Grease on Rubber Shock Bushings............

[dpfurby]

When I installed new shocks I put a little grease on the stud and rubber shock bushings. Everything went together fine.

Now I am thinking , is that a bad thing for the rubber bushings??? Should I be thinking about removing and cleaning off the grease???

 

[Frank The Tank]

All signs point to no...

Albeit silicone grease is the proper stuff to use.

I have used marine grease on some annoying squeaky bushings (it is definantly for poly use only) but it didn't hurt a thing.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I don't know if the grease will react with the rubber but if it does you can get replacements at the "HELP" section of your local auto parts place. So I say leave them and keep an eye on them.

Richard

 

[Jraymer360]

I don't know if the grease will react with the rubber but if it does you can get replacements at the "HELP" section of your local auto parts place. So I say leave them and keep an eye on them.

Richard

the oreilly auto near me told me i needed to buy new shocks. i was like lolk.

 

[pjtoledo]

the big deal of grease vs no grease is noise, and some wear on the metal parts.
with no grease, the rubber mostly stays in contact with the metal parts and doesn't slide against it. the flex motion comes from the actual rubber flexing.

with grease the rubber slides against the metal, eventualy dries out and gets noisy. dirt gets worked in, and the metal wears. stabilizer bar bushings are infamous for that.

 

[Revhendo]

Generally, avoid petroleum based grease for rubber bushings. It will eventually break down the bushing. I use a little silicone spray on peskier bushings and have even used white lithium at times.

Technically, the rubber bushings aren't supposed to slide. Round bushings twist and return, flat bushings compress and relax. This is the reason you don't tighten suspension bushings until the vehicle is fully resting on it weight.

Polys are a different animal, but you should only use silicone based lubricants on them.