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MG MGB Technical - Lubricating Poly Bushings

2 years ago I installed poly bushings on the rear springs and front upper trunnion of my '72B. The ride is stiffer, as expected but I find the rear make a squeeking noise, even just getting in the car. It is worse in cooler weather. Has anyone with poly bushings found a lubricant that keeps them quiet? I sprayed a silcone lubricant last summer, it helped a bit. I did use the grease they gave on installation, mostly on the inner metal sleeves that fit in the bushings. I know the bushings are going to last much longer than the rubber bushings they replaced, but I hate the noise they make. Any suggestions to quiet them down?
Joe Dufresne

White lithium grease.

You'll have to take them off in order to make sure that it gets
to all of the places it needs to go to.

I've heard of cases where the grease squishes out every
few months and so I took a Dremel tool and ground a small
shallow pocket (about 1/8" - 3/16" round) inside each bushing
in order to better retain a supply of grease.

That was 2 years ago; no problems, no squeeks.
Daniel Wong

I thought that the bushes did not move either on the outer or inner diameters, but just deformed under loading, and therefore no lubricant is required. Is this wrong?
Art Pearse

Art=
Poly bushes pivot on the inner sleeve, rubber ones twist the actual rubber. The movement is what makes the noise and why they require lubrication. As Daniel says, you have to provide grease grooves or pockets to retain lubricant. Some manufacturers actually do their job and provide these, others leave it up to the poor sop who pays for usable parts! I suspect thaater and dirt will sooner or later kill the poy ones, since they also have no seals to keep evil things out.

FRM
FR Millmore

Thanks for that FRM. So what's best to use these days?
Art Pearse

I have used Autobush bushings on my ´63 MGB for a couple of years, and they are completely quiet. They have internal cross hatching to keep the grease in the bearing, and I suppose it works.

http://home.btconnect.com/davidgeraldtvr/

Tore
Tore

Poly bushings use a special lube. It's a clear, sticky lube that comes in a tub or small tube. The bushings I got from Energy Suspension came with some small tubes, but I bought a tub of it from my local Autozone store. How you apply it after installation is another matter.
Rick Penland

Rick: do you remember the name of that lube?

Thanks

Tom
T Lea

Hello,

It is silicon grease, very sticky and waterproof. The same grease is known for dielectric purpose; under brand name permatex dielectric or super lube die...

Cheers,

Jean G.
Jean Guy Catford

The grease from Energy Suspension (see www.energysuspension.com) is called "Formula 5". According to their site, it's a "waterproof, non-melting grease containing teflon". It comes in small tubes or a tub about "cup" size. I think I paid about 16 dollars for the tub and got it at AutoZone. They had it in their catalog, but not on the shelf so they ordered it for me. I'm not sure how you'll apply without dismantling, cleaning the bushings and applying new grease. I had a question about where to apply the grease on installation and they were very helpful, so you might give them a call.
Rick Penland

Solved this problem ages ago. There are people who will leap up and down a quote how the polyethylene bushes are supposed to lock into place and flex internally. But the reality is that the buggers squeak and drive you nuts. I'm a chemist and can tell you that grease will not dissolve or in any way soak into poly ethylene. If they slip about in their metal brackets a bit, who cares, as long as they do it silently. The manufactures are advising incorrectly need to employ a chemist. Or a better one. Just keep polar solvents such as alcohols and brake fluid or keytones (MIBK) away. Decide which bits you want to move freely and grease them with ordinary standard grease. I used molybdenum grease because that was what was in the gun.
In my case I figured the inside of the stainless tube and the sides needed grease. The outside bit could stick. Not a squeak out of them since two or three years ago, and no visible problems either. I checked the bushings a little while after I greased them.
P.N. Sherman

Try petroleum jelly, Vaseline. I installed mine using this...........quiet as a mouse!
Al
Allan Reeling

My two cents more advice,

It is not a matter of resistance as polyurethane is very resistant to all type of petroleum grease. The problem with suspension bushing lubrication is: how long will it stay there?
As we are not overhauling a suspension each year; grease must stay there for long periods of time. It is why silicon grease, I mentioned earlier, is a good candidate. It sticks.

JG

Jean Guy Catford

This thread was discussed between 23/12/2009 and 08/01/2010

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