MAC Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Last year I bought new sway bar bushings from a Cadillac Stealership and I suspect they are already worn out. Should I have greased them before installing? Is the rule to grease new bushings unless they are specifically made to be greaseless? I want to confirm this before I install polyurethane. A local Cadillac dealer quoted $60 for a set. A ridiculous price considering polyurethane can be purchased for less than $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreezn Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Last year I bought new sway bar bushings from a Cadillac Stealership and I suspect they are already worn out. Should I have greased them before installing? Is the rule to grease new bushings unless they are specifically made to be greaseless? I want to confirm this before I install polyurethane. A local Cadillac dealer quoted $60 for a set. A ridiculous price considering polyurethane can be purchased for less than $20. Many stock bushings should go in dry and clamp the sway bar so tightly that there is NO slippage, the bushing merely flexes internally. If allowed to slip, they wear out quickly and get noisy. Polyurethane, on the other hand, is hard enough to withstand slippage and often comes with a greasing zerk already installed. Jim in Phoenix Jim in Phoenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Last year I bought new sway bar bushings from a Cadillac Stealership and I suspect they are already worn out. Should I have greased them before installing? Is the rule to grease new bushings unless they are specifically made to be greaseless? I want to confirm this before I install polyurethane. A local Cadillac dealer quoted $60 for a set. A ridiculous price considering polyurethane can be purchased for less than $20. Hi Mac, I would be amazed if your sway bar bushings failed after only a year. I can only think of 3 other possibilities. 1) One of the bushings came off (happened to me recently) the bar. 2) The bushings weren't actually replaced. I would doubt that unless you had other work done during the same visit. 3) It might be something else causing the problem (ex: one of the endlinks). As far as lubing the sway bar bushing......only as a last resort. Jim pretty much covered it. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Typically combining grease and rubber is a bad idea as the grease will swell the rubber accelerating the wear and softening it. If you are going to use a grease with rubber use a white lithium grease. Me, I put a light coat of the white grease on my front and rear stabilizer bar bushings when I installed them. They are not like control arm bushings were they are pre-loaded, they just hold the bar tightly, that's their only job. That is my opinion. If you check gmotors you will find that the bushings are only about $15 per pair (front if I recall), does $60 include installation or is that the part counter price, check gmotors.. Like I said, I just checked Rockauto and the bushings are $16 per pair.... The dealer is smoking some good shi* Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Typically combining grease and rubber is a bad idea as the grease will swell the rubber accelerating the wear and softening it. If you are going to use a grease with rubber use a white lithium grease. Me, I put a light coat of the white grease on my front and rear stabilizer bar bushings when I installed them. They are not like control arm bushings were they are pre-loaded, they just hold the bar tightly, that's their only job. That is my opinion. If you check gmotors you will find that the bushings are only about $15 per pair (front if I recall), does $60 include installation or is that the part counter price, check gmotors.. Like I said, I just checked Rockauto and the bushings are $16 per pair.... The dealer is smoking some good shi* I thought white lithium grease contained petroleum distillates which will make rubber swell...no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Hmm I just did some research Epriced, I don't see that it is safe for rubber.. I had the impression it was safe for rubber because it was recommended for aiding in re-assembling transmission clutch assemblies (seating the rubber seals)... Maybe I am wrong about that, its time to get a tub of silicone grease... Thanks for pointing that out, Mike Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl425 Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Last year I bought new sway bar bushings from a Cadillac Stealership and I suspect they are already worn out. Should I have greased them before installing? Is the rule to grease new bushings unless they are specifically made to be greaseless? I want to confirm this before I install polyurethane. A local Cadillac dealer quoted $60 for a set. A ridiculous price considering polyurethane can be purchased for less than $20. I just replaced my front and rear sway bar bushings with Energy Suspension polyurethane. So far they are great. I got mine from energysuspensionparts.com and if memory serves (can't find the receipt and it's been over a month) it was only about $25 for both sets. I did my end links too with Moog heavy duty parts. The bushings came with new holders that do have grease zerks in them but the holders are universal. No problem in front, but in back i had to pull out the engineer's hat and "pull some mods". I had plenty of time in which to do this though and with the aid of some German beer and country music, a good time was had by all. CP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Last year I bought new sway bar bushings from a Cadillac Stealership and I suspect they are already worn out. Should I have greased them before installing? Is the rule to grease new bushings unless they are specifically made to be greaseless? I want to confirm this before I install polyurethane. A local Cadillac dealer quoted $60 for a set. A ridiculous price considering polyurethane can be purchased for less than $20. I just replaced my front and rear sway bar bushings with Energy Suspension polyurethane. So far they are great. I got mine from energysuspensionparts.com and if memory serves (can't find the receipt and it's been over a month) it was only about $25 for both sets. I did my end links too with Moog heavy duty parts. The bushings came with new holders that do have grease zerks in them but the holders are universal. No problem in front, but in back i had to pull out the engineer's hat and "pull some mods". I had plenty of time in which to do this though and with the aid of some German beer and country music, a good time was had by all. CP that always works! Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Thanks everyone for the input. I'll check out energysuspensionparts. It looks like I correctly installed the stock sway bar bushings after all--I didn't use grease. I'm getting a metallic popping sound when I accelerate and brake (most likely worn control arm bushings), and rattling when I hit bumps (most likely sway bar bushings). I'm definitely going to replace the sway bar and control arm bushings with polyurethane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 If you do a little research you will find that silicone grease is recommended.. See these links: http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~stuart/car/stabilizer_bar/ http://www.hotchkistuning.com/bin/instructions/22413.pdf Thanks Epriced this echos your statement regarding white grease. This is a PERFECT thread! Notice this statement > Non-Silicone Bushing Grease Approved by GM!!!: http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?p=4030147 In addition if you go with poly they should receive silicone grease as they can squeek badly Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 If you do a little research you will find that silicone grease is recommended.. See these links: http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~stuart/car/stabilizer_bar/ http://www.hotchkistuning.com/bin/instructions/22413.pdf Thanks Epriced this echos your statement regarding white grease. This is a PERFECT thread! Notice this statement > Non-Silicone Bushing Grease Approved by GM!!!: http://my.is/forums/showthread.php?p=4030147 In addition if you go with poly they should receive silicone grease as they can squeek badly I would think that Sil-Glyde grease would be good to use. It's silicone, non-petroleum based, and is good for your brake caliper slider bolt bushings too. You can buy it online here, but I believe NAPA carries the big 4 oz tubes too. The little packets of Sil-Glyde for $1 are a rip. http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&me=ADG...9191&page=2 Should we take away from this that the regular petroleum grease that EVERYONE uses to grease ball joints is bad for the rubber? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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