Probably better to get ahead of it by using the lube now. The bushings are exposed to a lot of heat and water, and the supplied grease is pretty thin and washes/pushes out. That you have to essentially take the UCA off to add more grease is a short cut SPC used in manufacturing. A zerk wouldn't have been much added cost. But it did add quite a bit of hassle to the end user.
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Probably better to get ahead of it by using the lube now. The bushings are exposed to a lot of heat and water, and the supplied grease is pretty thin and washes/pushes out. That you have to essentially take the UCA off to add more grease is a short cut SPC used in manufacturing. A zerk wouldn't have been much added cost. But it did add quite a bit of hassle to the end user.
The Teflon spray tamed the bushing squeak.
However, the passenger ball joint is rattling. Looks like that thing lasted way less than 10k miles. Now I get to deal with SPC if the vendor who sold me the arms won't help out.
They are the non-zerk variety.
First off, I love and prefer the SPC arms over all others. We have installed about 35+ sets of them over the years and see about a 10% rate of the later squeaking issue. On those, we have removed , cleaned, and regreased the original SPC bushings but the noise always comes back. Our opinion is to replace the old bushings with new SPC bushings (once the old bushings get a slight wear pattern on them they are unsavable imo) and then modify the set up. We ended up experimenting and drilling holes into each arm and and tapping in a zerk fitting. After replacing the old bushings with new and pumping grease into them, the grease flows right to the needed areas. then a cap is fitted on the tip of the zerk to keep it clean. It looks like this will be a success but the long term will tell.
I notice SPC has a all new sealed design now. Going forward hopefully this issue will be a thing of the past.
Murf
I had Total Chaos on my 5th gen 4runner. Those things squeeked after 2 months of use. They are way more expensive than the SPC and yet they squeeked like a 20 year old truck. I am hesitant to go aftermarket in the future. They are more maintenance than my EX girlfriend.
Poly bushings squeak. It's what they do.
That may be but after two months it is little strange. Just because they squeak doesn't mean i have to like it.
You don't have to like it, but it's what they do. Maybe you didn't get enough grease in there during install? Add zerks and grease them a lot, that would help. But anything beefy you add that is not OEM; rear upper and lowers, front uppers, panhard, are likely to have poly because they last longer and generally perform better... but they will squeak. I've heard that there is a graphite impregnated poly that is starting to be more common, that doesn't squeak as bad but I haven't really seen any options for that.
The SpecRide SPC Bushings will not squeak if you lube them properly. The design eliminates this. Read the directions and you will have no trouble, 2+ years myself and besides a warranty replacement of non-greaseable balljoints that they covered no questions asked, smooooooth sailing.
Agreed- follow directions for proper application of lube to the bushings during set up and they will not squeak.
I installed mine over 2 years ago and no squeaks or creaks.
Some info here that might be helpful - http://www.spcalignment.com/partFAQ/25455_FAQ.pdf
Never developed any squeak on the old uniball nitro UCA installed four years ago (40k miles to-date), but it growl (sounded like a failing power steering) when i turn left or right. This happened after a flood recovery mission three years back. Teflon spray onto the uniball didn't stopped immediately. It only kept quiet when i spray with wheel at full droop. Have you came across this with TC?
4 years. No squeaks.
One thing people also need to keep in mind when choosing UCAs is the different characteristics of a uniball vs a sealed ball joint.
A uniball is going to be generally noisier than a sealed joint due to their design. They also in most cases have a shorter wear life. But at those sacrifices, they are stronger than a standard ball joint. Now you can keep them clean and control squeaking by using a dry lube spray on them, just don’t expect them to be quiet. Clean and lubed is also the key to making them last as long as possible.
A sealed ball joint as seen in the updated nitro arms and SPC arms, is generally the better choice for daily’d rigs. They will provide quieter operation, less maintenance, and are plenty strong enough for most the stuff we throw our rigs at.
Simply put: if your going for strength, go with a uniball, if your going for “install it and forget it”, go with a sealed ball joint design.
A uniball is going to be generally noisier than a sealed joint due to their design. They also in most cases have a shorter wear life. But at those sacrifices, they are stronger than a standard ball joint. Now you can keep them clean and control squeaking by using a dry lube spray on them, just don’t expect them to be quiet. Clean and lubed is also the key to making them last as long as possible.
A sealed ball joint as seen in the updated nitro arms and SPC arms, is generally the better choice for daily’d rigs. They will provide quieter operation, less maintenance, and are plenty strong enough for most the stuff we throw our rigs at.
Simply put: if your going for strength, go with a uniball, if your going for “install it and forget it”, go with a sealed ball joint design.
SPC squeaker here. About 3 years and 20k miles after SLEE install. Is there consensus on the best lubricating spray to use? Teflon spray? I'm looking for a quick and easy band aid until I can take the UCA's apart and regrease the bushings...
No spray will help, the sleeves are locked tight and the bushings are riding tight to the washers or the frame brackets. They need to be removed, cleaned and regreased.
Do you know what version of control arm you have? Spec Ride bushing with washers? Greaseable balljoint?
Are you sure the noise is from the SPC bushing and not the shocks, lower ball joints, lower bushings, etc?
More info needed!
Do you know what version of control arm you have? Spec Ride bushing with washers? Greaseable balljoint?
Are you sure the noise is from the SPC bushing and not the shocks, lower ball joints, lower bushings, etc?
More info needed!
Moly fortified grease seems to be recommended by most of the poly-bushing providers. I've used it for on my SPC bushes since day 1 and no squeaks or noise. Valvoline power-syn/full synthetic can be found at most parts stores.
I have the SPC's with the greasable ball joint. Ive had people rock the truck while I bury my head in the wheel well and squeak comes from the UCA arms. Guess I'll be taking them apart and greasing....
