon tape and marine grease. Works perfectly no more 70's squeaking.
How’s the Teflon holding up
hows it holding up?
Who are you THC Kingdom 808 ? What happened to you ? Give us the intel
Thanks for that tip 👌🏻
This works good. It is an also an old bicycle mechanics trick, wrap the threads on the bottom bracket to eliminate creaking.
Many thanks, I don't think you realise the extent of how far your information reaches. I found you not because of cars but urethane. The problem is with electric skateboard's using hub motors ( direct drive) after a while you get clicks and and other noise. There are many suggestions of why. I did hit on it after washing the skin tyres but have now used silicone spray. I shall now install the Teflon and spread the word. Many thanks again.
It's interesting because I've been searching for an alternative to polyurethane for so long for this very reason but it seems like all the great stuff lubricating materials are harsh. My conclusion was cylindrical delrin sleeves with an extended stay within a urethane bush. This does look like a cool trick though. Trying to get that low durometer polyurethane that won't cause binding and squeaking. If that didn't work I figured the only real viable solutions were to either get rubber bushings and enjoy the compliance or get sphericals. Cheers for the great idea!
Awesome. I look forward to trying this on my vintage 1987 VW Scirocco 16V. I don't look forward to relubing the poly bushings i have on my 1996 Ford Explorer. But when I end up having to take it apart again to do, if it works like I think this will, it will be great to use this method!
Mike Kojima is legendary engineer
FYI - I did actually have to stand on the inner sleeve to press it into the control arm. It just looked a bit odd so that bit got edited out.
Also worth noting that manufacturers warn thar petroleum based greases destroys polyurethane bushes and should be greased with a silicone based rubber grease.
You are correct. Petroleum Grease also destroys rubber too...... I use Super-Lube...It is silicon based and has Teflon in it.......Plastic and Rubber friendly. It is also Food Grade, not that I lick my bushings before installing them. ;-)
I will say that this works - at least for now. Just did this with some swaybar bushings using silicone grease. I'll update if/when they start squeaking again.
Where you get it and what brand. I’m dealing with the same thing, it’s driving me nuts
Did it work?
@@JackS425 Somewhat. It still squeaks at certain temperatures more than others. Less annoying, but certainly not something I will do again - I'll just use rubber.
@@hallkbrdz did your sway bar have a zerk fitting to grease that also had a bushing inside (grove) to allow grease to get around the sway bar? i'm debating on putting my other bushings in or going rubber also.
@@socalspade21 I have energy suspension poly bushings with a zerk fitting on my sway bars, and I have no squeaks. I've never used it though after first installation over a year ago. But I also keep my car in a garage and it never sees harsh weather. Lol
Peace and Love
Thank you kindly for this expert tip I plan on using this technique shortly.
Keep informing us with your knowledge and expertise.
My solution.....headers.
Obnoxious and antisocial
Open headers and turn the stereo up, I did this till my wheel bearing went bad. I found out when my rear tire passed me like I was standing still. Tricky little devil!!
Legend has it till this day you can hear me cussing while I'm chasing it.
Well said,Robert Spicer.
In U-tube under "Garage Fab" there is an episode about making a housing for a bush. When the hollow metal insert, for the bush, is bolted tight the insert & the bolt becomes not moveable.
The hollow metal insert is slightly longer than the installed bush - such that the bush could pivot freely on it's non moveable hollow insert. 😮😮😮
Please have a look as concept should be the same when PU bushes are installed as replacement in OEM arms such as yours.
@trentvlak awesome and prosocial
will try this on the polyurethane disks/bushings of a sliding system in a rowing boat. marine greace seems a good idea, as we use it for lubrication of the propellershaft running through a stuffing box. In my boat I have around 47 C degrees on the bearing measured. So I think so long you have to deal with high temperatures, such grease might work well also in a car. :-)
Defo going to try this on my powerflex anti roll bar bushes. They drive me mad creaking, I'm having to grease them every 6 months. Thanks for the video. 👍
Did this and definitely works!!!
No squeaking sound really??
Did it last?
Did it ?
did it ???
idc im gon do it anyway
that side of the bush is not supposed to move relative to the bore its mounted in. the ID and the metal sleeve that fits into it is where the movement and lubricant should be. Also, most kinds of petrolium lubes will detriorate the urethane, only non petrol lubes like lithium grease or silicone grease should be used.
👍
Prothane grease does the same thing. It has silicone in the grease that bonds to the bushing like the Teflon tape and keeps the bushings quiet for years. I've had it on my BMW M3 for over 10 years, still quiet and I just put it on the bushings Installed on my Porsche last week and they are perfectly quiet of any squeaks.
Thats so awesome I was wondering what his take on this subject was and there you go such awesome answer ive been trying to figure out what to do for a while about this or if there was anything I could do anyway thanks for sharing and mike kojima is one of my idols I love what he does and how smart he is and willing to share knowledge he spent a long time gathering !
Wish i'd seen this before fitting my poly bushes. Looks a good idea
I'm going to try this on my car very very soon, thank you! I'll let you know how it works.
except you didn't (let us know how it works)
THANK YOU L400 Delica front left UCA or Torsion bar area has a loud asf annoying squeek. Driving my OCD up the wall
I replaced the stock bushings, on a 91 fox platform mustang, with graphite embedded polyurethane pieces years ago. The manufacturer of the product was from New Jersey, however I can't recall the name right now.
This video is like a hidden gospel lol, I actually bought some DuPont spray on Teflon coating that cures to a hard low friction coating and I am about to try it on my poly control arm bushing sleeves. I feel like it would serve the same purpose and might make install even easier. Think this would work as well as the tape?
Again thanks for this golden nugget of information!
Ever tried it?
@@omardsm2323 well I tested it out on another piece of hardware but I didn’t think that it would hold up in the long term. However I tried the method in this video with great success. Time will tell but I have a completely squeak free poly bushing filled Miata at the moment!
@@bakamotorworks505 Your answer is confusing lol. So you used the Teflon spray on something other than a bushing to stop squeaking, and it worked? You also used the Teflon tape trick correct?
@@MRMAN-wb1tv I think he was saying that he tested the Teflon spray, but opted to use the Teflon tape instead.
@@bakamotorworks505 How’s it been holding up so far?
The companies should just make the center pin Teflon coated. Wonder if that would solve the squeak without having to apply teflon tape. .
Interesting idea. I wonder how much it would cost to get a bunch of those steel pins Teflon coated.
EVERYONE needs to know this!
I just tried this method and on some pushings, the teflon tape curled up.
Hopefully this still works as it acts almost as a seal for the grease.
The poly grease from Energy Suspension is disgustingly sticky!
It's ok if some of the teflon tape rolls out, but if all of it gets pushed out during the process, it's worth taking it out and trying again.
Maybe look for the thinnest Teflon tape available?.
Awesome trick thanks for sharing bud
actually one major reason is the inner steel tube are too short. Just add a shim in front of the inner tube to increase its lenght so the front faces of the bushing dont rub against your subframe.
Knowledge is power!
Was going to try this on a jacked 3rd Gen 00' Toyota 4runner on 33's. Using Whiteline Poly Bushings. Sees a lot of mud in heavy conditions. Think this will help in a rig like mine.
We've had success with using this method on trucks. But def let us know how it works for you. FYI - We found that it helps to go light on the grease on cars and trucks that see a lot of dirt and mud. A thin layer of Teflon tape and a thin layer of super lube PTFE grease is what we use on cars that are driven off road.
What a tip! Thank you for this. Think I should do this on OEM replacement rubber bushings too?
Glad it helps! You don't need to do this with OEM rubber bushings because the rubber bushings twist instead of rotating inside the control arm.
I added liquid pipe thread sealant that does have teflon all over my sway bar bushings. 3 days later, creak begins…
Thanks so much for sharing this trick! Would it be helpful to install zerk fittings in addition? or would that be unnecessary?
I haven't found a need for it. I've gone 5-10 years without having to regrease some of these poly bushings once I got a solid layer of teflon tape between the bushing and the metal.
The key seems to be to use one thin layer of teflon tape and to minimize the amount of overlap that you have in the tape. That keeps the tape from being squeezed out when you press everything together.
StudioVRM that’s great to hear. Thanks for the quick response!
Amazing tip, thank you!
I owe you that man.
Very nice idea.
Wooowwwwww. This is why I love the internet.
I have a question does painting or galvanizing the piston part help reduce or eliminate it from ever squeaking besides using the teflon tape?
Unfortunately not. Galvanizing slows the rust, but it doesn't seem to stop the polyurethane from sticking to it. Painting makes the sticking problem worse.
Thank you, I will tell my son.
if you spread a layer of liquid teflon all over bush ,let it dry and lubricate after, you think the results will be permanent too?
Thanks for the tip
Im tempted to install poly bushings in my control arms. What about NVH? Is it something you can withsatnd for street use? Or is not really that much?
I would say that you will notice an increase in NVH (especially when you go over rough roads or potholes). If the car will be primarily driven on the street, I would recommend sticking with rubber bushings for that reason. If the car is more of a weekend car or a dual duty autox / track day car, poly bushings can be an economical way to help refresh those old bushings while improving the handling of your car under hard cornering.
@@StudioVRM thanks for replying man, i'll go for rubber then.
It is a good idea to still grease to keep corrosion away
I thought outside of bushings was to be dry only inside gets greas
Best Knowledge video
I guess this is a good strategy for sway bars with poly bushings too and you could just wrap a single layer around the bar where the each bushing slides over it. Marine grease is the same as PTFE grease, correct?
Yes, this trick works really well for those kinds of bushings. Most marine greases are actually petroleum based rather than PTFE based, so they can cause discoloration on poly bushings. While they will still work, most manufacturers recommend using a PTFE or silicon based grease.
@@StudioVRM ok thanks for that info on the grease. It’s funny how much misinformation is out there. I saw an article recently that said PTFE (marine) grease so obviously that was not correct!
@@StudioVRM and I read that petroleum based grease is bad for poly bushings long term so I will look for PTFE grease and use that Teflon tape. I’m installing new front and rear sway bars from Ford Performance on a mustang GT. I think that since the car does not see snow or rain and gets occasional use in summer if I use the tape and some good grease it should last a long time without any issues.
@@newfie-dean5803 What makes things a little confusing is the fact that some marine greases are lithium based with PTFE in them, (and are therefore safe to use on poly bushings). So it is possible that they were talking about one of those types of marine greases.
Either way, your plan should work just fine. Hope the install goes smoothly!
@@StudioVRM yes I think you’re right about that, thanks!
There is a silicone based grease specifically made for urethane bushings.
The problem with the grease is that it works itself out over time causing squeaking.
Amazing 👍
Funny cause I was actually thinking about doing this but didn't think itd work
I have Stongflex bushings for control arms and they squeak a lot. Will this trick work to stop squeaking forever?
Yes they will.
The Studio, LoL, The studio. Since when did a dirty home garage floor become a studio!
It's not just any old dirty garage floor. It also has peeling 30-year-old paint and several mystery chemical stains on it too.
i like this idea. Thanks
awesome
@StudioVRM does I matter the direction you wrap the Teflon tape? :/
Nope, you can wrap it either way.
@@StudioVRM If you screw it in clockwise, wrap it clockwise
@@johnclegg6739 plumber?
Can i use this method if my bushing has a textile material inside bushing? i replaced sway bar bushing and i have terrible squeak after the grease has gone.
Could you clarify what you mean by textile material?
@@StudioVRM it's not streight rubber it has a textile material or something inside the bushing, you can google sway bar bushing textile and you`ll find some photos.
@@cristinzs I see what you mean. It looks like a woven sleeve that's designed to keep grease trapped between the bushing and the metal. I would recommend applying a light layer of grease on the bar, wrapping it in teflon tape, then greasing and installing the sleeve / bushing over that.
@@StudioVRM i just apply teflon tape over the bar without grease and then e grease the tefon tape and slevee bushing, now its has no squeaky noise but I'll se after the grease is gone if it really help teflon tape. tnx for answering
@@StudioVRM it's been almost 2 month's and the car has no squeak. before teflon tape the car start to squeak and feel regide after 3-4 days. this is a great tip thank you so much.
Try teflon dry lubricant powder!
Excellent I’m going to try that on my front anti roll bar, thanks
Im about to do the same thing did you do it? what were the outcomes?
@@riyadyar I didnt do the Teflon tape as I thought it would come back off too quickly. I did re lube them silicone grease and within a month they were squeaking again! Think its just a polyurethane thing.
@@bigdong101 maybe if you did the Teflon trick like he said you wouldn’t have the squeak
I’ve just bought a set of polly bushes for my r50 control arm, which parts should I put the tape on? Does anyone have any suggestions?
You want to put the tape anywhere where metal contacts the poly bushing. That means wrapping the sleeve inside the bushing as well as the bushing itself before you press it into the control arm.
@@StudioVRM thanks for get back to me. I’ll try that and let you know how I get on.
Any truth to the “red bushings squeak, black bushings don’t”. Being that the black bushings have a higher graphite content?
In my experience there is no real difference between the two in terms of how much noise they make. Once the slippery coating wears / washes off, they both start to stick and squeak the same way.
Does it have to be marine grease?
No, it does not need to be marine grease. I've had good success with using a silicone based synthetic grease like Super Lube.
Ty sir.
@@lioneldelreal2096 You are very welcome!
My teflon tape just bunched up in both locations...
Try wrapping the teflon lengthwise around the bushing and going all the way around. It looks really strange, and you will have to cut it on the ends to push the metal insert in, but it can work better in those scenarios.
Thank you i will try it
Will it work permanently ? I have skunks 2 lower control arms for my civic ek 97 and really tired from removing every two months to add grease , hope you can confirm that it will really work , many thanks again
Yes, I've had very good results doing this. I actually found out that one of my friends has also been doing this for some time, but he has been skipping the grease altogether and just relying on the yellow (heavy duty) Teflon tape to keep his bushings from binding. I haven't tried that one myself but he was the previous owner of a respected Honda shop in the Mid-Atlantic area so I tend to believe him.
StudioVRM many thanks for your response 🤗
What about adding gun lube or gun grease to these? Like Breakthrough
That's an interesting idea. If I remember correctly Breakthrough is PTFE fortified too so it should work. I'll have to get some and try it out.
@@StudioVRM what would be best, the grease, hp lube(thicker), or the high purity oil? Would you still apply the Teflon?
@@Rumeel12708 I have had the best results with a thinner PTFE grease like SuperLube. The thicker greases tend to attract a lot of dirt and the oils seem to get absorbed into the polyurethane over time. I still wrap everything in Teflon tape regardless of what lubrication I use.
You realise the outer of that bush is not supposed to be greased or move at all right? Its supposed to stay fixed in the arm and the inner crush tube bends and flexes with suspension movement. The inner is with crush tube is what dries out and needs regreasing.
What youve basically done is make the outer of the bush twist and turn which will wear out the bush and introduce play where there shouldnt be any. It should be firmly contained in the arm with no movement..
That's the theory. In practice the faces of the poly bushings get rotated by friction against the arm and it rotates anyway. A lot of bushing manufacturers now recommend deburring the hole in the control arm and greasing it for that reason.
@@StudioVRM StudioVRM a lot of these bushes would have been metal sleeved.
The bush is designed to be loaded in more than one direction and resist the movement and want to return to its resting state.
Show me a manufacturer who uses a crush tube in a 2 piece bush and recommends it to be lubricated on the outer.
They reccomend you deburr and smooth out the housing so the bush isnt damaged during fitting as its supposed to be a near on press fit and pushing it in with a sharp jagged edge caused after removing the old bush will tear the urethane and it will eventually split from the tear (long before its service life).
@@fuzzedoutsounds Would you recommend anti seize or anything on the outer portion?
@@fuzzedoutsounds Apparantly in his case they've held up well after 5 years
@@fuzzedoutsounds actually I just bought an energy suspension front bushing kit for a C4 corvette and the manufacturer recommends greasing the outside of the bushing, it's right in their directions 🤷♂️
What does the teflon tape do?
It provides just enough lubrication between the coating on the polyurethane and the metal sleeves in the bushing so they don't bind as the joints rotate.
@@StudioVRM ahhhh ok. I get it. Thanks for sharing. Going to implement this when I do mines this weekend
How is it even possible that the Teflon doesn’t slip up when you’re sliding the metal inner part into the bushing ? I mean, is it glued down ? Swear I can’t wrap my mind around that, the hidden camera cut doesn’t help
Keep the bushing dry when you wrap the tape. The slightly sticky coating on the polyurethane bushings holds the tape in place. Then grease the outside of the Teflon tape so it will slide easily into the control arm. That will keep it from being squeezed out when you press it in.
StudioVRM no, i totally understood that part, but what about the metal tube itself ? It’s press fitted inside the bushings, how does the Teflon not simply slip out to the opposite end you’re pushing in from
@@tigoxbrata Similar sort of technique, but keep the metal tube dry and lubricate the inside of the bushing. It also helps to wrap the teflon tape in a spiral and leave a bit of the material sticking over the end. That will help keep the tape from being squeezed out when you press the tube in.
StudioVRM okey! Will try ! Thank you for the tip
@@tigoxbrata Good luck. I found it helps to keep the Teflon tape layer down to a single thin layer and press slowly. The tape doesn't have to look perfect and you don't need 100% coverage. The key is to get some of it between the poly and the metal so that it can move more smoothly than it does otherwise.
Legend
Full credit for the idea goes to Mike Kojima of MotoIQ fame. He mentioned it in passing when I first started working on cars and I never forgot it.
Easier said than done. Some of the Superpro bushings have such a tight fit between the bushing and inner sleeve, that this technique won't work.
Wonder if this will work with a Subaru outback driver's seat bushing that keeps squeaking
Does the bushing rotate inside or around a metal sleeve? If so, this will help.
@@StudioVRM I don't know. Honestly. There is a TSB for 2015-2018 Outbacks. I unfortunately can't share the link directly to the TSB because it's a PDF from the NHTSA. But Googling TSB bushing 12-253-18 will give you the PDF.
@@jackrandom4893 I just saw the TSB. it looks like the cause of the issue is a worn / damaged teflon bushing. While this trick might give you a temporary reprieve, you're probably better off replacing the whole bushing at that point.
@@StudioVRM Yeah. That's the problem. Subaru keeps performing the TSB and the "new" bushings have the same issue. They are going to fix it again this week. After this, they will most likely stop future repairs. I'm wondering if a machinist could actually make me a bushing that doesn't wear out. Either that or do a buyback which I would hate to do on a $28k car only two years old.
Thanks for looking at that.
@@jackrandom4893 Yikes. Sorry to hear. How thick are those bushings? I'm wondering if you could run some Delrin rod on a lathe and make a replacement out of that.
Can't do it? There's no clearance for PTFE tape; it just get's pushed off when you try and assemble?
Try wrapping it so it goes slightly over the edge of the bushing where you press it into the arm, then apply the grease over the teflon tape. If there's any grease between the tape and the bushing, it will slide off on assembly, so make sure you get the bushing squeaky clean before you start wrapping.
The outer part of the bush should not be wrapped with tape, that stays firm with the arm, it’s the inner metal tube that moves on poly bushes.
I can imagine that in reality it might be useful to enable the bush to move as well.
Life's hacks simple solutions.
Genius
The bush is not suppose to move, only the sleeve.
Yes, that is often the intent of the original design. In practice these types of round single axis bushings do work better if you allow both the sleeve and the bushing to rotate freely. You just need to make sure that there aren't any sharp edges or burrs on the control arm that could tear the bushing up when it turns.
@@StudioVRM True sometimes you can grind a little off the arm and use a polished spacer to completely protect the bushing.
1:05 sounds like an ad on youtube lol
Like a TH-cam ad that tells random anecdotes but doesn't actually try to sell you anything.
@@StudioVRM in this case I received solid advice 👌 thanks for the video!
Has anyone tried drilling & filling in a small grease nipple into such arm before fitting in greased PU bush + a layer of thin Teflon?. Then grease the arm slightly every year.
Also what if the hole of PU bush comes with Teflon liner of say 0.5mm thick?.
The Teflon liner is a very interesting idea! As long as you can get a sheet that's thin enough that you can get it in there without it getting squeezed out, this could work really well. I know you can get 1/64" PTFE sheet for relatively cheap off of eBay. I might experiment with this the next time we do a nut and bolt on one of our cars with polyurethane bushings.
I have seen people drill grease fittings into those arms for polyurethane bushings (primarily for the split kind, like the ones in this video). There's usually enough of a gap between the bushing halves that you can use a grease gun to force some lithium grease through. I haven't had much personal experience with this method though, so I'm not sure how well it works, but I have to imagine that it will do something.
You should only use silicone, synthetic grease on polyurethane bushings, petroleum based greases will break them down…
Is this a Honda prelude control arms?? Haha
You know it. Fronts for a 4th/5th gen.
I'm actually trying this technique on my motorhome rubber sway bar bushings. Every year I have to pull apart the sway bar bushings and grease them or the rig sounds like a neglected POS. The worse case scenario is that I have pull them apart next year because they're squeaking again.
So the issue with the squeaking wasn't the sway bar bushings but the bushings on the upper and lower control arms. I'm not taking those apart unless I absolutely have to. I just greased the hell out of them.
I really regret using polyurithane. No difference and stupid loud
Sometimes it makes sense to stick with rubber. It's more expensive but it is better for NVH.
@@StudioVRM i should clarify, i used all polyurithane to rebuild the front of my 1998 tahoe. Of couse being that its a 98 tahoe it handled like crap before and still does. Now it just sounds rediculous too! So for my situation it was a bad idea.
@@MrFuchew I think it makes sense for certain parts of the susp & not for others on the same vehicle. Often times its a mix & match poly / rubber combo for the best of both worlds
I'm a bit skeptical, if it worked people would have known about it by now.
You know, I was thinking the same thing while I was filming this. Lo and behold, after I published the video a few of my friends came up to me and said that they've been doing something similar for years. One of them uses just Teflon tape (with no grease) and has apparently been doing it for the last 20 years. I've been talking to him about racecar stuff for the last 5 years and he hasn't mentioned it once. Go figure.
why not just use liquid teflon on the metal bushings
You probably could. I haven't tried it on these bushings yet. Maybe I will next time I have a set apart for service.
You could probably put a ceramic coating on the steel bar or in the case of sway bars put a ceramic coating over the bar where the bushings attach. Then once that has dried good you grease it good.
yea not a fan of those super soft poly bushes, only had failure with them being too soft/deforming unlike whiteline or super pro has a higher hardness that u cant deform with your bare hands, anyone else had that issue?
I've used lots of hard poly bushings on my VWs. The only ones I've had a problem with squeaking for some reason are the whiteline ones on my Subaru Outback. I'm pulling them back apart tomorrow to try and quiet them down, or they are getting replaced as I can't take it any more.
I have white line, but they squeak like Krazy, I swear I hit a pebbles and it sounds like all my springs got trampled
Grease on the outside of the bushing is just a magnet for dirt.
Super lube 21030
You are greasing the wrong place! That is not the pivot point. The part you are greasing at 1:55 stays stationary in the mount. It's the INSIDE of that bushing that needs grease and is a pivot point.
Although you are right, it does not really matter.
The sleeve looked greased when he pushed it in. Wouldn't make much sense to wrap it with teflon tape and not grease it.
Typically, as long as there's nothing that could cut or wear the bushing in one spot prematurely, it doesn't really matter. As long as the inner surface of the arm, mount, leaf spring, whatever, is smooth, it's okay if it's greased for movement. They'll typically outlast the vehicle anyway.
@@Tixbomber he mentioned in the comments section that he knew someone who just used the teflon tape ONLY (no grease) that worked well for many years. Teflon is one of the top slipperiest substance known to man & the tape holds it in place very cool idea!
Considering I hate to ‘belt the bushings to buggery’ onto the control arm - I’m picking there’s no way this would of worked
Dont waste your time with Polyutherane bushes like these. Rubber bushes are much better unless your racing a car . Rubber Bushes are quiter and smoother and generate less road noise and you never have to take your suspension apart vs Poly where you have take your suspenevery apart every few years to grease them becasue they squeak . Rubber bushes tend to last about 20 years , so I would rather take my suspension apart every 20 years vs Poly where you have to your suspenion apart every 1 to 2 years to grease them to stop them squeaking. I had Poly bushes and they squeaked every time I drove thru a Puddle and had regrease them every time . I now stick to OEM rubber and dont have to worry about driving in the rain etc and taking my supsension apart all the time to grease.
Reminds me of a clutch cable that had a 'low friction' lining that came loose from lubricant, causing it to bunch up and become very high friction. That tape isn't going to stay put, and will probably bunch up just like the cable liner.
That's what I thought too until I actually tried it. But once the bushing is pressed into the sleeve, the tape stays put.
Magnetic Grease
Wow! Nigga
Polyurethane is technically a hard gel that cold flows. The companies who sell this crap do so because it's cheaper to make, some thermoplastic person got a marketing idea years ago. They do NOT employ engineers who make use of a huge R&D budget in the millions to design bushings for each vehicle. One can make rubber even stiffer than urethane if they chose to use such a high durometer but then things start to break open such as tack welded firewalls right down the middle. You can't just slap on stiff bushings without considering the rest of the vehicle. I feel sorry for the women who ride with their "genius" diy husbands in these vehicles and wonder why they get fatigued just driving 30 miles. Something like, "yep honey, I'm making it better than the manufacturer ever could, those people and their multi-million dollar research budgets and design expertise don't know 'nuthin". Meanwhile the woman thinks, "Why do I listen to this backyard hack"?
so... i take it you don't like poly bushings?
@@Dizzykitty817 Haha
This is the type of guy that reads the brochure and says it comes with a borla exhaust
Davesworld7 you are an idiot the car makes use rubber bushings cause the dont last and u keep buying them so u keep filling there pockets
OEMs use rubber for cost. Silly guy
awesome