Chewed up OME Bushing. WTF!

[2everest]

I have no idea why this happened. One of the Poly Old Man Emu bushings that I installed about 3 months ago, got all chewed up. First of all, it was not ripped when installed, and the bolt is not too tight. Hmmm... I am pretty sure OME will replace it. But I wonder how it happened.

See the tear ...

Another View ...

Closer ...

Top View ...

View of opposite end of Panhard Rod ...

 

[Bear80]

That should not be all that surprising. The axle is twisting aginst the panhard bar under flex. A stiff polyurethane will destroy its self like that, try a softer bushing next time around.

 

[ats4x4dotcom]

Thats what you get when you buy cheap bushes...

Put factory ones back in, and get ready to do your OME CC bushes when they go too.

 

[Nay]

Better yet, buy my MAF 4+ panhard so the poly doesn't have to twist, and get adjustability while you are at it

The front panhard really doesn't twist that much, I'm surprised to see the bushing gone, even relatively soft OME poly.

 

[KLF]

Be glad the bushing shredded, instead of the panhard rod bending, or the mount tearing off the axle. If it were me, I'd put an OEM rubber bushing back in.

 

[2everest]

Well, the bushings are pretty F-n hard. I didn't realize that they were a bad choice. I did not think OME had bad product, that is why I buy everything from OME. Maybe I will do some shopping around. Any suggestions, I know Slee has nice bushings. I guess I would redo all that I already did (F panhard, F control arms and CC, R panhard, Rear control arms) ... Or maybe I will just replace it under the warranty and see how it lasts ...

 

[robmir]

Thats what you get when you buy cheap bushes...

Put factory ones back in, and get ready to do your OME CC bushes when they go too.

X2.2.2.2.2.2.2

 

[SOCALFJ]

Were they greased properly on install? They look awfully dry. You need zerk fittings in each end.

 

[2everest]

Yep, they were. I thought I over-greased, cause it was squeezing out the sides ... Look at the picture that shows the bracket that the bolt goes through. Does that that look bent in to you? Maybe I'll mess with it a little when it finishes raining, for the 4th straight day ...

 

[Nay]

Yep, they were. I thought I over-greased, cause it was squeezing out the sides ... Look at the picture that shows the bracket that the bolt goes through. Does that that look bent in to you? Maybe I'll mess with it a little when it finishes raining, for the 4th straight day ...

It doesn't really matter. Those bushings have to twist while the part that tore is fixed against the mount. Plastic does not stretch well over time without tearing.

OME replacement suspension bushings should be considered road/overland use only. The CC bushings are a somewhat different application in the sense that there is more compression than twist in that application, but I agree, they won't last all that long.

Buying OME just because it is OME is a bad idea. I think ats4x4dotcom (search) recently stated that Rancho, which just plain sucks, is "just below OME in quality". So that's an Oz perspective on OME.

It's a bummer when you realize that by buying Fosters you are really paying a premium for Budweiser, but hey, that's what this forum is for

 

[landtank]

one thing to consider is how well you corrected for caster. Lifting the truck automatically rotates the axle which builds in some twist on the panhard rod. The only way to remove that twist is to fully correct for caster so the axle is back in the proper alignment.

I see you have 850s up front and if the truck is near stock in weight then you aren't there and that's probably some of the stress that bushing is seeing.

 

[Nay]

one thing to consider is how well you corrected for caster. Lifting the truck automatically rotates the axle which builds in some twist on the panhard rod. The only way to remove that twist is to fully correct for caster so the axle is back in the proper alignment.

I see you have 850s up front and if the truck is near stock in weight then you aren't there and that's probably some of the stress that bushing is seeing.

That's a good point. However...

He's only about the fifty thousandth person to try a standard polyurethane bushing (the type here that is in two pieces that you can insert by hand with a larger flat mount surface) in a suspension link that requires twist only to have it rip apart. Ripping poly bushings in suspension links is so 1998-99, and yet they remain on the market and are sold without disclaimer.

I used to carry about 10 different spares of these things when they first came out as the alternative to rubber bushings because you could about guarantee that somebody would have a bushing failure on the trail. I had the spares because I had tried and destroyed at least one of virtually every version.

This is why you now have the johnny joint, but the 80 rubber bushings are so well designed you don't need them here, and MAF's pressed in spherical end seems to be an excellent solution if you need the extra unrestricted twist for a long travel suspension (I was concerned about teflon bonding durability and noise, but so far so good, although I only have the rear panhard, not control arms).

Slee's polyester blues are the next gen, will be interesting to see 2-3 years in how they have held up. I certainly love them for caster correction, but I've only got two wheeling trips into them and about a thousand miles.

I would get these from Slee to replace the OME's if you don't want to go back to OEM rubber. They are the right design, meaning the bushing really only has to compress rather than stretch at a molded corner like the OME's do. They may well hold up on par with rubber and save you some coin.

Slee - Toyota 80 Land Cruiser Suspension Bushings

 

[2everest]

Yes, so I have been reading on this forum for a year now, and I have always wondered, why do so many guys turn to Slee and not Old Man Emu? I guess OME is not what it is cracked up to be, at least that's the impression I am getting. I think I am going to switch everything out, to the Slee bushings. I don't want rubber replacements, I want more performance, more flex. Another point to mention, with my OME bushings, my travel sucks. It seems harder to get her to flex, even after removing the sway bars.

And no my caster is not perfect, probably around 0. With my springs and no weight, I achieved about a 4" lift ...

 

[2everest]

What is better, the Slee polyester bushings or toyota oem bushings? What are the best Toyota replacements to buy? What is the difference between the OME and Slee bushing compounds? Material? I think I am going to incorporate this into buying adjustable Panhard rods ...

 

[landtank]

Yes, so I have been reading on this forum for a year now, and I have always wondered, why do so many guys turn to Slee and not Old Man Emu? I guess OME is not what it is cracked up to be, at least that's the impression I am getting. I think I am going to switch everything out, to the Slee bushings. I don't want rubber replacements, I want more performance, more flex. Another point to mention, with my OME bushings, my travel sucks. It seems harder to get her to flex, even after removing the sway bars.

And no my caster is not perfect, probably around 0. With my springs and no weight, I achieved about a 4" lift ...

IMO the best performing traditional front setup is one that is as close to stock as far as alignment and build.

As soon as you start changing things from there you are ebbing away at how well the axle will flex. And don't kid yourself all the little things add up to more than you might think.

I would replace those bushings with stock units and since you are that high I would get Slee's DIY joint for the panhard while at it.

 

[Nay]

I don't want rubber replacements, I want more performance, more flex. Another point to mention, with my OME bushings, my travel sucks. It seems harder to get her to flex, even after removing the sway bars.

Well, I think you should be seeing the conflict in your statement here: you don't want rubber, you want more flex, but you can't get poly to flex. That's because rubber flexes better than poly.

Now as to what is better, for a panhard you really don't need a ton of twist, so the slee polyester may be fine. It won't limit flex for sure. So you are taking a gamble on durability.

I did offer up my MAF adjustable panhard, which I just don't need, so if you are going adjustable and want it, let me know . I'll get you the factory rubber bushing for the axle end.

Slee's setup will come with his blue bushings, that's pretty easy if you want to try them. The key is those bushings are designed like the factory rubber bushing, so the type of forces they take are different than those OME you tore up.

This isn't an OME issue. OME is a stock suspension replacement company with lifts designed to stay in factory geometry (J/L is very atypical for OME), not a rock crawling suspension company, and when you buy stock suspension upgrade parts for rock crawling you often find they don't last. That's really not a quality issue, it is the simple fact that what you bought was not designed for what you are using it for, and you may prove that from time to time in things like poly bushing durability and coil spring lifespan. That's the answer to WTF?!?

FWIW, I really hate poly bushings, I've had nothing but bad experiences with them, but I'd do the Slee panhards because of how the bushings are designed. I would not run those bushings in control arms that need more twist, personally, but the panhards on an 80 are a different issue.

Take a look at MAF 4+, very cool setup that eliminates stress on the axle end bushings and provides additional lateral rigidity via the spherical joint.

 

[Nay]

I would replace those bushings with stock units and since you are that high I would get Slee's DIY joint for the panhard while at it.

Good recommendation. In conjunction with our unflexy radius arms, the front panhard with rubber bushings lacks nothing except adjustability, which can be cured with the DIY setup from Slee.

Problem is by the time you buy new OME bushings, have them pressed in, buy the DIY kit and weld it up...you aren't saving much over buying a new adjustable unit with factory rubber.

 

[landtank]

Problem is by the time you by new OME bushings, have them pressed in, buy the DIY kit and weld it up...you aren't saving much over buying a new adjustable unit with factory rubber.

I'm assuming you mean OEM but you could probably call any number of yards that have cruisers laying around and get another panhard with good bushings for less than 50.00 maybe even cheaper. I don't recall ever seeing a factory bushing that has failed posted on here.

 

[2everest]

Good recommendation. In conjunction with our unflexy radius arms, the front panhard with rubber bushings lacks nothing except adjustability, which can be cured with the DIY setup from Slee.

Problem is by the time you buy new OME bushings, have them pressed in, buy the DIY kit and weld it up...you aren't saving much over buying a new adjustable unit with factory rubber.

I am going to buy Adjustable Panhards, fitted with Slee's Poly's and work it from there. Slee has a special on the rear down to $145 right now, and what did you want for your front adj. panhard? I do not know how how soon I could buy though. Just shooting the question.

I read up on Slee's poly bushings, I understand the differences now, well, I already did, I just never put two and two together, well, I guess I didn't understand, anyways ...

I think I've made up my mind and am going to buy the poly bushings. I agree that it is not a design issue or reliability issue with OME, I have nothing but respect for the company, and I'm keeping my L's and also switching to J's, which means blues in the front arms and maybe plates ... That's awholenother discussion.

The thing is, this winter, since the install of the OME's (end of Jan.) I have not crawled anything, except the hill in the back, just see my flex. It's just been small mud holes, gravel and dirt roads, exploring around. I would think they would last longer than that. Come on, 2 1/2 months? JJJJeeeez ...

 

[Nay]

I'm assuming you mean OEM but you could probably call any number of yards that have cruisers laying around and get another panhard with good bushings for less than 50.00 maybe even cheaper. I don't recall ever seeing a factory bushing that has failed posted on here.

True, good point, and I did mean OEM. People try to sell panhards here for $20-$30, in fact I think a search in classifieds would turn one up as I just saw one the other day in a parts list.

I know Slee used to sell modified rear panhards that retained the original bushings from the cores, so that's a pretty good statement on durability of that setup.

A Slee adjustable with factory rubber bushings gives up nothing over stock, so it's really a money vs. effort to get savings issue. In fact, the adjustable threads allow rotation where mounts are misaligned due to bracket rotation not fully corrected via caster correction, so to your first point on bushing stress, the adjustable has a small advantage to seat aligned in each mount (I don't think this is a material issue for the factory rubber).

Anyway, good luck with it and sorry that your initial solution isn't working out. As you said, good time to upgrade now.