Upper shock bushing tear

[MSGia]

Good morning everyone. I have QA1 coilovers on my truck. The upper shock bushing was having trouble staying aligned, so the upper shock stem would rub the frame. Eventually I solved this by replacing the bushings with red poly sway bar bushings. So up until yesterday I didn’t suspect anything with my truck. I got a check engine light P0171. I recently installed a new air filter so I popped the hood to make sure it was in right and I see my drivers side upper shock bushing totally crushed. Does anyone know what could have caused this? My passenger side has been fine during this. Out of all my suspension problems, it’s only ever on the drivers side.

 

[Uncle Gump]

In your first picture... is that the upper bushing in its entirety?

The center hole is huge! That hole should be snug on the shafr of the shock.

 

[MSGia]

In your first picture... is that the upper bushing in its entirety?

The center hole is huge! That hole should be snug on the shafr of the shock.

That’s what was left of it . Basically, it was over the frame, but it was completely torn from the rest of the bushing. The bushing washer looked like it was sinking in the bushing. It did not look like that new.

 

[MSGia]

Here’s the side that’s okay

 

[Uncle Gump]

So the upper washer "trimmed " the outer part of that bushing off?

If that's the case... I'm going to lean into you had that bushing tightened "squished " to much.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I know you've been battling this for awhile.

I know you dropped it... dies this thing drive ok? No pulling... tires wearing good?

You're also sure the shock isn't binding and has full travel?

 

[MSGia]

It drives great. Brand new tires, alignment sheet came back all green, doesn’t pull in either direction really. I daily drive it and use it for work at night.

I didn’t suspect anything really I probably would have kept driving it if I didn’t get the lean check engine light. I have never heard of shock binding and I’m not familiar with it. The only concern I have with the system is that the ride height is pretty tall. These are designed for a 5.5” drop but my drop is closer to 4.5”. I have them high up in the threaded adjustment. I asked QA1 and they said they don’t put threads that you can’t use and it would not affect preload.

 

[MSGia]

The only concern I have with the system is that the ride height is pretty tall. These are designed for a 5.5” drop but my drop is closer to 4.5”. I have them high up in the threaded adjustment.

Pictures. This is about how far up it is.

 

[pjtoledo]

compare the hole sizes, that drivers one does look real big.
on 2wd my 2005 has upper shock bushings that have a tall wide bushing that fills the hole then a donut shaped bushing goes over that.

 

[MSGia]

compare the hole sizes, that drivers one does look real big.
on 2wd my 2005 has upper shock bushings that have a tall wide bushing that fills the hole then a donut shaped bushing goes over that.

Not sure what you mean by this. The hole on the bushing or the hole on the frame? They are both identical on both sides.

Here are some more pictures now that I’m at home.

 

[Uncle Gump]

He is talking about the hole in the frame.

 

[MSGia]

He is talking about the hole in the frame.

I would like to say they are the same but I don’t know.

 

[MSGia]

So the upper washer "trimmed " the outer part of that bushing off?

If that's the case... I'm going to lean into you had that bushing tightened "squished " to much.

I will probably just replace and monitor it often. I just didn’t know what was going on. Poly bushings don’t seem to squish/mushroom out like rubber bushings do so I don’t know for certain if I over tightened. Just confused why this is only a drivers side issue.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I will probably just replace and monitor it often. I just didn’t know what was going on. Poly bushings don’t seem to squish/mushroom out like rubber bushings do so I don’t know for certain if I over tightened. Just confused why this is only a drivers side issue.

Yeah... I'm sure it's frustrating.

These pics were pulled from your previous post on this same matter.

That hole for the upper shock bushing looks HUGE! It appears to be nearly the same size as the bushing.

You also mentioned the shock being at full droop with the weight on the suspension. I don't know enough about lowering these trucks to be helpful... but that shock being fully compressed at curb weight just doesn't sound right to me.

 

[MSGia]

Those photos are a little misleading. The hole is not that big. In those pictures I had the truck in the air, I set the shock rebound to zero so it would stay where I put it, and I physically compressed it. I was trying to find out why it was aligned in the air but rubbed the frame on the ground. I didn’t know about the poly bushings yet. I found out about that solution in a Facebook group called Ranger drift tech.
QA1 says that the threaded adjustment changes only the ride height and not the preload, so the shock should still sitting in the middle of its travel range. Just hope that little notch in the frame isn’t getting bigger.