[widewestcruiser]

My Bj74 developed a serious clunk when steering hard over on a slope. The noise was coming from the military wrap rubbing against the fixed spring mount near the frame. I installed dakkar springs and terrain tamer bushings a year and half ago and discovered the front bushings worn out within 20000km. I understand bushings are to be flexible enough to absorb some of the shocks, but maybe terrain tamer bushings are too tame for off road use. Has anyone else had this problem?
The military wrap on dakkar springs is a tight fit for 70 series.
The front fixed spring mount has a 30 degree bend to accommodate the wide spring, this interferes with the twisting motion of the spring.
I hate to grind off the military wrap, that, or new mounts and/or better bushings?

[Greg_B]

Greasable pins?

If not, get them, and grease after every trip or at a minimum of every oil change. If you don't use greaseable pins, stay rubber bushings.

hth's

gb

[SURVEYOR CRUISER]

poly bushing and a ton of anti seize- lasted for 4 years for me on my 70

[crushers]

i have not been a fan of poly bushngs since, well it seems like forever. the first set i bought lasted one year, this was maybe 15 or 20 years ago. the second set didn't last much longer, although they were advertised to be the next great thing there was no warranty.
i like the rubber, smoother ride, longer lasting (look how long the original rubber lasted in the old 40s), better articulation (give instead of hard and fixed)

it really comes down to personal preference, me, i seldom get caught up in the "latest greatest" BS. if you really want to know the latest greatest? wait 3 years and you will know.

this all being said, when a kit arrives to be installed i install it but if i have a choice i go with rubber. on the JDM units the rubber coming out are usually in great shape and on my own units i reuse the rubber and shelve the poly.

like Greg says, if you grease them after every run then you might be well off.

oh yah, i have to agree with surveyor... anti seize lasts a long long time...

[SURVEYOR CRUISER]

I agree... the OME poly bushing stink. I have only had good luck with energy suspension

[widewestcruiser]

That 's exactly what happened to me "got caught up in the latest greatest BS" and tossed out usable rubber bushings, 16 years old, and replaced them with poly.
I believe the terrain tamer bushings have similar characteristics as rubber bushings, however the trade off is that these poly bushings are so soft the centre hole distorts under the weight of the vehicle causing the bushing to wear out. Other brands might be to hard, resulting in a stiff and harsh ride. Anyway, that said, I installed new poly bushings (same brand) and will pump them with grease until they explode and be done with.
Thanks for confirming what I already suspected.

[Glenn-BJ74]

My first set of OME front spring poly bushings lasted only 1 year. I am on my second set and now grease them all the time. Do they stand up in Oz?

Where can I get rubber bushings to replace these crappy poly bushings ?

[crushers]

Toyota

[Glenn-BJ74]

From Toyota ....so the BJ-70 OEM front spring bushings fit the OME spring loops and spring pins for a BJ74 ?

Part # 90389-18002 (shackle and spring pin bushings have same part number

[crushers]

well...
that is what i have been running in the past...no promises

you could talk to your vendor or springs and see if he has any take outs that he will give/sell you...

[roscoFJ73]

I used poly bushings on my 73 series 50000 klms ago .Done lots of axle twisting work in the sand dunes and hills and greased them 3-4 times,no problems at all.

They were not even a brand name that I can remember,just someting one of my favourite 4wd shops passed across the counter.

[widewestcruiser]

After some research I found this interesting article, the entire read:http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1...hings.htm#Bind

Dispelling other myths:

Why isn't Polyurethane a good bushing material?

* "...virtually no deflection..." (cut and pasted from their web page). As mentioned above, the engineers that design these cars employ rubber bushings because deflection is required in most locations.
* "But I lubed them well, or I used Polygraphite® bushings": You are asking the poly material to act like metal bushings, and it can't. Lubing will temporarily reduce the squeaking and stiction. The graphite-impregnated versions are just 'pre-lubed', and once the graphite has worked its way out, the bushings will squeak and require regular lubing like the others. Lubing does nothing for the binding problem.
* "They get quieter over time": Poly will cold-flow, meaning it will deform under pressure and not return to normal, as it lacks the elasticity of the rubber bushings. Over time, they will loosen and then rattle. Check out the shape of your swaybar's poly end-link bushings after only a few months. This cold-flow issue can also lead to alignment problems on the front control arms, as the bushings deform.
* "But everyone sells them". Well, yes, and the manufacturers of Slick 50 and the makers of 'ultra/super white' bulbs could line up a long list of satisfied customers, but what would that mean?
* "Testimonials are everywhere!" but they don't convey the facts. Don't' believe everything you read in a glossy brochure or web page. Ever watch those late night infomercials? Like those other automotive miracles, wouldn't the large manufacturers pick up on this stuff if it really lived up to all it's claims?
* "But lots of other people use them!" As mentioned above, trailing arm suspension requires deflection in order to work, and when poly bushings are used, the required deflection is still there -- in the bending of the arms, mounting points, and flex of the rear tires. This is why these bushings appear to work fine for street applications.

Many people that swear by poly bushings simply do not understand how the suspension on these cars work. BMR, a popular F-body aftermarket supplier, is a good example of this, with a FAQ that contains glaring errors regarding the specific duty of each of the F-body suspension parts.

[crushers]

Uh Huh... nice find...

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by crushers

Uh Huh... nice find...

I guess if its on Camaro website on the net it must be gospel

[lowenbrau]

Mine are clunking pretty good after just four weeks and one wheeling trip.

[widewestcruiser]

I'm not saying it's gospel, I'm not even religious, all I'm saying is what I experienced. I wish a took a before and after picture of the poly bushings, the old bushing had a inside diameter of 22mm instead of 18mm. This is why I tend to believe the above article.
Poly will cold-flow, meaning it will deform under pressure and not return to normal, as it lacks the elasticity of the rubber bushings. Over time, they will loosen and then rattle.
Hey I love the idea of greasable pins, looks cool too,to bad it doesn't work.
Maybe in our colder climate certain plastics aren't as durable, just a thought.
cheers

[Glenn-BJ74]

It would appear in the best interests of all truck owners with the poly front spring bushings to find out if the original Toyota rubber bushings will work with the OME shackles and shackle pins and what machining maybe needed

As these parts may be lying around people's shops, I was wondering if someone could check this - for the benefit of the Landcruiser community .

[crushers]

Originally Posted by roscoFJ73

I guess if its on Camaro website on the net it must be gospel

come on... if it is found on the net it is gospel..

i do agree with the "facts" posted there since they mirror my findings as well...

[widewestcruiser]

nothing but gospel....praise the internet

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by widewestcruiser

I'm not saying it's gospel, I'm not even religious, all I'm saying is what I experienced.
Hey I love the idea of greasable pins, looks cool too,to bad it doesn't work.
Maybe in our colder climate certain plastics aren't as durable, just a thought.
cheers

As I said before,4 years and 50000klms and no problems nor do I hear sheep paddocks full of aussies bleating over their deformed poly bushes either

Maybe temp does have something to do with it,but I thought it was heat and thats why they need greasin

[widewestcruiser]

[quote=roscoFJ73;2399540]As I said before,4 years and 50000klms and no problems nor do I hear sheep paddocks full of aussies bleating over their deformed poly bushes either

that's funny, glad you guys have a sense of humor....ya, I don't know, my company has a half a dozen F350's and sometimes you don't even notice if a shackle breaks off until it rubs through the box, 50000km on dirt roads will rattle anything off a truck, poly, rubber, duct tape, what ever. Right know I have greasable pins and poly bushings and I'll keep those until they fall off, next time I'll try something else.

[Glenn-BJ74]

I think the problem is related to turning big (high traction) tires on hard pavement. Off road the tire slippage would greatly reduce the turning stresses on the front poly bushings.

[Haggs]

Well this is great. I just read this thread two days after I installed my lift with poly bushings and non greasable pins. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do so I don't have to have them wear out so quickly and change them in a month. One person said anti seize worked well but was that on greasable pins?

[Glenn-BJ74]

Are you running big tires if so -- always be moving when turning the wheel, especially on high traction pavement. If they are rubber bushings not to worry (according to some) if they are poly bushings get greaseable OME pins, or drill out the pins you got and and thread in zerk fittings.

My experience is with the front OME poly busings on the front springs only -- you did not identify your manufacturer.

[Haggs]

Originally Posted by Glenn-BJ74

Are you running big tires if so -- always be moving when turning the wheel, especially on high traction pavement. If they are rubber bushings not to worry (according to some) if they are poly bushings get greaseable OME pins, or drill out the pins you got and and thread in zerk fittings.

My experience is with the front OME poly busings on the front springs only -- you did not identify your manufacturer.

I am only running 31" tires. They are terrain tamer poly bushings. What are zerk fittings?

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by Haggs

. What are zerk fittings?

Other parts of the english speaking world call them grease nipples. Oooh I said nipple

[Entaran]

Originally Posted by roscoFJ73

As I said before,4 years and 50000klms and no problems nor do I hear sheep paddocks full of aussies bleating over their deformed poly bushes either

Maybe temp does have something to do with it,but I thought it was heat and thats why they need greasin

2nd this. There's literally thousands of trucks here in Aus with OME, TJM, Ironman, etc poly bushings THROUGHOUT them...

Nobody is bitching or moaning here that i've heard of?

May have a lot to do with sub zero temp's... or i dunno.

My truck is about to get a full load of poly bushings and greaseable shackles/pins/etc as the suspension has finally given up the ghost. My tray is much like a trampoline!

[crushers]

yah, but the Kiwis are a peace mongering country...right? unlike some of us Canucks that bitch about every little thing...

[widewestcruiser]

Originally Posted by Entaran

2nd this. There's literally thousands of trucks here in Aus with OME, TJM, Ironman, etc poly bushings THROUGHOUT them...

Nobody is bitching or moaning here that i've heard of?

May have a lot to do with sub zero temp's... or i dunno.

My truck is about to get a full load of poly bushings and greaseable shackles/pins/etc as the suspension has finally given up the ghost. My tray is much like a trampoline!

Dude, why don't you think Toyota uses poly bushings??