A-arm Bushings


Featured Build Threads

bruker

15+ Year Member

Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
271
Points
3,101
City
Western, Ohio
Vehicle Year
2003
Transmission
Automatic
The A-arm bushings on my Ranger are creaking and groaning quite a bit. Aside from changing them out is there any kind of lube I can use that will quite them down but not harm the rubber?
 
Maybe white lithium spray grease.
 
are you sure they aren't worn to the point of allowing metal-to-metal contact someplace?
try lubing the ball joints & tie rod ends.
 
To address where the crwaking and groaning occurs on A arms, you have to remove them. Either the rubber/polyurethane is making the noise and you need to lubricate the rubber with silicone grease. Silicone will not make the rubber swell and has been found, at least in Hondas, to be the only lubricant that won't squeak when the bushing moves.

The other possible source is the metal sleeve rubbing on the bolts. Or the sleeve has rust bonded to the bolts and is rubbing the inside of the bushing. If you can get the bolts out, clean any rust off with a wire wheel and coat them with never seize. If you can't you will either have to cut the bolt(s) or burn them out with an oxy-acetelene torch. That will set the bushings on fire. But since you will be replacing the bushings or the complete A-arm at that point anyway, not a huge loss.

That answers the question asked. Are you sure it's the control arm bushings and not a ball joint or tie rod end? Coming from the same area, it can be hard to separate which is the offending part from the cabin.

I had the misfortune of one of each going bad on different sides, pretty much making me rebuild pretty much the entire front suspension before I got all the noises gone.
 
I'm in the middle of changing new a arms to poly bushings.

It is not a fun process.
 
You're not a fun process!
A-arm Bushings
 

Upcoming TRS Events

Sponsored Ad

Featured Ranger Based Vehicle

TRS Latest Video

Official TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

Back
Top