OME caster correction bushings question

[IH8Ranger]

Apologies if this has been covered already. Direct me to the thread and I’ll go there.

Finishing up my 97 FZJ80 “baseline” (engine rebuild, basically all new engine accessories, lift kit), and I ran into a problem.

I had my mechanic install the 3” OME “heavy” lift kit (was planning on installing bumpers fore and aft, and now I’m not so sure), and I hate it. It lifted the front 4ish inches and the rear 6”. Now, due to the increased driveshaft angle, I have driveline growl that wasn’t there before. Also, the brake lines are too short to allow for much articulation. So anyway, I’ve ordered the parts to take it back closer to stock. I’ll just sell the coils and shocks from the OME kit and move on.

Here’s the question. Can the OME caster correction bushings be rotated and reused with springs that are only slightly above stock height, or will I need to order 4 new lower radius arm bushings to replace these with? I’ll be doing it myself (mechanic is sick of this truck), so I just need some guidance and a press to move on.

 

[inkpot]

So extend the brake lines and put some shorter springs in the rear, sell the tall ones. Much cheaper, much faster.

 

[IH8Ranger]

So extend the brake lines and put some shorter springs in the rear, sell the tall ones. Much cheaper, much faster.

Didn’t ask for an opinion. Just need to know an answer on caster correction bushing usability.

 

[mudgudgeon]

No

 

[shocktower]

Didn’t ask for an opinion. Just need to know an answer on caster correction bushing usability.

No and I wonder how the hell you got 6" lift out of a 3" spring Oh wait your Mechanic installed it, and you do not know if a set of caster changing bushings can be used, for a different set up, something is wrong here you do not get 6" from that lift

 

[mudgudgeon]

Caster correction bushes are only good for 2-3 degrees correction.
If you have legitimately lifted it 4", truck is likely to be a bit vague and loose in the steering, prone to bump steer especially under brakes.
If you lower it, drive it as is, and/or take it to an alignment shop and get a caster reading on it. Make a decision on caster correction from there

 

[MoJ]

The CC bushings will likely work fine for the lower lift as well. Have an alignment shop measure it to see if it’s within the FSM spec range.

 

[IH8Ranger]

The CC bushings will likely work fine for the lower lift as well. Have an alignment shop measure it to see if it’s within the FSM spec range.

Thank you for the clear answer. Much appreciated!

No idea how you get that much height out of a 3” lift, but you do in this case. It rakes downhill to the front pretty hard. I have been busy with work, so I decided to have a mechanic do work that I’d normally do myself. I ordered the OME kit that comes with springs, shocks, steering dampener, and caster bushings....the point in saying this is that I didn’t order individual components and screw up on spring size.

You’re not supposed to have to lengthen brake lines with this lift, but their bracket won’t even bolt back to the chassis rail. Unbolted, they’re not taut, but if I rolled over a big rock on one side, the low side would undoubtedly tear loose.

The other reason (for me) to go closer to stock is that, as I explained above, I now have a growling noise when I lift the accelerator and coast at speeds above about 40 mph. From researching this website, I find that if I keep the lift the way it is, I’ll need a Double Cardan driveshaft up front to get rid of this problem.

This is one rabbit hole I’m not following all the way. I don’t even like the way it looks, so why keep beating the dead horse.

 

[ColoradoBoy]

Maybe the Heavy OME kit is taller because you don't have the weight (past stock configuration) to bring the springs down to the 3" design height? Heavier springs = taller lift without the extras such as dual batteries, winch, gear...

Just food for thought, as you did not mention the setup/configuration of your rig.

The castor correction bushings were key during my install: OME 2850 front, 2860 rear. Slee Offroad doesn't sell their OME kits without them. Good luck!

 

[pnwcruiser]

Sounds like your mechanic did something wrong. Check for larger than normal spring seat spacers.

 

[Heckraiser]

Yes, the caster correction bushings are fine with a small lift. They're probably even fine with stock ride height as they really provide pretty minimal caster.

:edit:

I know you said you're not looking for opinions outside your initial question, but I'll offer one anyway The OME caster correction bushings (or really any polyurethane CC bushing) are the lame way to fix caster.
1) Polyurethane does not last as long as factory rubber bushings, they will fall apart after a few years, especially if the suspension is flexed a lot
2) as I mentioned, they provide pretty minimal correction--inadequate for even a run-of-the-mill 2.5" lift IMO.
3) Ride is not as good as factory rubber bushings

I would get new toyota bushings for your radius arms and instead use caster plates (Lantank has a version designed for 2" lift). Just a better all-around solution.

Of course, it's your truck, and the bushings are already in there, so not trying to make you feel bad or anything

 

[COYS]

I know you said you're not looking for opinions outside your initial question, but I'll offer one anyway The OME caster correction bushings (or really any polyurethane CC bushing) are the lame way to fix caster.
1) Polyurethane does not last as long as factory rubber bushings, they will fall apart after a few years, especially if the suspension is flexed a lot
2) as I mentioned, they provide pretty minimal correction--inadequate for even a run-of-the-mill 2.5" lift IMO.
3)

What he wrote. +11

They're worthless. Get plates to do it right or go with aftermarket arms with OEM bushings. To really do it right, get the full OEM suspension refresh kit at Wits' End as well. Money well spent as the moment you drive off, the ROI is palpable for tens of thousands of miles of smiles.

gl

 

[Lumpskie]

Before you go too far... measure the center of your hub to your fender on all 4 corners and post back. Let's just be sure that you are actually 6" over stock in the rear and not 6" higher than your old, possibly sagged out, suspension. Once we know your measurements, then we can give advice about what caster correction you need.

 

[BILT4ME]

If you have no rear seats and no tools or anything in the rear of the truck and indeed have heavy springs, you will be considerably higher.

I have the heavies (2.5") all the way around on my truck, but I consistently carry about 400 LB of crap and wheelchair lift 100% of the time.

When I take off the WC lift and clean out the rear, I have a significant rake, the truck drives squirrelly, and it rides harsh.

I personally recommend swapping back to OEM bushings and doing caster plates. I believe the caster bushings will be too much for a 2" lift.

Do you know the spring, shock, and caster bushing P/N's? That would help compare to my setup.

 

[leitev8]

I have a Dobinsons 3" linear spring lift with bumper/winch and their rubber caster bushings. My caster is around 2deg.

*edit, I double checked my alignment #s

 

[Joe Link]

Rather than create a new thread I figured I'd piggyback on this one.

Got my front arms out yesterday and noticed the orientation of one of the bushings was completely wrong. What affect might this have on handling and wear of other suspension components? (just curious, I'm replacing them with OEM + plates)

 

[BILT4ME]

Rather than create a new thread I figured I'd piggyback on this one.

Got my front arms out yesterday and noticed the orientation of one of the bushings was completely wrong. What affect might this have on handling and wear of other suspension components? (just curious, I'm replacing them with OEM + plates)

View attachment 2374662

That would probably make it pull one direction and the front axle was fighting itself all the time. Probably gave a weird ride as well.

Yeah, the one rear bushing is now junk because it was installed wrong. I'll bet that was a bitch when they put it back together. But anything can be done with a big enough hammer.

 

[Joe Link]

That would probably make it pull one direction and the front axle was fighting itself all the time. Probably gave a weird ride as well.

Yeah, the one rear bushing is now junk because it was installed wrong. I'll bet that was a bitch when they put it back together. But anything can be done with a big enough hammer.

It definitely drove/handled/rode weird (as mentioned in my other thread). I wonder if this was the source of some of that.