Rear Lower Control Arm Bushing Fail

[JIMOCO]

Hi Everyone, I am not sure what is happening to the bushings on my three link rear lower control arms. Has anyone see this before?134328134329 During annual inspection last week the inspector thought the grease I used was deteriorating the rubber. Thoughts?

[Traveller]

Hi Everyone, I am not sure what is happening to the bushings on my three link rear lower control arms. Has anyone see this before?134328134329 During annual inspection last week the inspector thought the grease I used was deteriorating the rubber. Thoughts?

Could someone have forced too much grease into the LCA and forced the bushing out of place?

[Avalanche325]

Mine pushed out a little. Nothing like yours though. There is not much room for grease in there and nowhere for it to escape. Grease guns can put out some serious pressure and can deform the bushings since there is really nowhere for the old grease to escape. Then they get chewed up from rubbing. I think yours are simply a case of over-greasing.

I tried to get replacements. Called and emailed FFR......no response to either. I looked all around the internet. No luck there. I called Energy Suspension, which takes you to one of their distributors. Back a forth a few times there as they couldn't find a part with the number. Then the sent me to actual Energy Suspension. Here is what they told me. These bushings are a custom part that was originally made exclusively for Steeda. Then they were later released for other manufacturers like FFR. If you want to order 1000, they will make them for you. I called Steeda and they haven't had them for years.

I think the answer for you is either the new FFR control arms or aftermarket ones like Breeze, Levy, or Sphon Performance.

[Hoooper]

What? New arms to replace the urethane bushings? Thats crazy, just measure the bushing length, diameter, and sleeve diameter and go hunt down a replacement. You can find poly bushings available in singles in all sorts of sizes online. For example https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/BUSH-RE.html

[ggunter]

I can tell you if the bushings are of any natural rubber material they will fail with grease as grease or oil will deteriorate any natural rubber bushing. I would hope FFR would have made the bushings from polyurethane. Just picked my car up last week and it came with the cast aluminum lower rear control arms. The bushings look like poly, time will tell once grease is applied.

[rich grsc]

They are not natural rubber, no one uses natural rubber for automotive bushings. It's either an assembly issue or most likely over greasing. Hope you find one.

[Avalanche325]

What? New arms to replace the urethane bushings? Thats crazy, just measure the bushing length, diameter, and sleeve diameter and go hunt down a replacement. You can find poly bushings available in singles in all sorts of sizes online. For example https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/BUSH-RE.html

Good luck with that. Let me know when you find the right ones.

Editing, because it looked much more snarky than I intended.

I spent several hours searching the internet. I also spent at least two hours on the phone.
These bushings are not a standard off the shelf size. They were a proprietary item made for Steeda, with a licencing agreement that they could not be made for or sold to anyone else. After Steeda quit using them, they were able to be manufactured for other companies.

If someone finds them, please let me know. I would buy a set.

[JIMOCO]

The common thought seems to be over greasing. I will consider the replacement bushing suggestion and also look at replacements. How do you gauge when there is too much? I have always understood that when it starts to seep out you are done. I did nothing more than that. Recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

[tonywy]

Here is an idea, this is what I did. Buy the small tub of Energy Suspension grease and a small grease gun and get a flexible grease tube for it as well. Take the grease out of the plastic tube that comes with the gun and fill it with the Energy Suspension grease. This gun is what I use for all of the bushings on my car, not ball joints or tie rods.

[Avalanche325]

The common thought seems to be over greasing. I will consider the replacement bushing suggestion and also look at replacements. How do you gauge when there is too much? I have always understood that when it starts to seep out you are done. I did nothing more than that. Recommendations will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone.

With what I have seen, by the time you get seepage on these, you have deformed the bushing. I took mine apart, cleaned, greased and reassembled.

[Papa]

You might try local off-road 4x4 shops. They do a lot of custom arms and may have bushings that will work.

Something along these lines: https://www.tmrcustoms.com/collections/poly-bushings/products/poly-bushings

[CDXXVII]

This is from a post on the other forum. Clearly you do not need everything but this may point you in the correct direction.

I am sure you can get just the ones you need on Ebay but the complete lower control arm bushing kit is pn 4.3114 from energy suspension. The complete kit contains:
2 - 3026 - Main Bushings
2 - 3027 - Main Bushings
2 - 3028 - Main Bushings
2 - 3029 - Main Bushings
8 - Center Metal Sleeves for 3026, 3027, 3028, 3029
2 - 3098 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3099 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3100 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3101 - Thrust Washers
2 - 9.11108 Formula 5 Prelube Tubes
1 - Installation Instructions # 17019
1 - Installation Instructions # 17041

[cnutting]

Call Mark at Breeze and get his 3 link lower control arms. They use heim joints to reduce binding and bushing wear. I replaced mine and the ride is much smoother.

[steno]

For what it’s worth, I use a marine-grade blue grease and only grease until I see the bushing move the slightest amount.

[Avalanche325]

This is from a post on the other forum. Clearly you do not need everything but this may point you in the correct direction.

I am sure you can get just the ones you need on Ebay but the complete lower control arm bushing kit is pn 4.3114 from energy suspension. The complete kit contains:
2 - 3026 - Main Bushings
2 - 3027 - Main Bushings
2 - 3028 - Main Bushings
2 - 3029 - Main Bushings
8 - Center Metal Sleeves for 3026, 3027, 3028, 3029
2 - 3098 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3099 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3100 - Thrust Washers
2 - 3101 - Thrust Washers
2 - 9.11108 Formula 5 Prelube Tubes
1 - Installation Instructions # 17019
1 - Installation Instructions # 17041

That isn't for a 3-link - 4.3114 | Rear Control Arm Bushing Kit | Thunderbird 80-88

[Avalanche325]

Interesting that this now comes up on the Energy suspension site. It didn't before when I was looking. The distributor couldn't even find the part number when I called them.

https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/bulk-2238

These are the bushings for the 3-link according to the number. There is also an inner donut 2239. I can't imagine that getting damaged.

BUUUUUUUTTTT, It says "This is a bulk item and may require a quantity limit to purchase. Contact our DST Customer Service Team for orders and more information!"

I'll take 8, if someone wants the other 992. LOL. I can't remember what minimum number they actually said.

[CraigS]

This may be a real pain but I'd pull the bushings from one end of one arm and measure the round sleeve the bushings fit into. Once you have that and the OD of the steel sleeve I think you may be able to come up w/ replacements. Possibly a slightly different design. I know that the FFR pieces use three to make up each. The center third of the width has an extremely hard bushing and the outer thirds are softer w/ flanges built in. Go here.
https://www.energysuspensionparts.com/energy-suspension-universal-polyurethane-bushings.asp
The center bushing is probably fine so you may be able to find some outers that are a little too long (not being designed to use the center piece) and trim them.

[JIMOCO]

Thank you all for your thoughts. I contacted FFR and they agreed that the failure is the result of over greasing. They had replacement bushings in stock so I purchased them. Hopefully I have learned my greasing lesson.

[sread]

It would probably be a good idea to cut slots (i use a hacksaw) in the new bushings to allow grease to escape. It will help prevent deforming the bushings as well as allow the grease to spread over more of the surface area.

[Avalanche325]

Reviving this because I changed out my LCAs to Spohn units.

If someone wants my old LCAs, or just the bushings, you are welcome to them for shipping cost. There are 6 outer bushings that are good. These are the old steel LCAs.

[RaserX]

I will take the for experimental purposes. shipping to 45056