LCA bushing trouble

[Shadow]

Quote: Originally Posted by Moyeah

Nope. One LCA is still on the car in its squished form the other is off the car in pieces. Going to get in contact with Prothane on monday or tuesday to see what they have to say.

Let me know what happens, I'm interested.

Quote: Originally Posted by duster360

It's best to discourage the use of Prothanes at all--->problem solved

This.. 100%.

[duster360]

Quote: Originally Posted by Moyeah

Nope. One LCA is still on the car in its squished form the other is off the car in pieces. Going to get in contact with Prothane on monday or tuesday to see what they have to say.

Measure the inner ID of the shell and see what you get.

[kevin1533]

Sorry of this is up already. Didn't read it all. You have to torque the bolt while the weight of the vehicle is on the bushing. Otherwise the busing would be stuck in an "uncomfortable" spot and wear faster and look funny

[69cuda340s]

Quote: Originally Posted by Moyeah

Ok here are the pics of the car with the bushings torqued and the wheels on and on the ground.

Now we have a couple cases on here where the top bushing has squished out. The cause has yet to be determined.

When they were installed did you put control arm in frame and then force the control arm down to get ball joint stud into spindle? If you did that could cause that top bushing to tear. Also, there could be sharp edges on the upper portion of the control arm or inner sleeve that torn that bushing up.

[69cuda340s]

Quote: Originally Posted by ValleyRacer

Cuda I'll bet yours don't look like this.

I have been driving on mine for a couple of weeks and they look perfect still and work great. But I didn't follow the install advice typically found in many of the threads on this site. To install I:

1) Install vertical bushing in frame, push vertical bushing bolt through lower portion of the frame and into vertical bushing inner sleeve only, do not put bolt into upper frame, leave loose.

2) Install ball joint stud into spindle and install nut/bolt hand tight.

3) Install front bushing into frame, install nut/bolt hand tight.

4) Place floor jack under lower control arm and raise up.

5) Use vice grips and twist vertical bushing bolt outward, line up with upper frame hole, and tighten.

6) Tight all bolts to spec with jack under lower control arm.

Note I also kept jack stands under car and also put the tires under the car for extra safety. Be careful very dangerous working under car.

I did not install both ends of control arm into frame and then pry down on arm to install ball joint stud into spindle like so many how-tos say to do on this site. That will put undue stress on the vertical bushing and can damage it.

[ValleyRacer]

Cuda we went on and on PM'ing about your MTX bushings install - and you had great photos.
Did you get any shots or video of this install?
My front c-arm bushings are fine, baffled over the cause of the failure with Moyeah.
He and I were on the phone for over an hour. I'm stumped.

[69cuda340s]

Here is how mine looked after the install and they still look the same:

[ValleyRacer]

Mine look the same, except for a little dirt. I posted some photos from last night of how well they hold up.

Any idea what would help troubleshoot Moyeah having bushing failure?

I"m baffled.

Moyeah and I discussed sending a sample of the material back to Prothance for the unlikely event that there was an under-sped'c chemical process with his batch of bushings.

[duster360]

Quote: Originally Posted by 69cuda340s

I did not install both ends of control arm into frame and then pry down on arm to install ball joint stud into spindle like so many How-Tos say to do on this site. That will put undue stress on the vertical bushing and can damage it.

The OP has lowering springs which won't require the LCA to be moved much at all to insert the ball joint unless he left the struts hang at full droop. So that's not to say the LCA still couldn't be forced into an unnatural obtuse angle.

I'm fairly certain there's not a thing "wrong" with the bushings

[69cuda340s]

All the failure cases we have seen on here lately all occurred either right away (first drive) or shortly after the install (within 50 or so miles of driving). And all the failure cases had the upper bushing squish out. But mine show no signs of squishing they look exactly like they did when I installed them. My car has stock ride height.

[ValleyRacer]

Quote: Originally Posted by 69cuda340s

All the failure cases we have seen on here lately all occurred either right away (first drive) or shortly after the install (within 50 or so miles of driving). And all the failure cases had the upper bushing squish out. But mine show no signs of squishing they look exactly like they did when I installed them. My car has stock ride height.

MIne have been used in some high speed cruising, mountain roads, twisty bits and the pothole hell of our local roads.

I'm wondering about the remote possibility of an incorrectly spec'd batch of polyurethane.

Cuda -- did you get a shot of your c-arm with the rear position bushing removed. I was trying to recall the details about the inner collar possibly being removed, but I don't get every detail photo'd or video'd during the install.

[69cuda340s]

Quote: Originally Posted by ValleyRacer

I was trying to recall the details about the inner collar possibly being removed, but I don't get every detail photo'd or video'd during the install.

The "shell" of the vertical bushing stays in the arm. On some of the older model Neons the shell is removed but on all the SRT-4s that shell or outer collar of the vertical bushing stays in the control arm.

[duster360]

The use of the inner shell is mandatory. This fact is without question to anyone who's actually installed these.

Simply reading Prothane's instructions should help the obviously confused and inexperienced. Sorry, no pics or vids for the slow kids. You'll just have to read.

As I stated the other day:

Quote: Originally Posted by duster360

No where does Prothane suggest you hack up the outer shell of the bushings. In fact, they're quite adamant that you shouldn't touch it.

http://www.prothanesuspensionparts.c...thane/4214.pdf

[Shadow]

I find it strange all these failure have popped up only recently. Mine was the first I saw, even after searching a little, which is why I posted.

After my thread, I have seen them popping up left and right. I almost want to say it's a manufacturing process.

[69cuda340s]

Maybe the Chinese cloned the bushings and dumped them on the market. That happened with Walbro fuel pumps a while ago. The cloned fuel pumps would not last like the authentic ones but both were packaged the same and looked the same. Maybe send the failed bushings back to Prothane so they can take a look at them?