Scott1258

This is an FYI & "How To" post for all of you with the Daizen Sway Bar Bushings that are experiencing squeaking. Most of this info is on the board, but I thought perhaps pulling it all together, and letting you learn from my successes and mistakes will help and benefit some of you. I think this is what this community is all about.

I have the complete Daizen Sway Bars and the Daizen Bushings. My guess is all the info I provide will apply to those with both the Daizen sways and those with just the Daizen Bushings installed on the oem bars.

I bought my sways used from a member on the board. And I promptly took them to my mechanic to install. I have no idea what grease he used initially on the bushings, but for the first 6 months or so after the install all was quiet and great. Then I started getting the squeaking ... You mostly notice it at night when it's quieter and when you go over speed bumps or entering a driveway. It started with just a little squeak, and began working itself up to quite a squeaking annoyance. I had to do something as the squeaking was driving me crazy ... took it back to the mechanic to have him grease it up again and all was good for about 2 weeks ... and then it all started again!

At this point I don't really want to be a pain to my mechanic over a stupid bushing squeak. So, I did what most of us do here -- I searched! And this is what I found:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...x+to+body+roll

The directions on how to do it myself! Yea baby!!! Thanks SeattleGS400 for your write up on how to install (and in my case uninstall, regrease, and replace) these bushings. Awesome write up!

I promptly bought a set of Blitz RhinoRamps 12,000 from my local AutoZone to be able to get under my car:

http://www.blitzusa.com/products/lift/plrr12.htm

I really like the RhinoRamps and suggest if you get a set you get the 12000 series as the width is a little wider than the 8000 series (see specs on the web site) and for my 245-40-18's the wheels fit fine on the 12000. I think any wider would be a problem on these ramps. If you get yourself a set and you do this in your garage you will need to put a rubber mat under the ramps or they will slip around and you'll never get the car on them. I tried without a mat and they just kept slippin! Again you can learn here from my experiences ... get a rubber mat.

I got mine from my local Osh Hardware store. It's a black bulk rubber mat that comes in a 36" width - it's on a big spool and they cut it to whatever length you want. I bought two 1.5 foot mats for like $9 total. The Rhinos are about 36" X 12" so this size works perfect for these ramps. With the mat the ramps stay put when you drive the car onto them. No fuss no muss. Now with the Rhino Ramps I can start changing my own oil too!

On my first try at re-greasing the Daizen Bushings I used Mobil 1 synthetic grease. I used a lot of grease and thought this would be the ticket. Worked great for about 4-5 months and then the damn squeaking started again just as before ... Note: do not use Mobil 1 synthetic grease or any other normal oil based grease. This is are not what you need for polyurethane bushings because it will wash out and you will have the squeaking again. (I really don't know if Marine grease would be any better as I read that this may work due to it being more water resistant, and others on other boards recommended it.)

At this point I went back to my old friend "Search" and began searching for what grease to use. ANSWER: Silicone Grease. The grease supplied with the Daizen Bushings is a silicone grease. Others that make Silicone Grease specifically for polyurethane bushings are:


Prothane Super Grease (comes in a grease gun tube or individual packs)
http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002_533457_-1

Energy Suspension "Formula 5" Prelube (8oz tub or individual packs)
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/univ2.html

Poly Ease (8oz tub)
http://performanceunlimited.com/cobr.../polyeaze.html


From what I have read on the board it appears that Silicone Grease is the preferred grease to use. Daizen sells their brand too. From reading about each one it appears to me that all the above silicone grease is probably all the same thing. Poly Ease is in the same container as the Energy Suspension grease and probably is just private labeled. And all the other ones that come in the little packets look the same to me. I think they are all probably just private labeled from one manufacture. This is just my opinion - no real proof.

So, I ordered an 8 oz tub of Energy Suspension "Formula 5" Prelube from Summit Racing http://store.summitracing.com/partde...rt=ENS-9-11104 because I like the idea of the 8 oz tub rather than the little packets. I want to be able to use as much as I want! And I put a lot of it on the bushings. Summit got it to me in 2 days - great fast shipping!

Okay, this Silicone Grease is very different than the Mobil 1 I used the first time I regreased the daizen bushings. This stuff is a cross between vasoline and super glue. It's really sticky so make sure you use disposable gloves when you put it on. I just finished today and time will tell if this grease will last. I'll post back later here and let everyone know how it's working for me as time goes by and if the squeaking comes back.

The other thing I did before I put the grease on was to wrap the sway bar with Teflon tape (plumbers tape you can get at Home Depot or any hardware store in the plumbing section) where the bushing goes. I read here, and other places on the web that it helps too. Well see.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=teflon+tape
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=teflon+tape


Here's another post about Daizen squeaking bushings that I found helpful:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...bushing+squeak

If I get the squeaking back my next step will be to replace the Daizen bushings with the Energy Suspension Greaseable bushings with the grease nipple attached that is talked about in the above post:
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/swaybbct.html our bars are 32mm so it would be part number 9.5166

If I do this I will use the Prothan Super Grease that comes in tubes for a grease gun.

At this point what I don't understand is ... the nipple for the grease fitting will give grease to the top of the bushing, but not to the part of the bushing that goes around the sway bar ... so, is this just a fix for half of the problem? Do squeaks come from where the bushing meets the bar or from where the bushing meets the metal holder, or both? If anyone knows please post.

Well, there you have it - my Daizen squeak issue and what I've done about it with links to help all of you out. I hope putting all this info in one place is helpful. If anyone else has any helpful hints on how to keep the Daizen sway bar bushing from squeaking I know I would love to know, and I'm sure the CL community would too - so post away!

Perhaps the only real answer is these bushings require regular maintenance of lubing them up every so often. I'm just hoping I can extend that every so often to at least a year. No maintenance really works for me - I'm just hoping what I've done today works for the Daizen Bushings!

Scott

tomtnc

Great post, Scott! It would be nice if we could find a self-lubricating bushing to replace the Daizen poly bushings and be done with this annoying problem for good!

PushinLEX

iTrader: (9)

Great compilation. Sticky status imho.

slickgt1

iTrader: (1)

Ok the squeeks are comming from the are where the bar moves in the bushing, not the bushing moving in the holder. I think the bushing is limited from movement by its chape and design. Once the bar-bushing contact is lubed, it will slide in there freely and not force the bushing-bracket part to move or squeek.

Also, you don't really need to buy the energy suspension bracket - bushing set. You can just order the zerk fittings anywhere, even ebay. Drill through the bracket you have, and through the bushing up to the bar. Then you tap the bracket, and screw in the bushing. I have had success with this, but I din't do it on this car yet, as I don't have these bars yet. But as soon as i get me a set, I will deffinatelly do this right away. Oh, once you start pumping grease in there, that stuff will push out through every oraface it can, trust me, your entire bushing will be lubed up, just make sure to whipe it down, or it will look like a clump of cow-sheit after all the road dirt starts to stick to it.