Bushings that improve performance are also available in the aftermarket. For example, stiffer bushings can reduce body roll and improve stiffness. When replacing bushings, two factors are important: First, pay close attention to the depth and orientation of pressed-in bushings. Bushings that are pressed in too shallow or deep can lead to interference and noise, and certain bushings need to be installed in a specific orientation for consistent performance.
Second, for control arm, sway bar, shock and strut bushings, tighten all fasteners with all four wheels on the ground. This will prevent preloading the suspension, which can mimic alignment problems. While bushings are a simple component, replacing them can significantly improve the quality of your ride. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Know How. Ben has been taking things apart since he was 5, and putting them back together again since he was 8.
Now, he writes on automotive topics across the web and around the world, including new automotive technology, transportation legislation, emissions, fuel economy and auto repair. Your email address will not be published. Steering and suspension components can be expensive to replace, so it is important to install new bushings at the first sign of deterioration.
A visual bushing inspection will show damaged or worn bushings, such as tears in the rubber or breaks in the rubber-to-metal bonding. Outside of a visual inspection, other symptoms of worn or damaged bushings before complete failure include:. For a vehicle suspension set up that is stiff and maximizes tire adhesion to the road, a hard rubber bushing with very little give is required.
Getting the right balance is therefore critical, and is why all Delphi bushings are engineered to provide the optimum shore hardness value, for both improved handling and noise and vibration reduction. Interested in learning more about steering and suspension? Delphi Technologies is your full aftermarket service solution.
We offer a Steering and Suspension course for training technicians or as a refresher for more experienced technicians. Due to their material composition, bushings are alternately known as "rubbers. Bushings buffer the tremors caused by imperfections on a given driving terrain and allow for a smoother riding experience.
Aside from rubber, bushings are sometimes made of polyurethane or other soft-yet-firm materials. Bushings can be found on any component along the suspension where two parts of metal form a joint.
The purpose of the bushings is to prevent the metal surfaces from grinding against one another and causing unnecessary stress and friction. The bushings that most commonly need to be replaced are the following:. For the suspension system of a truck, bushings are made to offer built-in flex, which helps with various vehicular functions like passive rear-wheel steering. The quality of the rubber material is what gives bushings their ability to buffer the tremors and noises of turbulence.
When the quality of a set of bushings wears down, the impacts of shock and the noises that a vehicle might make are liable to become more noticeable within the cab of a truck. The symptoms of bad bushings are similar to symptoms of bad leaf springs. Both play a crucial role in a vehicle's suspension system and are therefore important to the comfort of a ride.
If you are wondering how to tell if suspension bushings are worn on your vehicle, consider the answers to the following questions:. Typical tell-tale signs of worn bushings under a vehicle include the following symptoms :.
The last two symptoms are often the result of worn front bushings under a vehicle. When the rear bushings fail, the problem is less easy to pinpoint because the steering functions are not affected. Moreover, a truck is not as prone to cause difficulty when cornering if the bushing problem is confined to the rear of the vehicle.
Bushings are used on a number of components on a motor vehicle. During an inspection of your vehicle you will likely see bushings on the following parts :. Bushings are liable to become worn over time on various components due to friction, stress and age. Prolonged, recurrent exposure to engine heat can cause bushings to wear down at a hastened rate.
Exposure to the elements can also cause bushings to wear out, especially in climates with humid and inclement weather patterns or environmental impurities. The bushings in a vehicle could be compared to the cartilage in the human body. Whereas cartilage protects against joint stress by preventing bone-to-bone contact, bushings safeguard metal joints from stress by preventing metal-to-metal contact.
However, just as cartilage can wear down in a body as an individual ages, so too can bushings wear out in a vehicle. One of the more damaging possibilities of worn bushings is when the problem affects the control arm of the vehicle. If the bushings wear out on this component, the front end of the truck could fall into misalignment, which could ultimately cause the tires to wear out prematurely. In order for a bushing problem to be accurately diagnosed, a truck will usually need to be inspected.
One of the common misinterpretations of a bushing-related problem is when a truck makes noise along turns and the driver attributes the issue to a loose stabilizer bar. In many of these cases, an inspection reveals that the problem stems from the bushings, not the bar. In some cases, movements and noises that would seem to indicate trouble with a suspension component or ball joint might actually stem from a problem with the bushings.
For example, worn bushings along the metal joints of a truck can lead to shocks and noises when the vehicle is driven over rocky roads and along sharp turns. When bushings cause noise, the problem is not always a matter of rubber wear or stress. In some cases, the noise is simply the result of dried bushings. To remedy the matter, lubrication is required. IP-address, URL of the current website, as well as date and time of your website visit will be transferred to Facebook, Google, Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest or LinkedIn and may be processed in a country located outside of the European Union e.
United States. The social media platform linked to the respective social plugin may use information in regards to your website visits and assign this data to your personal social media account, observe your browsing habits or create and process personal profiles. You may opt-out of this process at any time, for more information please check our Privacy Policy. A wishbone or track control arm suspension bush ensures the connection between your car body and its wheel acting as a pivot point.
To optimize the way bushes work, these parts need to be flexible and sustainable. Take for instance the part shown in the video. This design change has structurally altered the appearance of the bush which also means the rubber mark which indicates the mounting position has been removed.
Due to the removal of the rubber mounting mark, extra care should be taken when fitting the new bush.
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