Energy Suspension Bushings - Squeaking

Just thought I would make note of something I discovered the other night while looking closely at why my poly suspension bushings were squeaking. I had a complete new set of OEM rubber bushings ready to install and get rid of the poly but decided to dig a bit deeper.

The design by Energy Suspension is fine and when just the bushing is test fitted in the suspension mounting brackets, the bearing tube fits snugly and is locked in place upon torqueing and the rubber body of the bushing does not bind on the sides of the suspension bracket and turns freely when lubed properly.

My control arms were noisy and stiff, yet I followed all the instructions to the letter from various sources here on this site. One thing I did not check was the overall length of the original shell remaining in the arm once the rubber was removed. Many of us have used this shell to mount the bushing and successfully so. On the lower front control arm, driver's side, where I am starting, the shells were 1mm longer than the inner clear dimension of a plain assembled bushing, When assembled in the arm, the bushing was now wider than its designed dimension and the rubber was proud of the bearing tube and binding big time on the suspension bracket when torqued.

Grinding down the tube the proper amount allowed the bushing to be assembled to its proper design geometry and clearances and with just plain lithium grease for a test, the arm works perfectly smooth and quiet. The upper arm seems to be the same so I will continue around the car as noted.

As for lubrication, I have ordered new OEM Ener Susp grease from Amazon. I have decided to install the rubber in the shell dry and lube only the bore and tube as well as the ends of the bushing. I want the rubber to rotate around the fixed bearing tube and not in the shell itself. The shell/rubber interface is not a proper bearing arrangement IMHO.

One concern with the design is the central bore/tube assembly is a tight fit and almost strips the applied grease from the bore as it is inserted. Some designs have knurling on the tube to promote grease retention. A thought.

Lets see how the rest of the work progresses but I am optimistic this may result in a satisfactory solution.

 

Correct. I ordered the correct grease from Amazon for this rework.