Torsion bushing replacement

[Brian Diehl]

Fred,
I know my bus is a few years newer than yours, but ... I found it no big deal to replace the rear radius rod bushings.  Really, the upper rods were not that hard to remove.  You are a pretty resourceful guy.  After removing and reinstalling your motor you will have no problem doing this job.

[jjrbus]

 

There is the radius rod with an opening on each end into which a bushing fits. this is held in place by two studs and a round metal plate on each end. The plate is fixed and cannot move.The opening on the radius rod and the bushing should be centered on the plate. If you look closely at the end of the arm and see bare metal the arm is moving and rubbing against the plate, this would indicate the bushing is worn.

You can put a block in front of a tire and drive the bus against it obsearving the radius rod if it moves off center of the plate then the bushing is worn.

  I am not a bus mechanic, only parroting what I was told.   HTH  Jim


 

[Lin]

Thanks, I will take a closer look at it today.  I was wondering, if I do not see signs of wear and therefore decide to leave well enough alone, is there any maintenance that could prolong the bushing life like possibly shooting it with silicone spray or greasing it?

It feels like I have hijacked this thread a bit, but at least stayed on course.

[JackConrad]

  I think that no preventative maintenance is required.  Almost anything applied to the bushings would probably cause them to deteriate and I seem to recall something about intalling them with no lubricants and the suspension at proper ride height before tightening to get the proper preload.  Jack

[Fredward]

Lin,
You're not a hijacker.
I've heard that if you can see shiney metal anywhere around the bushing area, they are in need of replacement. I don't have that going on but the part of the rubber bushing that is exposed looks weather checked and cracked. I'm guessing it would be a cheap, labor intensive project; combined with new shocks and front end alignment that would yield significant driveability improvement. (I did king pins and tie rod ends two years ago but never aligned it).
Fred

[John Z]

Fred, sorry for the delay in answering this, but got busy at work right after i told them i was leaving. They had me out driving right up until the day before i left. I know, i feel so bad about my willingness to stick around with you guys and just tough it out, , , it really is not my choice, but my bus had been sitting for a few months and really needed to be exercised!!! Things went pretty well all the way down here with the exception of some throttle issues. I had cramps from trying to push the throttle through the floor. The first couple inches of pedal travel don't even move the throttle. It appears that the outer winding on the cable just lets it stretch some. This caused way more 2nd gear climbs coming through the hills in Arkansas than were necessary. I was told by the shop foreman that my bushings were the same ones they used on the older MCI's. I am not positive they will fit your bus but i bet there is a real good chance they will. He showed me the exact same bushing from his parts shelf. I don't have them on the bus with me, but if you can chk to see if they are the same, we can work it out in a couple weeks when i get home. Fred, i used the original rubber ones. My thoughts are that they will outlast me by many miles and months. My first impressions driving after the change was how smooth the shifts were now. I had never thought that there was any "shudder" while shifting before with the old bushings, but i sure did notice an improvement. And of course it does track straighter down the road now. Hey guys, i see it was 4 below zero at home last night with a -40 wind chill - -  jeez!!! I will hoist an ice cold Corona Extra in your honor this afternoon! Take care.

[JohnEd]

Guys,

Back in the DAY, we had some stuff in a squirt can that was called "rubber lube".  We used it on cars that got a lube job.  Its purpose was to stop "squeaks".  Shock and sway bar mounts have metal and rubber twisting up against each other and that may squeak.  In the case of bushings....the rubber is attached to the inner and outer metal and the two should not slip in relation to each other.  If they do then the bushing has failed and there will be accelerated wear.  When I replaced them on a car I first installed them with the nut not torqued, then lowered the car to "load" the bushing at the "ride height" and only then did I re tighten/torque the clamping nut and "plate/washer".  When the wheel sat static the rubber was not under any twist but as the suspension traveled the bush rubber would be slightly wound back and forth but wouldn't tear free from it bond with the metal in the bush.  If you tighten the bush with the suspension extended and unloaded you will wind the rubber beyond its design limit and you get premature failure.

Not sure that this was made clear and I am also not sure that I have been clear, as well.  Look for that seemingly innocuous instruction to load the suspension "before tightening" or some such.  Again, not sure this will apply to all bus bushings.

I have mixed emotions about that hard "plastic" replacement bushings.  Feeling more ride shock in the bus and hearing more road noise are definitely bad signs to me.  That MCI is using hard plastic as stock items seems to resolve any misgivings...but still.  That hard plastic will improve the handling and steering responsiveness is a lead pipe cinch given to me.

2 cents,

John