steering clunk from worn out terrain tamer bushings

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widewestcruiser

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Summerland,BC
My Bj74 developed a serious clunk when steering hard over on a slope. The noise was coming from the military wrap rubbing against the fixed spring mount near the frame. I installed dakkar springs and terrain tamer bushings a year and half ago and discovered the front bushings worn out within 20000km. I understand bushings are to be flexible enough to absorb some of the shocks, but maybe terrain tamer bushings are too tame for off road use. Has anyone else had this problem?
The military wrap on dakkar springs is a tight fit for 70 series.
The front fixed spring mount has a 30 degree bend to accommodate the wide spring, this interferes with the twisting motion of the spring.
I hate to grind off the military wrap, that, or new mounts and/or better bushings?
 
Greasable pins?

If not, get them, and grease after every trip or at a minimum of every oil change. If you don't use greaseable pins, stay rubber bushings.

hth's

gb
 
i have not been a fan of poly bushngs since, well it seems like forever. the first set i bought lasted one year, this was maybe 15 or 20 years ago. the second set didn't last much longer, although they were advertised to be the next great thing there was no warranty.
i like the rubber, smoother ride, longer lasting (look how long the original rubber lasted in the old 40s), better articulation (give instead of hard and fixed)

it really comes down to personal preference, me, i seldom get caught up in the "latest greatest" BS. if you really want to know the latest greatest? wait 3 years and you will know.

this all being said, when a kit arrives to be installed i install it but if i have a choice i go with rubber. on the JDM units the rubber coming out are usually in great shape and on my own units i reuse the rubber and shelve the poly.

like Greg says, if you grease them after every run then you might be well off.

oh yah, i have to agree with surveyor... anti seize lasts a long long time...
 
I agree... the OME poly bushing stink. I have only had good luck with energy suspension
 
That 's exactly what happened to me "got caught up in the latest greatest BS" and tossed out usable rubber bushings, 16 years old, and replaced them with poly.
I believe the terrain tamer bushings have similar characteristics as rubber bushings, however the trade off is that these poly bushings are so soft the centre hole distorts under the weight of the vehicle causing the bushing to wear out. Other brands might be to hard, resulting in a stiff and harsh ride. Anyway, that said, I installed new poly bushings (same brand) and will pump them with grease until they explode and be done with.
Thanks for confirming what I already suspected.
 
Rubber Bushings .... where?

My first set of OME front spring poly bushings lasted only 1 year. I am on my second set and now grease them all the time. Do they stand up in Oz?

Where can I get rubber bushings to replace these crappy poly bushings ?
 
Toyota rubber spring bushings fit OME

From Toyota ....so the BJ-70 OEM front spring bushings fit the OME spring loops and spring pins for a BJ74 ?

Part # 90389-18002 (shackle and spring pin bushings have same part number
 
well...
that is what i have been running in the past...no promises

you could talk to your vendor or springs and see if he has any take outs that he will give/sell you...
 
I used poly bushings on my 73 series 50000 klms ago .Done lots of axle twisting work in the sand dunes and hills and greased them 3-4 times,no problems at all.

They were not even a brand name that I can remember,just someting one of my favourite 4wd shops passed across the counter.
 
After some research I found this interesting article, the entire read:http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/1701/bushings.htm#Bind

Dispelling other myths:

Why isn't Polyurethane a good bushing material?

* "...virtually no deflection..." (cut and pasted from their web page). As mentioned above, the engineers that design these cars employ rubber bushings because deflection is required in most locations.
* "But I lubed them well, or I used Polygraphite® bushings": You are asking the poly material to act like metal bushings, and it can't. Lubing will temporarily reduce the squeaking and stiction. The graphite-impregnated versions are just 'pre-lubed', and once the graphite has worked its way out, the bushings will squeak and require regular lubing like the others. Lubing does nothing for the binding problem.
* "They get quieter over time": Poly will cold-flow, meaning it will deform under pressure and not return to normal, as it lacks the elasticity of the rubber bushings. Over time, they will loosen and then rattle. Check out the shape of your swaybar's poly end-link bushings after only a few months. This cold-flow issue can also lead to alignment problems on the front control arms, as the bushings deform.
* "But everyone sells them". Well, yes, and the manufacturers of Slick 50 and the makers of 'ultra/super white' bulbs could line up a long list of satisfied customers, but what would that mean?
* "Testimonials are everywhere!" but they don't convey the facts. Don't' believe everything you read in a glossy brochure or web page. Ever watch those late night infomercials? Like those other automotive miracles, wouldn't the large manufacturers pick up on this stuff if it really lived up to all it's claims?
* "But lots of other people use them!" As mentioned above, trailing arm suspension requires deflection in order to work, and when poly bushings are used, the required deflection is still there -- in the bending of the arms, mounting points, and flex of the rear tires. This is why these bushings appear to work fine for street applications.

Many people that swear by poly bushings simply do not understand how the suspension on these cars work. BMR, a popular F-body aftermarket supplier, is a good example of this, with a FAQ that contains glaring errors regarding the specific duty of each of the F-body suspension parts.
 
I'm not saying it's gospel, I'm not even religious, all I'm saying is what I experienced. I wish a took a before and after picture of the poly bushings, the old bushing had a inside diameter of 22mm instead of 18mm. This is why I tend to believe the above article.
Poly will cold-flow, meaning it will deform under pressure and not return to normal, as it lacks the elasticity of the rubber bushings. Over time, they will loosen and then rattle.
Hey I love the idea of greasable pins, looks cool too,to bad it doesn't work.
Maybe in our colder climate certain plastics aren't as durable, just a thought.
cheers
 
Toyota rubber spring bushings

It would appear in the best interests of all truck owners with the poly front spring bushings to find out if the original Toyota rubber bushings will work with the OME shackles and shackle pins and what machining maybe needed

As these parts may be lying around people's shops, I was wondering if someone could check this - for the benefit of the Landcruiser community .
 
roscoFJ73 said:
I guess if its on Camaro website on the net it must be gospel:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

come on... if it is found on the net it is gospel..

i do agree with the "facts" posted there since they mirror my findings as well...
 
widewestcruiser said:
I'm not saying it's gospel, I'm not even religious, all I'm saying is what I experienced.
Hey I love the idea of greasable pins, looks cool too,to bad it doesn't work.
Maybe in our colder climate certain plastics aren't as durable, just a thought.
cheers
Click to expand...

As I said before,4 years and 50000klms and no problems nor do I hear sheep paddocks full of aussies bleating over their deformed poly bushes either:D

Maybe temp does have something to do with it,but I thought it was heat and thats why they need greasin
 
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