Don’t Overlook Suspension Problems – Blog

Don’t Overlook Suspension Problems

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Don’t Overlook Suspension Problems

When a vehicle’s handling feels off, the usual suspects are usually investigated: ball joints, tie rods and control arms. It is important not to overlook your cars’ bushings. These suspension components reduce noise, shock and vibrations. This part is especially relevant for suspension health in older vehicles.  It is critical for tire life and ride quality for a vehicle’s bushings to be in good working order.

There are multiple signs that something may be wrong with the bushings. While the most obvious is a loud and unpleasant noise while breaking or accelerating, there are some others. These are:

  • Free play of 1/8th of an inch or more on the control arm
  • Tire wear patterns for signs of camber wear
  • Steering feels loose when turning corners
  • The feeling of pulling when braking or accelerating

OEM’s design control arm bushings to “tune” the performance of the suspension system.  They use reliefs or voids to provide lower stiffness in one direction.  These voids can create a point of weakness in the surrounding rubber.  This can result in the rubber cracking and may cause increased stress in the suspension and hub.examples of cracked voids in bushings

These components will wear out under normal use. How quickly they wear can be contributed to several different factors. As a result, there are different types of bushings for different types of vehicles. Lighter use vehicles use reliefs to provide a balance of stiffness and flexibility to optimize the ride quality. Larger vehicles remove these voids to minimize the potential for tearing while supporting heavier weight loading.difference bwteen bushings for different types of vehicles

Even if you notice that there are problems with the bushings, this may only be symptoms of the real problem. Ball joints and bushings connected to the steering knuckle present so many potential failure opportunities that many people may forget to check whether the knuckle itself could be the underlying cause of the handling problem.

Three Potential Causes of Knuckle Failure

distortion of knuckle surface

 

  • Damage from warping: hitting a pothole or a curb can cause damage to several under-car components when they are forced to twist and react to the impact.  Even a small degree of change to the knuckle can throw off a vehicle’s alignment and could result in premature failure of other suspension components.
  • Damage from debris: under-car parts are constantly exposed to water, dirt and corrosive chemicals that can damage the mating surfaces of the knuckle.
  • Deformed or damaged attachment points for bushings: in older vehicles where the suspension is sagging, bolts can become seized to the inner sleeve of the bushing. Removal of seized bushing attachment bolts by drilling, grinding or torching can damage the bushing housing in the knuckle. The new replacement bushing may spin in the knuckle if this damage is severe.

Mevotech’s Knuckle Assemblies

Mevotech has recently introduced a series of replacement knuckles preloaded with bushings for high-demand imports.  These imports, known for their reliability, usually have a lot of life left in the vehicle despite their high mileage.knuckle assembly

Replacing the Bushings vs. Replacing the Knuckle

It may seem like the economical choice to only replace the bushings on a knuckle. However, this could take upwards of five hours of labor or longer given the awkward installation angles of some bushings which are difficult to navigate around the press.  If the bushings and ball joints have previously been replaced or the knuckle’s mating surfaces have not been thoroughly cleaned with a wire brush, the bushings and ball joints may not sit tight within the knuckle or require excessive amounts of force to install. Even a small gap between two parts in a knuckle can result in excessive impact loading and accelerated failure of the surrounding components.

Remember to evaluate the knuckle assembly itself, not just its ball joints and bushings.  It takes a great amount of time to remove, replace and clean the bushings. Considering this as well as the potential to damage the knuckle during replacement, it may be wise to consider replacing the entire knuckle even if the knuckle is in satisfactory condition. Especially consider this if you plan to keep the vehicle for the foreseeable future.

If you are in need of replacement suspension components consider using Mevotech parts. Mevotech’s engineers take a holistic approach to a vehicle’s suspension, analyzing and refining every piece that plays a part in the quality of the ride. If you would like to learn more about their products, visit www.mevotech.com

 

1 Comment

  1. Shari says:

    I enjoy the article

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