Squeaking SPC UCA? (1 Viewer)

[reddog90]

I have about 36k miles on my SPC UCAs since install. I have had an intermittent squeak from something on the drivers side for several months. SPC told me to grease my specride bushings. A couple weeks ago I pulled the long through bolts on both sides of the truck and greased the bushings and inner sleeves exactly as they instructed, reassembled everything, and the squeak seemed to be gone. 400 miles later and it's back and as bad as it's ever been. I talked to SPC again today and they confirmed I greased the bushings correctly. My balljoints are greased as well. Is there any other suspension component I should check in that corner that could be making this noise? I have never heard a noise coming from the passenger side.

Apologies for the jumpy video while rocking the truck. The noise is kind of a creak in this video but even just driving through an uneven parking lot makes the squeak right now.

 

[WTB]

Just sell it and get a 100

 

[Artie]

Mine do the same thing just not as bad… I’m at 12k on them.

I’ve found that a small tiny amount of the stuff pictured below sprayed at the tiny space at the bushings and UCA will quiet it down for a while. If I spray foam my wheel wells to clean out mud or drive in a bunch of rain I’ll need to reapply. I keep this can in the garage and will apply when I start to hear the out of tune clarinet emanating from the front when hitting the speed bumps at the mall…

I wish there was a zerk on both bushings, I believe there is a thread where someone attempted this but I don’t recall how it went.

 

[4gotalot]

I installed zerks on my SPC UCA's a few years back (I posted on another page with pics) and has worked great. A lot of work for what should be included with the design and materials used. I have zero problems with them for about 70k miles (10k per year+/-). The squeak started 20-30K after installed. Yes, I used there grease as per there instructions but the grease still dries out exposed to dust and migrates out. I put a shot of grease in there and the knuckle twice a year when I change out my snow tires or if they start to squeak from a lot of dusty trail rides. It may take a coupe of miles of driving to work the new grease around but then they are quiet.

The bushings have a smooth surface so they are not meant to hold grease for a long time compared to if they had grooves on the moving surface. The rotating surface is on the long bolt so if you do drill and tap you will need to drill through the bushing so the grease can get to the inside surface.

I installed 45 degree angled the zerks pointing out so they are accessible with the tire on and UCA's under load. I would say another important point is to stay at least a half inch away from the weld. Pick your grease zerks wisely. The cheep ones are more prone to breaking off when installing and the spring and ck ball will not seal properly.

The grease you use is up to you, SPC and others. I do not use cheap grease or cheap moly grease, just put more in.

 

[reddog90]

I understand the concept of what you guys are saying but that shouldn't be the issue with having disassembled and greased the bushings so recently. Maybe I have different bushings. Mine are the "specride" according to SPC. The inner surface of the bushings has a woven texture that is meant to trap and hold grease to lubricate against the pivot sleeve. According to SPC, when everything is assembled and torqued correctly, the through bolt, washers and pivot sleeves are locked to the shock tower cross tubes and do not move. The only moving parts of the system should be the bushings rotating on the pivot sleeves and the outboard face of the bushings rotating against the large flat washers. Those are all greased. I'm going to break the ball joint loose and move the UCA by hand to make sure the squeak is there before spraying a penetrating lube on anything. Maybe my torque wrench is not calibrated correctly and the pivot sleeves are rotating against the cross tubes.

 

[bloc]

I always thought SPCs not squeaking was more cause for concern..

I kid. Good luck with it.

 

[Idaho Savage]

20k on mine and squeaky as hell.

 

[reddog90]

20k on mine and squeaky as hell.

Have you pulled the big through bolts and greased the bushings?

 

[Idaho Savage]

Have you pulled the big through bolts and greased the bushings?

It's in the list. Heading out into the desert tomorrow for a two day squeakathon, then I'll give a shot.

 

[Tex68w]

Well I moved to the SPC's this time because everyone said how much quieter they were when compared to the TC UCA's. Bummed to hear that these might be just as bad when it comes to noise.

 

[bloc]

Well I moved to the SPC's this time because everyone said how much quieter they were when compared to the TC UCA's. Bummed to hear that these might be just as bad when it comes to noise.

I’m very happy with my grease-free and totally silent ARB/OMEs after 35k.

 

[Tex68w]

8K miles and no noise but I’ve already greased them twice, once at install and another at 5K during an oil change. Tri-Flo worked wonders on the uni-ball of the TC UCA’s but there really isn’t anything exposed on the SPC’s where that would be useful.

 

[reddog90]

This morning I removed the castle nut and broke the ball joint free so I could swing the UCA by hand freely. It was smooth and silent. Put everything back together and torqued the castle nut, bounced on the driver running board to shake the truck and got the same noise as the video in my OP.

Any other ideas?

 

[Bighead]

What suspension are you running??

 

[reddog90]

What suspension are you running??

Ironman FCP 2" performance load front and rear

 

[reddog90]

For posterity, I am pretty sure it was just my hood latch...

I checked my LBJ and there was no play. I was under my truck with a stethoscope checking everything else I could think of a few days ago while my poor pregnant wife was getting tired of jumping on the floorboard to shake the truck. The creak kept sounding like it was from much higher than where I was searching. I popped the hood to check the long through bolt again and the noise stopped. Closed the hood and the noise was there but different and less severe than before. I lightly sprayed the latch with WD40 and have not heard the noise since. I guess popping the hood when I greased the UCA bushings a few weeks ago caused the squeak to go away for a little while. And I guess I always thought the noise was coming from the front driver corner of the truck because that's the window I was hearing it through... I'm glad it was simple and made me grease my UCA bushings though.

 

[Itsky]

For posterity, I am pretty sure it was just my hood latch...

I checked my LBJ and there was no play. I was under my truck with a stethoscope checking everything else I could think of a few days ago while my poor pregnant wife was getting tired of jumping on the floorboard to shake the truck. The creak kept sounding like it was from much higher than where I was searching. I popped the hood to check the long through bolt again and the noise stopped. Closed the hood and the noise was there but different and less severe than before. I lightly sprayed the latch with WD40 and have not heard the noise since. I guess popping the hood when I greased the UCA bushings a few weeks ago caused the squeak to go away for a little while. And I guess I always thought the noise was coming from the front driver corner of the truck because that's the window I was hearing it through... I'm glad it was simple and made me grease my UCA bushings though.

Thanks, I recently picked up a bit of a squeak and assumed it was my uca bushings. But thanks to this post I checked my hood latch and that seems to be the culprit. You just save me some time. Thanks bud.