Sway Bar Bushing Noise - Some notes

Hey all,

 

As some of you might know, I've been getting progressively worse sway bar noise from my rear bar (Cobb) for quite some time. Grease it and it would go away. For awhile, it would go away for months, then a month, then weeks. Then days.

 

I loosened and re-torqued the bushings, I greased them up good before the winter hit. Etc. Still getting worse.

 

So I bought some energy suspension bushings, a roll of teflon tape, and some new grease (I suspected my supertech grease was washing off too quickly).

 

Well, turned out I bought the wrong size energy suspension bushing. Pfft.

 

Didn't figure that out till I had the old bushings off. Couple of notes:

 

Despite having recently greased them, the insides of the bushings were bone dry.

 

How dry? So dry that the bar was polished metal underneath where they sit. The cobb bar that comes powder-coated in Cobb blue was polished silver metal where those bushings lay.

 

So I cleaned the whole area with purple power and lotsa paper towels. I wrapped the silver-metal area in teflon tape (which is a bitch, as it instantly tears or twists into floss-like thickness if you don't watch it).

 

I then applied a super-thick layer of this stuff: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/CRC-SL3111-Generation-Bearing-Grease/dp/B000M8IHQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1272562561&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: CRC SL3111 New Generation Wheel Bearing Grease for Disc and Drum Brakes - 14 wt. oz.: Automotive[/ame]

 

So far, the car has been through one rain storm and it's whisper quiet from the rear bar. Seems to be working just fine. My hope is that I can switch to twice a year greasing, instead of twice a month.

 

Anyway, thought this might help someone who starts to experience un-ending rear sway bar bushing noise. Also, if anyone has a 25mm rear sway bar and wants some energy suspension bushings.... let me know

 

Joe

I bot Energy Suspension with the zerk fitting...greased 'em up...been great since. You did return the worng ones for the correct size?

TPLGT - I ordered the wrong ones. When I was looking for replacement bushings, I remembered the Cobb rear being 25mm. I posted on here about it. I talked to Fred Beans about it. Seemed to corrobate 25mm. Fred beans couldn't offer me bushings in that size, so I bought a set off amazon from energy suspension direct.

 

It's my own fault, and I even greased one up, so I'm not returning them or trying to return them.

I bot mine at Autozone....I m 95% sure this is the size/#

 

7/8" / 22mm 9.5158

Joe, I have the same bar and the same problem. Can you please tell me which bushings I need from Energy?

See above..

Can't get past the 95%.

Well the Cobb rear bars are 22 MM...that part # is for greasable bushings. I am travelling but will check the package when I get back.