Replacement Bushings

Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing
and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace
my worn PT Cruiser bushings.

Richard.

On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Richard wrote:

> Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane
> bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them
> to replace my worn PT Cruiser bushings.

If you use them, skip the pretty colors and get the Polygraphite items,
otherwise the squeaking will drive you nuts. Energy has a good reputation
for a no-BS, quality product.

Richard wrote:

> Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing
> and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace
> my worn PT Cruiser bushings.

They'd be the last sway bar bushings you would need to buy for that vehicle.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

Daniel J. Stern wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Richard wrote:
>
> > Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane
> > bushing and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using
them
> > to replace my worn PT Cruiser bushings.
>
> If you use them, skip the pretty colors and get the Polygraphite
items,
> otherwise the squeaking will drive you nuts. Energy has a good
reputation
> for a no-BS, quality product.

I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69
Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the
"gorilla snot" grease in there. I was later told to scuff up the
moving surfaces before installation to expose some of the graphite in
the bushings. Live and learn. Next car was an '84 Scirocco; the only
bushings I could find for it were red colored polyurethane without
graphite. This time I took a tube of powdered graphite and worked it
into the rubbing surfaces of the bushings before installation until
they were nice and uniformly silver-grey and didn't use any grease at
all - and they never squeaked over the 80K miles I drove the car before
I sold it. I have no experience with Energy Suspension other than I
installed their sway bar bushings on my dad's old Chevy pickup (got a
sway bar from a truck with a HD towing package and retrofitted it to my
dad's standard half-ton, makes a nice difference in handling!) they
would bind up after a while and break the brackets until Energy finally
came out with a larger, more compliant bushing with grease fittings;
after using those, no problems.

nate

Richard wrote:

> Does anyone have experience with "Energy Suspension's" polyurethane bushing
> and sway bar suspension components? I am thinking of using them to replace
> my worn PT Cruiser bushings.
>
> Richard.
>
>

I've used energy suspension bushings on two cars. They're very good
parts, but be sure to get the graphite impregated type (Polygraphite
brand) rather than plain polyurethane. Especially on sway-bar bushings,
plain polyeurethane will make squeaking/squawking noises after the
initial lubricant gets washed away.

N8N wrote:
>
> I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69
> Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the
> "gorilla snot" grease in there. I was later told to scuff up the
> moving surfaces before installation to expose some of the graphite in
> the bushings. Live and learn. Next car was an '84 Scirocco; the only
> bushings I could find for it were red colored polyurethane without
> graphite. This time I took a tube of powdered graphite and worked it
> into the rubbing surfaces of the bushings before installation until
> they were nice and uniformly silver-grey and didn't use any grease at
> all - and they never squeaked over the 80K miles I drove the car before
> I sold it. I have no experience with Energy Suspension other than I
> installed their sway bar bushings on my dad's old Chevy pickup (got a
> sway bar from a truck with a HD towing package and retrofitted it to my
> dad's standard half-ton, makes a nice difference in handling!) they
> would bind up after a while and break the brackets until Energy finally
> came out with a larger, more compliant bushing with grease fittings;
> after using those, no problems.

Thanks for the tip on keeping them from squeaking, Nate. I put the
polygraphites on my Concorde a year or two ago. I am in the process of
replacing both sway bar end links (I have one end link removed to prove
to myself that the end links were indeed repsonsible for the latest
klunking noise - the asnwer is: yes they were) and noticed that the
polygraphites are making a little noise when the sway bar rotates. I
didn't know they could bind up - mine are the smaller-bodied version of
Energy's bushings.

I've been trying to decide what kind of grease to pump into them (they
do have the zerk fittings), but I'm going to try your trick of rouhging
them up and rubbing graphite into them.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

Bill Putney wrote:

> N8N wrote:
>
>>
>> I have installed poly components on several cars... first was a '69
>> Valiant. I bought Polygraphite from PST and it squeaked, even with the
>> "gorilla snot" grease in there. I was later told to scuff up the
>> moving surfaces before installation to expose some of the graphite in
>> the bushings. Live and learn. Next car was an '84 Scirocco; the only
>> bushings I could find for it were red colored polyurethane without
>> graphite. This time I took a tube of powdered graphite and worked it
>> into the rubbing surfaces of the bushings before installation until
>> they were nice and uniformly silver-grey and didn't use any grease at
>> all - and they never squeaked over the 80K miles I drove the car before
>> I sold it. I have no experience with Energy Suspension other than I
>> installed their sway bar bushings on my dad's old Chevy pickup (got a
>> sway bar from a truck with a HD towing package and retrofitted it to my
>> dad's standard half-ton, makes a nice difference in handling!) they
>> would bind up after a while and break the brackets until Energy finally
>> came out with a larger, more compliant bushing with grease fittings;
>> after using those, no problems.
>
>
> Thanks for the tip on keeping them from squeaking, Nate. I put the
> polygraphites on my Concorde a year or two ago. I am in the process of
> replacing both sway bar end links (I have one end link removed to prove
> to myself that the end links were indeed repsonsible for the latest
> klunking noise - the asnwer is: yes they were) and noticed that the
> polygraphites are making a little noise when the sway bar rotates. I
> didn't know they could bind up - mine are the smaller-bodied version of
> Energy's bushings.

Keep in mind this bar came out of a 32 year old pickup that had been
sitting for a while, the sway bar was a little rusty where the bushings
rode (the bushings were apparently shot before it was parked.) I did
anticipate issues and filled the small rust pits with some JB-weld
before installing, but apparently they still weren't smooth enough. I
doubt you will have the same problem with the new bushings. Had I
realized I was going to have issues, I would have just drilled the first
set of bushings for a zerk fitting and been done with it.

>
> I've been trying to decide what kind of grease to pump into them (they
> do have the zerk fittings), but I'm going to try your trick of rouhging
> them up and rubbing graphite into them.

If they have grease fittings, I'd just give them a shot of whatever is
in your grease gun when you change the oil/do the ball joints etc. I'm
kinda partial to Redline CV-2 because it sticks like you wouldn't
believe and can be used for CVs and wheel bearings as well (I use a
bearing packer, and it's a PITA to have two grease guns) but it's also
expensive and as they say "not sold in stores." Mobil 1 also sells a
synthetic chassis grease and that one you probably can find at your
FLAPS. I don't know that I'd bother with any extreme measures with a
greasable bushing, but it's up to you.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Used never seize on mine ,, been 2 years... no squeaks yet..(no clunks
either) but really wasn't sure if it would damage the material.. but was
more worried about all the squeaks I read about.

"me!" <me @ nowhere.com> wrote in message
. ..
> Used never seize on mine ,, been 2 years... no squeaks yet..(no clunks
> either) but really wasn't sure if it would damage the material.. but was
> more worried about all the squeaks I read about.
I was thinking of using synthetic break lube on the bushings before I have
them installed. Seems to be kind enough on the "rubber" break parts and it
sure stays in place.

Richard.

> I've used energy suspension bushings on two cars. They're very good parts,
> but be sure to get the graphite impregated type (Polygraphite brand)
> rather than plain polyurethane. Especially on sway-bar bushings, plain
> polyeurethane will make squeaking/squawking noises after the initial
> lubricant gets washed away.

Just sent your comments to Energy Suspension and they informed me that, with
the exception of just a few appropriate applications, their bushings, be
they red or black, do not contain carbon (your reference to graphite). They
say that the few applications that would benefit from carbon get them. The
set I was just sent came with a tube of bushing lube which they tell me
should last the life of the bushings.

Richard.