SPC UCA Bushing issues Angola Africa

[Climbingnut]

I’ve got 35k kms on my SPC UCA’s. My VDJ200 is a LHD unit like most NA cruisers. A while ago my driver side UCA started squeaking like crazy. I sprayed some silicon spray on it to help, and that did the trick for a short time, but wasn’t a long term fix. I hate suspension squeaks, and this one is worse than my rear BP51’s. It makes the cruiser sound like a Chinese knock off version… Also hides other issues.

Anyways, I got back from a long bush trip last week, and as I was airing up my tires and doing my routine inspection, saw this strange sight from my driver side UCA bushings. Not sure if I’m having bushing failure here, or if the bolt has loosened? I tried to tighten the bolt/nut as is, and it’s not loose at all. Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated.

Photos are of driver side only. Passenger side looks normal.

 

[Climbingnut]

So, while no one has posted, I’ll give an update in the event that this helps someone else. It turns out that the front shoulder of the front SPC bushing sheered off or disintegrated, allowing the bushing to slide backwards towards the shock tower, and the UCA bolt to move a bit. The nut was tight as can be and there was no danger of it coming undone.

I spoke with SLEE and they’re looking into things with SPC. Not having the luxury of time, I went to SPC to see about warranty and new parts. They decided that based on the time frame I’ve had the UCA’s, they wouldn’t warranty them and also stated that the bushings are a consumable item and therefore wouldn’t be under warranty. I personally believe that bushing failure around 35k kms warrants a warranty, but it’s not my call. Still, getting replacement bushings sent here has been a mission, and I’ve been thankful for Jonathan Fortner at SPC for his help in getting me new bushings.

While I wait the 4-6 weeks for shipping, I decided to remove the UCA, flip the front bushing around, so that the rear shoulder was now in the front. I lubed it up with grease to hopefully stop the awful squeaking, but that didn’t do a thing. The bushing is holding up for now, and has allowed me to continue traveling around town and off-road. New bushings are on their way, as well as new ball joint sleeves, and soon new 555 lower ball joints from Cruiser Outfitters. I’ll see how these new bushings hold up. If they squeak like crazy or go bad after 30k km’s again, I may give the OME UCA’s a go. I hate squeaky suspension…

 

[iwashmycar]

My SPC bushing started moving a bit as well. I replaced them without issue. The bigger problem I had was that the sleeve was all rusted and eating away at the inside of the bushings as they rotated. They do get the job done but yes they are a little too consumable in my opinion. Ill just keep replacing them for now, as (knock on wood) the ball joints have been pretty solid.

 

[bronc076]

Bummer about the bushing failure. I really don't like that the lip on that bushing has that chamfer on it, removing that material reduces strength and based on your pic it looks like the lip is critical to keeping the UCA centered. That failure has an affect on alignment so i'm not a fan of that design. I'm assuming OEM bushings will not work with that particular UCA.

I'm with you on the squeaks. I'll probably catch hell for this on here but I absolutely hate poly bushings. Rubber suspension bushings absorb vibration, don't squeak, and work just fine. The aftermarket loves poly bushings. I was trying to buy some rubber OEM style shackle bushings for my Bronco years ago and the guys at the Bronco place all but laughed at me. Now I have squeaky poly bushing I have to lube. In the near future when I upgrade the suspension on my LC I'll be looking for an UCA that will use factory style rubber bushings.

Hope you get your parts soon! Good Luck with the repair!

Angola huh, I bet you see some awesome wildlife! Would love to visit Africa some time!

 

[Climbingnut]

Bummer about the bushing failure. I really don't like that the lip on that bushing has that chamfer on it, removing that material reduces strength and based on your pic it looks like the lip is critical to keeping the UCA centered. That failure has an affect on alignment so i'm not a fan of that design. I'm assuming OEM bushings will not work with that particular UCA.

I'm with you on the squeaks. I'll probably catch hell for this on here but I absolutely hate poly bushings. Rubber suspension bushings absorb vibration, don't squeak, and work just fine. The aftermarket loves poly bushings. I was trying to buy some rubber OEM style shackle bushings for my Bronco years ago and the guys at the Bronco place all but laughed at me. Now I have squeaky poly bushing I have to lube. In the near future when I upgrade the suspension on my LC I'll be looking for an UCA that will use factory style rubber bushings.

Hope you get your parts soon! Good Luck with the repair!

Angola huh, I bet you see some awesome wildlife! Would love to visit Africa some time!

Bruh, I also hate poly bushings. My OME BP-51’s top mount squeak because of poly bushings. I wish I had kept the original shocks. Would’ve put the OEM rubber bushings up top. I still have my OEM UCA’s, and if I have to use them in a pinch, I can. The OEM rubber bushings don’t come out though, so no swapping them over.

Regarding the SPC bushings, the chamfer is on the inside, and hasn’t caused any issues. It’s the side that had the full shoulder that ripped off. Given SPC did further development on their upper ball joints, I’d love to know if they have some new bushing designs in the works. They really do return the alignment to factory specs, and for that, I’m grateful.

Angola doesn’t have as much wildlife as most central/southern African countries due to a 40 yr civil war. Still, we have some, and it’s always impressive to see them. What we lack in wildlife, we make up for in cruisers, especially 7x series! What we also have are lots of horrible dirt tracks that are unmapped leading to all manner of places. For the person who likes to take the road less travelled, or at least the road less maintained, Angola is a great place to be. If you ever make it out to my corner of this continent, hit me up.

 

[Climbingnut]

Update from Slee Offroad. Ben Swain has been quite helpful and said that they sell and install loads of the SPC UCA’s and he’s seen very few bushing failures like mine. Usually it’s from incorrect installation with little to no use of the moly grease on the inner part of the bushing and the metal sleeve and it’s face where it contacts the washer. Or, it’s from lack of maintenance and servicing. He said that the SPC’s will begin to squeak when the bushings need to be lubed. They should be lubed with the same moly grease used on install, and the interior of the bushing as well as the metal sleeve should again be coated liberally. He recognized that under the conditions in which I operate, servicing intervals will likely be greater than in the USA.

So, it seems like I now understand a bit more about my SPC UCA’s and what is required of them for use. What is unfortunate is that I’ll likely have to pull them off annually to grease those bushings, and that with a moly grease that I have to order from the USA… As I’ve got grease, bushings and such on the way, I’ll use these until the next failure, but I’ll be keeping my eyes on the UCA market. Perhaps something has come out (OME) or is in development, @bjowett, that will use an OEM type rubber bushing.

I went into the UCA market with the opinion that SPC’s were the gold standard. They certainly made a difference post lift install. While I’m a bit disappointed in the bushings, I’m still glad they work, and will continue to use them unless a better option comes along. I hope this thread and my experience will be of help for others.

 

[bronc076]

Dobinsons UCAs use rubber bushings. These are probably the route I will go.

Dobinsons 1.0 - 2.5 - https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/products/dobinsons-1-0-2-5-mrr-3-way-adjustable-lift-kit-for-toyota-land-cruiser-200-series-2008-2019?rq=mk_toyota~md_200-series-landcruiser~yr_2008-2021-complete-suspension-lift-kit


edit

here is the correct link.

Dobinsons Front Upper Control Arm Kit (UCA's) for Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series and Lexus LX570 2008 to 2019(UCA59-001K) - https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/products/dobinsons-front-upper-control-arm-kit-ucas-for-toyota-200-series-land-cruiser?rq=mk_toyota~md_200-series-landcruiser~yr_2008-2021-suspension-parts

 

[bloc]

I’m running the newish OME/ARB UCAs with the “no squeak” grrease free bushings and so far not a peep from them. Very, very happy with the product, though I only have 10k miles on them so far.

New Product: ARB Old Man Emu Upper Control Arms

That would be a question for ARB. I don’t know what their replacement parts plan is. But at the end of the day, that ball joint is pressed in. So it can be pressed out and a new could be pressed in again. Just like factory or pressing in and out uniballs on Total Chaos arms. But if ARB never...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[linuxgod]

My SPC bushings squeak, I think. At least, I have some sort of chirp on bumps from the driver's side from that I've not been able to locate, and I suspect it's the bushings. I've tried silicone spray everywhere but it's never helped. It's normally not noticeable but if I've been offroad and/or in dusty or in particular mud it's apparent enough my wife will complain about it. I have 55k on my SPCs. They've held up fine otherwise though. That said for the $ if I had to do it again I'd look for something with rubber bushings, as removing the bolts to re-grease the poly bushings is asanine.

 

[82SC]

While i live in the exact opposite level of civilization as you do that is why I went with Ironman UCA.

straight forward design. No maintenance needed. Less adjustability which probably only comes into play when you lift your rig over 3”.


And components are able to be sourced in nearly any country with OEM or similar parts.
A lot of these specialty companies have proprietary bolts and nuts and pieces.

And even if you don’t live in Angola having to wait weeks for parts due to supply chain issues as we have seen the last year sucks.
I do hope to get the rig out in the wilderness and really put it thru it’s paces.

Good luck with the repair. Good to know that bush fix for anyone who also has that problem

 

[Climbingnut]

In SPC’s defense, I went with them due to the greaseable ball joint. I’d be fine with a fixed caster UCA, but I do like the ability to grease them. Still, replacing the ball joint will require an alignment, even if I can get them installed to almost exactly where the old ones were. I likely will replace these next time I’m in the USA or have someone coming out to visit.

I like that Dobinson’s use rubber bushings and 555 ball joints. I forget whether or not the OME ones had rubber style bushings. A grease ale ball joint is nice. Will be watching to see who uses their UCA’s hardest and what the longevity is.
Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[bloc]

In SPC’s defense, I went with them due to the greaseable ball joint. I’d be fine with a fixed caster UCA, but I do like the ability to grease them. Still, replacing the ball joint will require an alignment, even if I can get them installed to almost exactly where the old ones were. I likely will replace these next time I’m in the USA or have someone coming out to visit.

I like that Dobinson’s use rubber bushings and 555 ball joints. I forget whether or not the OME ones had rubber style bushings. A grease ale ball joint is nice. Will be watching to see who uses their UCA’s hardest and what the longevity is.
Thanks everyone for your input.

The OME is some kind of new design that looks like poly but rides on a metal sleeve without grease. I have no idea how it works, or whether it will stand the test of time, but so far so good.

And the ball joint is greaseable if that is important.

But I agree, something to watch from the people that use them hard. I wish I could say more of my miles are off-road.

 

[stolikat]

Trail Tailor sells UCA with sealed maintenance free ball joints.

UCAs 200 Series

3 Degree fixed caster correction Currie machined joints - 2.5" OD full flex, no bind joints - rebuildable and greasable 4130 CrMo wall tube arms 4130 CrMo ball joint cups Sealed maintenance free tapered ball joints with 4140 CrMo ball stems and SAE 1045 forged bodies CNC machined aluminum cover...

www.trail-tailor.com

 

[Markuson]

I’m running the newish OME/ARB UCAs with the “no squeak” grrease free bushings and so far not a peep from them. Very, very happy with the product, though I only have 10k miles on them so far.

New Product: ARB Old Man Emu Upper Control Arms

That would be a question for ARB. I don’t know what their replacement parts plan is. But at the end of the day, that ball joint is pressed in. So it can be pressed out and a new could be pressed in again. Just like factory or pressing in and out uniballs on Total Chaos arms. But if ARB never...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks for mentioning that.
I hope you’ll continue to update as you go deeper into the miles with those. Pretty a lot of folks are curious…and I know I am.

 

[Climbingnut]

Thanks for mentioning that.
I hope you’ll continue to update as you go deeper into the miles with those. Pretty a lot of folks are curious…and I know I am.

I’d love some kind of thread dedicated specifically to UCA development and mileage. This may be my ignorance, so no need to set me straight or troll, but it seems to me that UCA’s, apart from OEM, used to fall into one of 2 categories. Either a fixed caster and uniball ball joint like TC or adjustable caster and greaseable ball joint like SPC. Now there are the previous two options, along with options like fixed caster and sealed ball joint or fixed caster and greaseable ball joint, and none of that takes into account the variety of UCA bushings that are used, what servicing is required, and what kind of lifespan one could expect with those. I don’t want to start something new if it already exists, but if it doesn’t and those reading think it’s a good idea, maybe I’ll start the thread.

 

[Climbingnut]

Trail Tailor sells UCA with sealed maintenance free ball joints.

UCAs 200 Series

3 Degree fixed caster correction Currie machined joints - 2.5" OD full flex, no bind joints - rebuildable and greasable 4130 CrMo wall tube arms 4130 CrMo ball joint cups Sealed maintenance free tapered ball joints with 4140 CrMo ball stems and SAE 1045 forged bodies CNC machined aluminum cover...

www.trail-tailor.com

Looks like @trailtailor uses a different kind of greaseable bushing for the UCA. Anyone able to elaborate on design and maintenance?

 

[Angelo1]

I’ve had SPC UCA on two of my previous 200 series because of the praise some folks on here give them and I think they are overrated. I am sure fanboys will jump all over this but I’ve never had good experience with them. I also wouldn’t own BP-51 either. Another over hyped product for a heavy 200. I have been running ICON billet UCA for the past two years and they have been absolutely silent. Most importantly, I live in a very humid climate like Angola and humidity loves to make everything squeaky. Not these ICONs(easy maintenance). I would personally run Dobinsons or good old OME in Angola over BP-51. The new Camburg billets are another excellent UCA option as well.

 

[indycole]

Looks like @trailtailor uses a different kind of greaseable bushing for the UCA. Anyone able to elaborate on design and maintenance?

I've used the Trail Tailor UCAs for a couple years and can share a couple thoughts. I haven't had any issues with the sealed ball joint and the fixed caster has worked out well for alignments.

I've incorporated greasing the bushings into the 5k maintenance cycle along with rotating tires, greasing the driveline, etc. I skipped greasing the UCA bushings a couple rounds ago and did inevitably end up with some squeaking after a few offroad trip.

It's a pretty easy job especially if the tires are already off for a rotation. Otherwise, you can probably get enough clearance by jacking up the side you're working on. You'll need that clearance for access to the zerks (unless you install some 90 degree fittings. You just need to loosen the nut, apply grease until you see clean grease coming out of the bushings, clean up, and torque the UCA nut. I've figured out how to do it without removing fender liners but if you do I'd recommend having some of the non-reusable small white circular clips on hand. There was also one time I wasn't getting grease to clear on the forward side of the UCA and I needed to give the bolt a little tap with hammer from the nut end to back it out a bit.

 

[Climbingnut]

I've used the Trail Tailor UCAs for a couple years and can share a couple thoughts. I haven't had any issues with the sealed ball joint and the fixed caster has worked out well for alignments.

I've incorporated greasing the bushings into the 5k maintenance cycle along with rotating tires, greasing the driveline, etc. I skipped greasing the UCA bushings a couple rounds ago and did inevitably end up with some squeaking after a few offroad trip.

It's a pretty easy job especially if the tires are already off for a rotation. Otherwise, you can probably get enough clearance by jacking up the side you're working on. You'll need that clearance for access to the zerks (unless you install some 90 degree fittings. You just need to loosen the nut, apply grease until you see clean grease coming out of the bushings, clean up, and torque the UCA nut. I've figured out how to do it without removing fender liners but if you do I'd recommend having some of the non-reusable small white circular clips on hand. There was also one time I wasn't getting grease to clear on the forward side of the UCA and I needed to give the bolt a little tap with hammer from the nut end to back it out a bit.

Thanks Cole. This is the kind of feedback I’m looking for. Do you know if his bushings are proprietary, as in only available through him, or if they are a common bushing?

I don’t need adjustable caster. I’m only running 285/70R17 KO2’s, but with a 2” lift, the UCA’s were a necessity for me. After having the bushing challenges, I’d rather a serviceable bushing than adjustable caster. Still, in a perfect world, I’d have a serviceable ball joint and bushings. My LBJ’s are already weeping grease, and I’ve only got 52,000kms on the rig. It’s the hard roads. If I could grease the LBJ’s, I’d be less concerned about weeping grease.

 

[Sverige]

I also took a built Land Cruiser (100 series) from CONUS to Angola a few years back… a couple years there was plenty. Beautiful, but Angola is not for the faint of heart.