don't overlube your bushings

[Craig 94 TA GT]

The purpose of lubricating the poly bushings is to avoid premature wear...so being naive, I thought you should always lube them every 3k, squeezing as much grease as you could get into them. However, this is what happens to them after 2 years (never taken to the strip either)...

Spohn told me it was because I over greased them...so it was completely my fault. Anyone else have this experience?

[Injuneer]

No photo shows up. Copy/paste nets a "server error" message.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Huh, thats strange, it shows up for me, on all my systems. Maybe my hosting company was down for the moment before, but does it show up now?

[Z Ya Later]

It shows up for me just fine. Might've been that 1% of downtime they always advertise might show up. So, call me stupid, but what is the problem with the bushing?

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Here's my theory...there is no "vent off valve" or anything of that matter, so the grease is practically permanent in there. If you overfill it with too much pressure, the grease will have nowhere to go, but ooze out the smallest openings. If it can't ooze out fast enough, given the pressure, it will simply break through the bushing. That's just my theory, but it still doesn't explain why Spohn recommends to grease your bushings every 3k, unless you have a leak of the grease.
Here's the other LCA...it isn't nearly as bad as the other, but already starting to deform.

Here it is with the new bushings:


The weird thing is...this only happened in the rear bushings. The fronts were perfectly OK. A bit of grease around them, but still looked like new. Maybe the extra stress in the rear added to the deformation

[Z Ya Later]

Ok, I see what you're talking about now. Didn't see the tear in the first one. I'm guessing the new ones are on, as well as the reloc. brackets?

[alenstein]

I thought you were not suppostue grease those bushings with the regular stuff but only with Formula 5 grease. That's what I used on mine, stopped the rubbing and squeaking.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

That isn't ordinary grease. It's the only grease highly recommended for poly bushings, which is Silicone based synthetic water-proof grease.

[Black97]

Here's my theory...there is no "vent off valve" or anything of that matter, so the grease is practically permanent in there. If you overfill it with too much pressure, the grease will have nowhere to go, but ooze out the smallest openings. If it can't ooze out fast enough, given the pressure, it will simply break through the bushing. That's just my theory, but it still doesn't explain why Spohn recommends to grease your bushings every 3k, unless you have a leak of the grease.

In all the applications I've seen a grease nipple there wasn't an intended leak off. You want a sealed off (as good as possible) area so the grease is contained, stays clean and greases the necessary components.

It is still possible for the grease to leak out or disintegrate somewhat. That's why your maintenance includes the periodical greasing of those joints. What you might have is grease leaking out slightly over time in one location while in the other location the joint is at a slight angle jamming (sealing) the bushing. So when you add (too much) grease you might build up quite some pressure.

Do they say how many pumps with a grease pump you should add every 3k?

Remember not enough or too much can be bad in many cases.

[Z Ya Later]

If I remember correctly, the person I talked to at Spohn said just a couple pumps...nothing exact or anything. Makes me wonder if I'm going to have this problem soon or not.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Steve, I'm sure you'll be fine. When I did mine, I really packed it in. I mean, until I couldn't squeeze the lever anymore. I guess those are the results. When I did yours, I did it until I felt the tiniest bit of pressure, hence a couple pumps.

Black97, you're right. On the bushings I didn't overgrease (panhard rod), I can see the slightest trace of grease oozing out still. So this shows that even if they are practically "sealed", the grease will find the smallest ways to escape, thus why we need to regrease them. Their spec sheet, however, didn't mention how much should be added...I guess it was up to you to think how much you needed.

Here is their instructions: "The poly bushings come pre-lubed. They should be greased every 3K miles when you do your routine oil change/chassis lubrication. DO NOT use petroleum-based grease on your poly bushings! Poly bushings must be lubricated with synthetic silicone based waterproof grease. These are the manufacturer’s recommendations to prevent pre-mature bushing wear, and will keep things 'squeak-free'. "

[Z Ya Later]

Aight, coo. We need to test it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!