Unobtanium Bushing and Cracks if you drill for Zerk fitting?
 

This was posted in the big list.


---Ok my suspension is driving me nuts. The front clunks like crazy, sounds like a
garbage truck. I have to keep spraying various silicone lubes in the cracks
between the bushing and mounting points to quiet them down, now this doesn't
even work. Tomorrow I plan to tear the whole suspension apart and re-grease
these damn unobtainium bushings. I want to install zerk fittings but have heard
that several people had their control arms crack on them after drilling through
them. Now I'm scared to do this. Also, what are the bushings in front that can't
be replaced? How do you tell if they are bad? I can hear clunking when rocking
the car by pulling on the strut bar and when I turn the steering wheel to the
max. My car is begining to sound like a popcorn machine GRRRRR.----END QUOTE

Is this true, that cracks may develop from drilling holes for the zerk fittings?

:confused:

No, it's called dramatic acting, in my opinion. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has had their forged aluminum control arms crack after drilling and tapping a hole through to the bushing center to install a grease fitting.

He also hasn't checked the play in his ball joints to eliminate them as the source of his noise problems as advised. If he can hear clunking when rocking the car by the strut bar, he's probably got problems worse than needing to re-grease his bushings... like worn out wheel bearings.

you should know better jim! The arms are "squeeze cast" :p:

I read that same part. Control arms cracking? :confused:

Assuming that these "some people" do have a cracked control arm, why hasn't a single one of them posted a picture to document the problem on this forum? After all, most of the people that bought Jim's bushings came from the forum. Not only that, but I would like to see the exact location where these individuals drilled, as well as how large of a hole they made, etc.

No pictures have been posted, no posts have been made on the forum or the "big list", but more importantly, no one has contacted me about this "cracking problem", and you know DAMN well that I'd be the first one they'd be bitching at. :)

All control arms aren't forged and it varies by year from what I've seen, and I've put my hands on a lot of FDs.

The front lower is forged. The front uppers are cast, maybe squeeze cast?

I believe that the lower rears on 93 are forged, definetly CAST on the 94 sitting in my garage. The upper rears are also cast not forged.

I can't imagine a crack coming from the bushing area of the control arms if it is drilled in the center. I would guess the stress would be low in that area.

Jeff

You're right, Jeff. My rear upper and lower control arms were cast, but my trailing arms, and front upper and lower control arms were forged (1995). I was referring to the front of the car, and assumed that they were forged components on all years.

Re: Unobtanium Bushing and Cracks if you drill for Zerk fitting?
 

Ok. My question is different.
What if you don't use any lube fittings, and stick with the noise. Is is possible that after a while the bushings will crack because of no more lubrication, or will just keep on squeeqing, and no harm.
This is my concern.Please advise.
DAN

Even 12 years later, that was a good question. I've run the car 2 years without lubing the bushings and the car makes a LOT of noise, that's juste nonsense. Plus, the car doesn't "lower" by itself, I push it to the ground by myself when it's stopped.

I'm now lubing every single bushing but they are not damaged at all.

I got all my suspension parts out right now and contemplating if I should put zerk fittings before I put them back in? From what I have read people "should" regrease with ever oil change, so If you waited 2 years that's just too long. These aren't factory OE bushings, so your going to have maintenance with Poly/Unobtanium. We probably shouldn't wait to hear clunking to know that it's maintenance time, so good maintenance practice with these types of bushings should remedy the problem. If you don't like the fact that you have to regrease them then you can always go to stock OE bushings. If you have zerk fittings it's a 10 minute tops maintenance I would think.

Would you guys recommend installing zerk fittings before I put everything back together? All my parts are going in this weekend after powder coating.

You will want the zerk fittings.

Some of the bushings in my FD get greased a couple times a year.

Generally when a car is rocked back and forth from side to side, and the mechanics at my shop hear a noise, they target the sway bar end links and sway bar bushings. I had a horrible clunking from my front end that sounded like a garbage truck. It was happening in the rear of my car as well. They changed something called pillow ball bushings in the rear. In the front they changed sway bar links and all of my noises went away.

Is there a tutorial somewhere for the zerk fittings?

This would be my tutorial:

Step 1: Throw that junk out
Step 2: Reinstall new factory bushings
Step 3: Enjoy

Thanks for the useless answer!

Anyone else?

I just did mine. Basically you just drill and tap. You also need to get the grease through the bushing to the metal insert - that's what needs grease.

Think the point above is on the effectiveness. Rubber vs poly as a bushing material aside, I'm not sure a zero fitting is effective in getting grease where it needs to go and just using a good high quality grease may be sufficient. I used Neo watercraft grease and put in zero 'just in case'

There's a lot on the subject on the web

That being said, I don't need to press back out the bushings?

Not necessarily since you need to drill through the bushings to reach the metal insert (don't know the technical term off the top of my head), but you should remove the metal insert so it doesn't get drilled in the process. Also some (to include me) route out a grove from the drill hole circumferently around the inner diameter of the bushing to allow better dispersion of the grease when the metal insert is reinstalled.

I assume you are trying to do this with your suspension pieces on the car. You can try it that way, but results may not be ideal. Other than getting your alignment all out of whack, it's not too terribly hard getting to most of the bushings, but they can be a pain to press out if stock.

If they are stock though, you really don't need zerk fittings

Here's some links on the subject...

Part 1: Powerflex Bushings Miata Polyurethane Bushings Installation

Polyurethane bushing grease fitting install - Nissan Road Racing Forums

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-w...shings-648765/

^ Thanks for the links Tom, I'm doing my bushing here soon and those links are very helpful.

They are Delrin and of course I am planning to remove the suspension before.

At the moment I bought this:

Attachment 626718

and 19 (3 spares) 1/4''x28 zerk fittings. Getting ready to do this shit.

Before you jack your car and remove the suspension, mark where you want to install the zerks where you can get a grease gun to them

damn this thread is over 10 years old. I agree 110% with Peter; that unobtainium bushing is just dog shit. And Jim LaPrick never used that bushing in his own car.

But what did you expect from a software engineer (paper pushing hack)?

First thing I'll be doing,

Thanks a lot for the tips!

bushings
 

Just happened to spot this post and read out of curiosity. I have a full set of unobtanium bushings bought about ten years ago. never installed, probably never will, mint condition. sell to the highest bidder