Squeaky Spherical bushings BP51
- Thread starter arich
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kcjaz
SILVER Star
I have some squeaks and chirps but I can’t quite tell where they are coming from. I think its from the rear but not sure. Also interested in others BP51 experience/solutions with squeaks.
bloc
SILVER Star
If you do isolate it to the joints are they serviceable on these?
For years I’ve used a bicycle chain lube called tri-flow on all kinds of stuff that seems perfect for applications like heim joints.
For years I’ve used a bicycle chain lube called tri-flow on all kinds of stuff that seems perfect for applications like heim joints.
kcjaz
SILVER Star
Paging @Taco2Cruiser
Could this be the source of my rear suspension chirps and squeaks? (Two lipped washers)
FAQ Thread Options for lifting a 200
Could this be the source of my rear suspension chirps and squeaks? (Two lipped washers)
FAQ Thread Options for lifting a 200
Those lipped washers caused chirps and squeaks when I had BP-51 suspension on my 200. The King 2.5 suspension I replaced the BP-51 with did not have washers sandwiching the rear cross member like the BP-51, just rubber bushings on each side.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Yep. I'd bet money on it.
I would monitor the Kings... a lot.
I just replaced the rubber bushes with 4,000 miles on them. I can accept the top bush not having a metal washer, but the bottom bush NEEDS a metal washer on top. The cycling of the suspension causes this "racking" motion, and literally tears the bottom bush in half. Then you get a different clunk.
I've head of this, but now I'm starting to see the failures.
bloc
SILVER Star
I noticed that on my kings as well. But I do think the OE setup with the lipped and flat washer will ultimately cut down on wear over a very long time frame. Longer than I plan to have my shocks on between rebuilds at least.
bloc
SILVER Star
King is specific about not over tightening the nut.. I wonder if this is why.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Unfortunately, I don't think that is the issue. I torque everything with two $1300 snap-on wrenches that get calibrated yearly and ran the calculation for the crowfoot I use to get in there.
When the axle housing articulates, the housing shifts left and right. The top mount does not stay perfectly inline, it changes a few degrees. Pull the metal washer out of any other shock and you’ll see metal rub marks.
This is my issue with Kings. They make phenomenal shocks, but their integrating with stock trucks is meh.
Pulled these out last Thursday. 4,000 miles. Not at all the first time I’ve heard of this.
Markuson
SILVER Star
So... I just received these from ARB/OME. Not sure when I’ll be able to swap these in...
These are definitely not rubber...
These are definitely not rubber...
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Moby
GOLD Star
I had this same problem with the Radflos on my GX460. I hate to say it but I think that this is somewhat inherent in this class of shocks. I think rubber bushings are a bit of a hack for companies that build for race and down level to OEM. It isn't a knock on them per say, just an observation.
Markuson
SILVER Star
The bottom is where the creaking is from on fronts. I can actually FEEL it by holding on with my hand under there if truck is bounced a bit.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
That doeesn't look anything like the bushings on the Kings I got this winter. Mine are a black urethane with lips that center in the hole. And they are bracketed by blue aluminum cup washers. My bottom mounts are spherical bearings. I wonder if they made running changes?
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Yep, that's what the ones I pulled out looked like when new, and what the replacements looked like again. Wear in an amazing thing.
Kings are great, but they are race components. Race components handle excessive abuse for a short period of time. OE components handle limited abuse for an extended period of time. One is not right or wrong, just two different products for two different applications.
Dang those are just works of art.
bloc
SILVER Star
After getting mine I almost felt bad putting mud on them. If I had unlimited money I’d have racing shocks on the wall of my shop for sure.
I still have my original shocks.. will have to see if we can run some combination of OE and king parts that might work better.
This also reinforces my belief that polyurethane has no business being anywhere in the suspension of a daily driven vehicle. It just doesn’t handle abuse.. due to the higher durometer and physical properties it is more likely to tear instead of elastically deflect. I had accepted I’d have to pull the shocks for rebuild every 30-50k but bushings lasting less than 5 isn’t acceptable.
I just had another thought.. would a lowered panhard bracket to improve panhard rod angle help out with this since the primary cause is the side-to-side movement of the axle?
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
The 200 and the 5th gen 4Runner that I have personally seen both had adjustable panhards that were set up by me.
I took the factory washer that sits on top of the lower bush and put it in the kings in the same spot. In other words, there is now a factory washer right under the frame's shock mount. We'll see in another 4k miles...
bloc
SILVER Star
I didn’t mean adjustable panhard length, I meant moving the frame side attachment point down so that it is level at ride height. This is done on many vehicles with lifts to keep the axle from jacking side to side on axle compression and rebound.. though the added bracket rarely seems as strong as the original point.
Oh and as for torquing the kings.. mine didn’t have a spec there. Just “do not over tighten, about 1/8” of the rod protruding through the nut”. Either way I think we were on the same page with using the factory lower washer/bushing setup. I will likely do that when I get home from Colorado.
