Yeah...I get the feeling he forgot to grease them and passed it off as not being necessary when I inquired about it. I checked and the grease packet is still in the box. It's a very reputable shop so I'm sure they'll take care of it. I was just stoked at the time that they didn't crush my side skirts lol
Grease guns are so cheap and the grease lays for such a long time. Get one yourself and just do it. I have older cars that have zerk fittings everywhere so I bought a grease gun and still haven’t gone through a tube of grease
Awesome thank you Rynil and Shannon! Now that I'm thinking about it, the tech that installed the bars said he didn't think it would be necessary to grease the bushings. I'm gonna bring it back to him and have him lube em up...better be free of charge. I'll probably watch how he does it and buy the gun and grease anyway so I can do it myself next time. Geeeeez...my short term memory is fading
Thanks again guys! Appreciate it!
Very nice of you to give your incompetent mechanic a second go at your Stinger. Didn’t think it was necessary what an idiot! Did he explain why Eibach supplied grease with your kit. Buy the gun and do it yourself that way next year you’re prepared with knowledge and equipment. Plus it will be fun and rewarding
Poly bushings squeak badly if they're dry. You can replenish grease through the zerk, but that won't fully coat the inside. If they were installed dry then they really need to be removed and fully coated.
Greasing through the zerk is really to replace grease that has dropped out ("drop" in this case referring to grease turning to a liquid state when hot) and to push any dirt/grime out of the bushing.
Super Lube is the best stuff to use on poly bushings, easy to find online but typically tough to find locally. The stuff in stores isn't the best for this type of bushing. You can use the red bearing grease, but do NOT use Moly grease on poly.
I keep one grease pump with super lube and one grease pump with moly grease, latter for tie rod ends, ball joints, etc, where moly really helps.
Note that grease will drop out in a hot garage, so I normally pull the tubes back out of the gun and store them in a ziplock bag. Messy, but oh well.
After sleeping on it, I came to the conclusion there's no way I'm bringing it back to these guys. I think I'm fully capable of handling this. I do have a few questions though...I'm thinking all I have to do is detach the end links, remove the brackets, remove the bushings, lube them up and reinstall everything is this correct? Also, can I do this on rhino ramps or do I need to remove the wheels to access the end links? I'll also buy a grease gun so I'm ready the next time they start to make noise.
After sleeping on it, I came to the conclusion there's no way I'm bringing it back to these guys. I think I'm fully capable of handling this. I do have a few questions though...I'm thinking all I have to do is detach the end links, remove the brackets, remove the bushings, lube them up and reinstall everything is this correct? Also, can I do this on rhino ramps or do I need to remove the wheels to access the end links? I'll also buy a grease gun so I'm ready the next time they start to make noise.
The front you just need to pull up on ramps, those ones are easily accessible. You'll need a flat head screw driver to pull of the underbody cover, it is held on my plastic tabs. The tabs come open easily with a flathead. A hex wrench for the end-links and a 17mm wrench so it doesn't spin. Torque the end-link to the sway bar at 86 lb-ft. Not sure what size bolt for the stabilizer bar to frame, they need to be torqued at 47 lb-ft. Try your best to keep the sway bar in the same position.
The rear is a bitch though, you'll need the wheels off. Same torques for the rear.
Here's a pic from the repair manual with all the torques if you want to print it off.
I have 90º grease fittings on my rear bar. Facing out for easy access. Without these you may need an angle adaptor.
A hose to connect to your grease gun also. I just lubed my bushings and removing the wheels helped a lot.
Poly bushings squeak badly if they're dry. You can replenish grease through the zerk, but that won't fully coat the inside. If they were installed dry then they really need to be removed and fully coated.
Greasing through the zerk is really to replace grease that has dropped out ("drop" in this case referring to grease turning to a liquid state when hot) and to push any dirt/grime out of the bushing.
Super Lube is the best stuff to use on poly bushings, easy to find online but typically tough to find locally. The stuff in stores isn't the best for this type of bushing. You can use the red bearing grease, but do NOT use Moly grease on poly.
I keep one grease pump with super lube and one grease pump with moly grease, latter for tie rod ends, ball joints, etc, where moly really helps.
Note that grease will drop out in a hot garage, so I normally pull the tubes back out of the gun and store them in a ziplock bag. Messy, but oh well.
Moly is actually gritty. That's fine for metal - it gets crushed into the metal and forms a slippery layer. But on soft materials that can't chew it up it's like having dirt in the grease.
To be clear, it's not bad, and certainly better than nothing. I wouldn't bother removing and cleaning the bushings if you've already used it. Sway bar duty is just about the easiest thing a bushing can do - the grease just needs to stop squeaks. Just something to keep in mind for the next time around. Use the clear synthetic stuff on rubber/plastic/poly, use moly on metal to metal. Interestingly, Timken still recommends plain red (non-moly) for tapered bearings.
Moly is actually gritty. That's fine for metal - it gets crushed into the metal and forms a slippery layer. But on soft materials that can't chew it up it's like having dirt in the grease.
To be clear, it's not bad, and certainly better than nothing. I wouldn't bother removing and cleaning the bushings if you've already used it. Sway bar duty is just about the easiest thing a bushing can do - the grease just needs to stop squeaks. Just something to keep in mind for the next time around. Use the clear synthetic stuff on rubber/plastic/poly, use moly on metal to metal. Interestingly, Timken still recommends plain red (non-moly) for tapered bearings.
If I were you I wouldn't bother to drop the brackets yet, I'd first try using the grease nipple, pump a bunch of grease in there and drive for a bit and see if that fixes the issue, if it doesn't then drop the brackets.
